RACE TO FIX WEIR AS CLYDESIDE CRUMBLES
Banks collapse as repair effort at gate goes on
THE banks of the River Clyde started to collapse and roads cracked up as efforts to repair a failed weir continued.
A multi-agency team has been working around the clock to repair the gate which suffered a mechanical fault on Monday, causing it to jam open.
Roads and pathways on the southern bank have started to crack as water levels plummeted to their lowest level since the Second World War.
A major crack appeared on the pathway on Adelphi Street beside the Clyde, causing it to collapse.
Police were in attendance at the scene as fears of further cracks appearing continued.
The tidal weir is one of three used to ensure the upper Clyde, east of the Albert Bridge, is kept at a constant depth.
Without it, water levels can rise and fall with a tide from a depth of more than four metre to only 1.5m.
Members of the public are being warned to stay away from the riverbank around Glasgow Green and nearby public walkways have been closed.
Glasgow City Council confirmed that they were continuing attempts to get the gates working again last night.
George Parsonage, chief officer of the Glasgow Humane Society, who is among those monitoring the situation, said he also spotted a burst water main on Adelphi Street and cracks in the river wall at Waterside Street.
He added: “Engineers are trying various different methods to try get the gate working, from using jacks to wedge it while a pulling with a crane.
“If they can’t fix it, they might have to bring in a cofferdam, which is built in the water to allow water to be pumped out.
“It’s not going to be easy – they will need to bring in a large crane and a large barge to do it.
“There’s already cracks in our boat shed and if this continues, it’ll be a fortune for the council to cover all the costs.
“We’re now just waiting and hoping that they can find something to fix it. It’s a very dangerous situation right now.”
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council, said: “We have managed to lower the gate and the upper channel, east of the weir, has started to fill. While this does not mean the weir is fixed, it should prevent any further damage to the river banks – which has been our priority.
“We are now assessing damage on the weir and the banks of the river in order to establish what works are required. Until that is complete, some areas and walkways will remain closed and we are asking the public to stay off the banks.”
She said they were working with specialist contractors on potential solutions, “including the construction of a cofferdam or barrier.”
She added: “The main risk posed from the failure of the weir is to the stability of the banks of the river, upstream, around low tide. Although there has been no catastrophic failure, there has been damage to the
banks, walkways, and some of the infrastructure buried underneath.
“We are working with the emergency services and public utilities to minimise the impact of any damage on local residents and businesses.”
She said the gates were last serviced on July 26 this year.
A spokesperson from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) added: “SEPA is supporting Glasgow City Council’s management of the tidal weir issue near Glasgow Green by providing tidal and river flow information and advice.
“We can confirm that no flooding impacts are currently forecast or anticipated as a result of this issue, however we will continue to monitor the situation.
“We would also encourage the public to follow any advice provided by Glasgow City Council.”
Canoeists and rowing clubs have also been warned off the water which is popular with the Glasgow University Boat Club and Strathclyde University Boat Club.
Glasgow Rowing Club was among those unable to carry out their training on Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesman for the club said: “We were meant to be going out on the water. Wednesdays are exciting days at the club with more competitive rowing taking place.
“I’ve yet to see the damage, we have older members who are engineers and they are having a look at it but we’re hoping the damage isn’t too bad.”