crippletron 3000
22-04-2011, 04:31 PM
Sluice Overflow
I'd had my eye on this Outfall for a while now, but bad weather and my recent injury prevented me from taking a closer look.
As I was passing through today, I decided to finally get up close and see what exactly it was. From the opposite side of the river bank it appeared a fairly big (2.1M) conrete outfall with a big ass grille preventing access.
I assumed it was a CSO, but the absence of toilet peripherals or running water ruled that or a culvert out :confused:
Getting down the river bank and up close provided much entertainment, nevertheless I made it in one piece :D
As I peered over it looked as though getting through the grille was going to be near on impossible, still I climbed down to the waters edge to attempt entry
No sooner did I put my leg in it disappeared quicktime into sinking sand, and I mean disappeared :eek: I quickly whipped my leg out and opted for the other side, which tbh didn't look much different, also the water was quite deep!
Again I stepped in and was sinking fast past my waist FFS, all this fuss for a bloody overflow. Without wanting to give up I managed to climb around the outside of the concrete and into the recess which housed the Outfall. There was a huge build up of quicksand in front of the grille so i had to climb onto it and over to the far side where there appeared to be a gap just big enough to squeeze through.
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/1.jpg
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/2.jpg
Once through, I was now stood in a 2.1M RCP, 1ft deep in water
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/3.jpg
I must have only walked 200 yards and there was a small inspection chamber ahead, infact there were 3 of these along the way
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/4.jpg
At the other side, the RCP shrunk to 5ft which now meant stooping, as it turned out it was the same all the way to the Infall...
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/5.jpg
After stooping for easily half a mile as the pipe changed direction a few times I could eventually see daylight
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/6.jpg
I was a bit miffed after all the effort to get in, infact I was at least expecting a CSO chamber or processing room but nish
As I turned the corner I could see the grilled Infall, and there was deffo no way out here
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/7.jpg
As I looked out I could see a sluice gate, what looked like a flood plain and a 1M overflow on the opposite side
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/8.jpg
I managed to get a GPS fix on the iphone, which looking at google earth appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, and was infact a flood plain
The two overflows both drained into nearby rivers
Disappointed YES, but at least I finally got to find out what the overflow actually was, and in the end killed a couple of hours
I'd had my eye on this Outfall for a while now, but bad weather and my recent injury prevented me from taking a closer look.
As I was passing through today, I decided to finally get up close and see what exactly it was. From the opposite side of the river bank it appeared a fairly big (2.1M) conrete outfall with a big ass grille preventing access.
I assumed it was a CSO, but the absence of toilet peripherals or running water ruled that or a culvert out :confused:
Getting down the river bank and up close provided much entertainment, nevertheless I made it in one piece :D
As I peered over it looked as though getting through the grille was going to be near on impossible, still I climbed down to the waters edge to attempt entry
No sooner did I put my leg in it disappeared quicktime into sinking sand, and I mean disappeared :eek: I quickly whipped my leg out and opted for the other side, which tbh didn't look much different, also the water was quite deep!
Again I stepped in and was sinking fast past my waist FFS, all this fuss for a bloody overflow. Without wanting to give up I managed to climb around the outside of the concrete and into the recess which housed the Outfall. There was a huge build up of quicksand in front of the grille so i had to climb onto it and over to the far side where there appeared to be a gap just big enough to squeeze through.
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/1.jpg
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/2.jpg
Once through, I was now stood in a 2.1M RCP, 1ft deep in water
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/3.jpg
I must have only walked 200 yards and there was a small inspection chamber ahead, infact there were 3 of these along the way
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/4.jpg
At the other side, the RCP shrunk to 5ft which now meant stooping, as it turned out it was the same all the way to the Infall...
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/5.jpg
After stooping for easily half a mile as the pipe changed direction a few times I could eventually see daylight
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/6.jpg
I was a bit miffed after all the effort to get in, infact I was at least expecting a CSO chamber or processing room but nish
As I turned the corner I could see the grilled Infall, and there was deffo no way out here
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/7.jpg
As I looked out I could see a sluice gate, what looked like a flood plain and a 1M overflow on the opposite side
http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx345/ojay1234/Other/Sluice%20Overflow/8.jpg
I managed to get a GPS fix on the iphone, which looking at google earth appeared to be in the middle of nowhere, and was infact a flood plain
The two overflows both drained into nearby rivers
Disappointed YES, but at least I finally got to find out what the overflow actually was, and in the end killed a couple of hours