Please be aware that it looks like the Environment Agency is using the Jubilee River again. I have copied and pasted part of a .gov policy document on the Jubilee River below. You can find the document here
The Jubilee flood relief channel was built by the Environment Agency and opened in 2002. It is part of the Maidenhead Windsor and Eton flood alleviation scheme (MWEFAS). The channel is a man made, 11.6 kilometre stretch of naturalistic river and habitats.
MWEFAS also includes defences in north Maidenhead and Cookham. It reduces the risk of flooding to approximately 3,000 properties in:
- Maidenhead
- Windsor
- Eton
- Cookham
In flood conditions, we split some of the water away from the River Thames through the Jubilee. The Jubilee provides extra space for this water [?] before it re-joins the River Thames at Datchet.
We operate weir gates at Taplow to control the amount of water being split into the Jubilee. As the flow in the River Thames increases, we open the gates gradually in small increments [?] to allow water to flow through the channel.
The Jubilee:
- is not designed to reduce flood risk to communities upstream or downstream of the scheme
- does not adversely impact communities upstream or downstream [?]
There are public footpaths alongside the Jubilee for most of its length that are suitable for:
- walking
- running
- cycling
- horse riding
[UNFORTUNATELY A NUMBER OF THE TIMBER FOOTBRIDGES ARE DANGEROUS AND CLOSED]
For safety reasons we close parts of the footpath when we operate the Jubilee. No swimming is permitted anywhere along the Jubilee flood relief channel as it is not safe for swimming at any time of the year.
You can find the document here
Is the information on a .gov website to be believed? Let’s look at some of these assertions!
- Note firstly that the channel is no longer referred to as the Jubilee River.
- ‘11.6 kilometre stretch of naturalistic river’ was the original intention but the new steel palisade fencing and the broken foot bridges is now stretching the imagination.
- ‘The Jubilee provides extra space for this water’ suggesting that water levels are reduced. In fact system conveyance capacity is increased.
- ‘we open the gates gradually in small increments’ which, if true, demonstrates an ability to learn from four previous downstream flood events.
- ‘does not adversely impact communities upstream or downstream’ is questionable. My view is that, when operated, the Jubilee River enables flood water to be manually diverted out of the Thames into a parallel channel that is shorter, steeper and smoother than the Thames before being reintroduced at the Datchet confluence. Thus the flood water travels quicker, arrives earlier, and at confluence is immediately superimposed onto rising levels. Consequently – in my opinion – downstream flooding is exacerbated in undefended areas.
You can find the document here
IN CONCLUSION:
- The Jubilee River is still unable to carry its design capacity
- The River Thames Scheme project is delayed and at risk
- The DHEFIM (RTS Channel One) is stalled
- Surrey County Council is in debt and being ‘reorganised’
- RBWM has significant debt
- The requirement for and availability of partnership funding is questionable.
- What about River Thames dredging?