Work underway to dredge the Bude Canal

The 200-year-old Bude Canal is being desilted to restore flood mitigation benefit and maintain its contribution as one of Bude’s key amenity attractions.

Work to dredge silt from the Bude Canal is well underway, with the Crescent carpark down to a reduced capacity as it is used to dewater the silt arisings. The project, which is due to complete by the Easter holidays has been a high priority for some time, requiring careful planning due to the environmentally sensitive and historically important nature of the site.

One of the major considerations in designing the scheme methodology has been how to avoid the spread of zebra mussel; an invasive non-native species of mussel that have a small population in the harbour and upper basin areas of the canal. Zebra mussel cling to hard surfaces can lead to significant damage to infrastructure, such as completely filling water pipes, as well as attaching to our native molluscs causing them to not be able to feed. Several steps are in place to mitigate the risk of their spread: One of the biggest risks was around microscopic zebra mussel spawn free-floating in the water, so work didn’t start until water temperatures dropped below 11°C, at which point zebra mussel stop spawning. Even so, we are still making sure that all water being de-watered from the silt is being returned into the canal and not entering any other systems. Once centrifuged, the silt is remaining on site undercover for 2-weeks to allow any remaining viable spawn or mussels to dry and die-off, before being taken to a permitted waste site where there is no risk of it entering an aquatic environment.

Following on from dredging at the inland extent of the canal in November 2022 and March 2023, this phase plans to remove 4,000 cubic meters of silt from Rodds Lock to the sea lock. It will restore the flood risk mitigation role of the canal by increasing the amount of water that the canal can convey out to sea in the event of high river flows, and safeguard use of the canal for water-activity by maintaining a safe depth for navigation and capsizing.

Equally, the ability of the canal to hold more water through desilting, will help protect the important habitat of the site, with Cornwall Council, who own and manage the canal and harbour saying that this project is vital in helping the canal be more resilient to climate change, which will see increased fluctuations between periods of drought and flood.

The dredging project is part funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cornwall Council has been chosen by Government as a Lead Authority for the fund and is responsible for monitoring the progress of projects funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.