Environment Agency Stages Open Morning on Somerset Levels

The Environment Agency (EA) is to host a community open morning, where local people can discuss with experts about the dredging operations on the Somerset Moors and Levels.

The EA has dredged a 4 kilometre length of river (on the Parrett and Tone and removed 80,000 tonnes of silt and remain on target to finish the work by the end of October this year.

People are being invited to drop in to the main dredge compound at Samway’s, Riverside, Burrowbridge, Bridgwater, Somerset, on Saturday 30th August, between 10am and 12.30pm.

Graham Quarrier for the Environment Agency said: “We would ask people to come along to find out more about the dredging and the other work we are completing in the local area. As well as completing the dredge, we are repairing local ‘assets’ like river banks and pumping stations that were damaged in the floods. These repairs include work mentioned in the 20 year plan for the Somerset levels and moors.”

The dredging is being undertaken using a mixture of floating equipment, large excavators mounted on the riverbanks and even amphibious dredgers. This range of equipment is needed to cope with the large tidal range in the river and the soft ground conditions on the banks.

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Press Release, August 29, 2014