All construction works at the River Chelmer Eel Screen have now been completed.

As referenced in my previous update, we have installed an interpretation board on the fence along the public footpath that explains the purpose of the screens and I've attached a copy below for information.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2021.

The Chelmer project had some minor associative works in plan before lockdown and in the last couple of months we've been addressing these so you may have seen occasional activity if you've been near the site. There are further works planned for November and some maintenance activities will also be carried out in the coming months.

The eel screens have been installed for a year and have been operating well. We’ve been asked lots of questions by interested passers-by so we're in the process of designing some interpretation boards to be placed on the site fencing and at the Museum of Power that will explain more about the purpose of the project and how the screens work. I've included a brief description below for anyone that's interested in how they operate.

In normal operation the screens are static, the fine mesh (2mm wide) allows water to pass through to the pumping station at Langford while 'filtering' out any debris and preventing small fish and eels from entering the pipeline. When the screens start to become blocked (e.g. if there is a lot of leaf debris or blanket weed in the river) they enter a cleaning mode where they start to rotate and wash water is sprayed from the inside of the screens outward to remove the debris from the screen. The debris and wash water drop into a trough behind the screens and return to the river downstream. If the river debris is low (as it is at the moment) the cleaning cycle will still operate every few hours to keep everything clear and prevent any build up. The screens will also run more often in the coldest weather to prevent any freezing up, so if you're passing site don't be surprised to hear them running frequently.

The screens were inspected by the EA recently and the installation has been accepted, so the eel screens should now be contributing to the wellbeing and biodiversity of this beautiful site!

Covid-19 Update:

Following the latest government advice, projects are currently under review to ensure that only essential works are carried out. There are currently no physical works being undertaken at this site and although there are some further minor works planned it is likely that these will be delayed. Further updates will be issued when more information is available.

The project has entered the final stages, I'm very pleased to report that the 28 day trial was completed successfully and the new screens coped really well with the heavy flooding over the Christmas period.  The footpath has been reinstated and was reopened in December.  The last few stages of the scheme will include optimisation of the screen running times and a general site tidy up.

The screens have been running well since the installation last month, commissioning is nearly done so we're about to enter into the final testing period. The last few civils works are being completed, installing the fencing and making good the footpath ready for the diversion to be lifted, hopefully by mid-December.

Excellent progress made last week, the eel screens have been lifted into place so commissioning and testing can now begin!

The project is really starting to develop now.  Deliveries for some of the larger items have been happening over the last couple of weeks and the main kiosk and framework are now in place.

Work is now well underway at the river, installing the concrete bases for the new kiosks and divers have been in the water preparing the base for the new eel screens to be laid onto. Beautiful weather today as well!

We're starting to set up the working part of the site near to the river now so you'll soon start to see some new fences being put up and the footpath diversion will shortly be in place. Because we'll be using a crane to lift the screens and associated framework over the current footpath and into the river we need to close the existing footpath to keep everyone safe. Look out for the footpath closure signs and follow the diversion route. When we have large vehicles moving to and from the site you may be asked to wait a few moments for the vehicles to manouevre safely. Please respect the site fencing, signage and instructions of our team for your own safety.

There is a simple diagram attached to this update indicating the approximate locations of the footpath closure and of the diversion route.  Please click on the picture to see a larger version.

Hi everyone,

Site establishment is now well underway and the temporary works to provide access between the river and the treatment works will be starting soon.  We'll be carrying out some ground surveys in the next couple of weeks so you may notice a little activity near the river.  We did have some delays to the start of the project but we're still very much on track to deliver it before the end of the year.

We haven't needed to divert the footpath yet but when we do, I'll be sharing the route of the diversion on this site so if you think that might impact you please remember to check back for updates, or follow the project to receive notifications.