Notice

Sutton Courtenay flow gauge refurbishment 2021: river restriction notice

Updated 1 June 2021

This notice was withdrawn on

This information is out of date and has been archived.

When

9am Monday 23 August to 4pm Friday 27 August 2021.

9am Tuesday 31 August to 4pm Friday 3 September 2021.

9am Monday 6 September to 4pm Tuesday 7 September 2021.

Where

Clifton reach, between Clifton and Culham Locks.

Details

A 50 metre section of the river will be restricted at NGR: SU5170294623 WHAT3WORDS: TICKET.ASSURE.WHEELS from 9am Monday 23 August to 4pm Friday 27 August, 9am Tuesday 31 August to 4pm Friday 3 September and 9am Monday 6 September to 4pm Tuesday 7 September 2021. The navigable width of the river will be reduced to approximately half of its normal width. There will also be short periods of time where the river will have to be closed to allow for the works to transfer from one side of the channel to the other, this may take a few hours.

This is to allow the refurbishment of the Sutton Courtenay flow gauge. The current equipment has reached the end of its operational life. We need to excavate a trench in the river bed in order to lay new cables across the river to bring the flow gauge back into service. Once the trench has been excavated, divers will lay the cable in a specially designed weighted casing and anchor it within the trench. Then the trench will be backfilled.

The information captured by our network of gauging stations enables us to monitor flows and levels in the Thames 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and we use it in a number of strategically important ways: to help us forecast and respond to developing flood risk and to manage water levels to support the provision of drinking water supplies, to enable safe navigation, and to protect the river’s ecology.