Minor Environment Agency Projects Carried out since Storm Desmond.
The funnelling effect of the low capacity MILLHOUSE bridge allows only a certain amount of flood mode water, (combined volume / current) through the arch at a specific rate/time, and no more. The funnelling then triggers rapid multiple stacking, rising the river to unprecendated levels from the bridge upwards. 

To date nothing has been done to prevent this
new regular/routine phenomenon.
Just a simple experiment with a household funnel will reveal and confirm to you that there are restricted limitations of how much flow capacity the funnel/bridge can actually handle at a certain pace.  When the liquid "input" is increased,  the "output" flowrate does not follow up, but remains minimal, the funnel then stacks and overflows.     
On a larger scale, MILLHOUSE bridge has the same phenomenon, which becomes seriously overwhelmed during extreme storms, unable to accommodate the sheer volume of the inflamed river in full spate.  (Same as Eamont bridge)
For more about the history, plus the very realistic negative characteristics of MILLHOUSE bridge, visit  "the Bridges" page.  https://www.millhouse-hesketnewmarket.com/the-bridges
Now that the originally designed bridge overflow route to the original flood plain has recently been inadvertantly blocked by a modern structure, the river now stacks to new unprecedented levels on land upstream, (even in the Gillcambon beck), actually overtopping the main Caldew defence bank in huge volume for it's entire length during the crescendo of storm Desmond on 5th December 2015.

For some reason, the Environment Agency have chosen to ignore and dismiss this phenomenon.

Instead, they have carried out various minor projects, none of which relates to the paramount problem of the recently introduced stacking of the river.
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Old Millrace Arch, outlet.
Firstly, they had to rectify a previous blunder one way valve project, (which was carried out in 2013, proceeding the 2012 flooding event).
The photo on the right is similar to what the arch outlet looked like before the Environment Agency's desecration project,  by the installation of a one way valve in the summer of 2013.   

For some strange reason, some one at the Environment Agency, (Rachel Barwise) decided a one way valve was required on the outlet face of this 120 year old original ornate millrace arch, and to back fill the original millrace with only a small diameter outlet pipe embedded into it.   
So this rather controversial scheme was carried out in 2013.
These photos show the previously encased Millrace arch outlet, shortly after the December 2015 (Storm Desmond) flooding event, flanked by debris of the ill-fated one way valve system.
This ill-fated one way valve project was completely blown apart by a 10ft head of river water during the crescendo of storm Desmond, due to the over topping of the flood defence bank caused by the funnelling effect of the overwhelmed bridge.  The 120 year old arch outlet was severely damaged.
June 2016

The Environment Agency  admitted that their previous expensive project was a total failure, therefore completely removed the the ill-fated one way valve from the arch.

The arch outlet has been reinstated to its orriginal format, as this photo, but sadly this reinstatement has swallowed up another huge amount of valuable funding which could have been used more productively on a credible prevention project.
The original Millrace channel on the out-fall side of the Old Millrace arch has been partly reopened.

Not sure why this short section of the millrace remains back-filled with a solitary very unpractical small diameter pipe retained,  as this pipe has less than half the flow capacity of the actual arch?
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Alternative one way valve flap project, 2016.
A controversial one-way valve flap has been located in the Mill field channel.

Not sure of the justification for this untenable valve flap project, and its position? 

Even the Contractor workers that constructed it were secretly heard saying that, "it did not a stand a cat in h**l's chance of working".      And it has been revealed that the cost of this project to tax payers was in access of  £11,000.00p.       Do you think the cost of this project is justified?
For some reason the Environment Agency, (Iwan Lawton)  jumped on an idea that there has to be an "automatic" way to prevent the negative back flow of high river levels up the channel.  The failed one way valves in the Millrace arch was the 1st idea.  This is the 2nd. 
The system always functioned extremely well with the original manually operated sluices.   
The stainless steel runner grooves are still in position beside the Mill outbuilding.
So WHY has this expensive unnecessary automatic one way valve been prioritized?

The open channel, (leat) was installed across the Mill field following an independent survey by "Tweddle & Slater"  in 2006, as an escape flow path for the excess road water which passes down alongside the Mill during localized flash flood potential.  It was designed to work in conjunction with manual operated sluice gates situated near the Mill outbuilding, which were lowered into position "only" at times of prolonged persistent rainfall and excessive river levels, to prevent potential river water back-flow to the Mill. 
The system with the manual operated sluice gates worked well, as originally designed. 
SO WHY HAS A HUGE AMOUNT OF TAX PAYER'S MONEY BEEN DEVOTED TO THIS TOTALLY UNNECESSARY VALVE FLAP PROJECT, that potentially won't work?
A very heavy cast iron non return valve flap has been installed, which realistically will require a substantial head, (weight) of water behind it to make it actually crack open to allow even a small flow of water.
This valve flap installation by the E.A. instructed by Iwan Lawton, has the un-welcome potential to create a damming effect, rather than a flood preventative application.
These very heavy cast iron valve flaps are more suited to coastal regions, fully submerged or "deep water" applications, according to manufacturers specifications.
Surely a lighter weight aluminium or plastic flap would be better suited for this application. Better still, revert back to the manual sluice system which worked perfectly, (the stainless steel channels are still in place) which for some reason is being totally ignored.
It remains to be seen and experienced if a sufficient head, (weight) of the road water in the open channel, (leat) will actually be heavy enough to crack open this very heavy iron flap.  If it doesn't, it will act as a dam, inducing overflow of the open channel, blocking the only village drain down route once again, causing a flooding risk to the Mill, and other properties.
And if the flap does eventually crack open, it has a very strong potential to be blocked by floating debris at a very early stage.
If there is an overflow of the channel, the Mill, (and potentially other properties) will un-doubtably be put at risk from heavy flash flood type rain. 
A similar situation to this has actually happened in the past, due to this channel being intentionally blocked by a heap of soil, resulting in a number of properties being flooded due to very heavy thundery type rainfall flowing off the fields, down the road, (Salter Lonning) into the village, past the Mill, to form a lagoon behind the former soil heap.
It is now obvious that this project has been costly, but it would be an absolute disaster if this very heavy valve flap did not crack open on cue, to release road water to flow down through the millrace arch to terminate in the river.
November 2018. 
The latest development.

The old Millrace arch, and the one way valve flap have been shrouded/blocked once again, this time by imported foreign obstructions. They have been shrouded for many weeks, even during periods of extreme heavy rain and storm conditions.
It is the hope of the villagers that these slatted timber obstructions are lifted out of their current positions in time,  during prolonged rainfall, to prevent yet a further catastrophic blockage to the crucial Millrace arch function, (as in 2012 & 2015).
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The Experimental Micro Slot, 2016.
A small experimental slot has been installed in an adjacent wall which was built at a much earlier time to the more recent 2003-2004 wall & raised level drive.

But it was not funded by the installers, but by the Environment Agency via tax payers.

If you are pinning your hopes on the recently installed experimental micro slot in the preliminary wall by the Environment Agency, think again, as realistically it is miles from being man-enough to cope with the sizable river overflow/stacking as experienced during the 3 previous flooding events. 

It is half-heartedly already almost blocked by the vigorous growth of the shrubs behind it.  And because of it's minute size and minimal flow capacity, realistically its intended function is certain to be overwhelmed and blocked by floating tree branches and associated debris within the first few moments of the river bursting it's bank. 

The overflowing river used to flow freely across the road as a surface torrent at this point.
The land owners have been blatantly adamant, (for self preservation and cosmetic reasons), (audio record) that they would NOT allow a (crucial) larger bypass provision in this preliminary wall, OR, their later wall/raised level drive, (built during 2003-04), which would have undone their created inadvertent blockage of the bridge overflow.
Instead they requested that the victims, and the E.A. seek alternative flood preventive methods for MILLHOUSE.

Please Mr Lawton @ the Environment Agency, you really do need to waken up to reality,  to the fact of the sheer enormity of the huge overflow volume induced by the funnelling/stacking of the overwhelmed bridge during these extreme storm times, and before the next one.
"The No. 1 Golden Eternal rule created by earth's natural gravitational force" :-
Water does "always" find its own level, from all directions, without exception.

The Simple facts :-  If the overflowing river water can't get through this original route,  then it is sure to find the next easiest route,  which sadly is over the defence bank into the village.
The sooner the original overflow/by-pass for the river Caldew bridge is reinstated, the sooner the properties in MILLHOUSE will actually become desirable and marketable, (as they used to be).

Sadly, another flooding event and more hardship may have to be experienced before the-powers-that-be individuals are completely convinced about the very realistic and proven facts laid out on the pages of this website.
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