For weeks now, we've been covering the situation with the Yabra canal which is silted up at the mouth. The City Council has been trying valiantly to clear out a channel and restore the normal flow, but the siltation just keeps coming back. That's why today we were surprised to hear that - instead of returning to that same solution they have a whole new approach to rehabilitate the entire Collet and East Canal systems - and it uses some very high science! Engineer Lucien Chung explained:
Jules Vasquez
"Explain to me how this phenomenon that we see and we think: bway well, we could solve it, just trench out this area; it's not that simple."
Lucien Chung- Civil Engineer, Hydraulics
"It's not that simple because, as you say, it's a network, it's a system that is all interconnected. The siltation occurred because you have low flows within the canal. For various reasons, especially because of the years of siltation, you don't have the velocity- the flushing velocity helps to flush out the canal naturally. One of the proposed ideas is to put locks or sluice gates at the Haulover Creek and at the sea. And at the sea, we'll also put some huge screw type pumps to help evacuate the canals if necessary or when necessary. What that project will help to do is to assist the canal to flush out artificially. The sluice gates will create an isolated network, but because it's isolated it gives the flexibility to evacuate the canal or isolate it from high tied; that kind of thing."
Phillip Willoughby- City Council
"I think this is a completely 360 degree from where we were when we saw the silt building up towards the Mixed Avenue bridge. I am one personally extremely grateful, I'm certain that the residents within the Yabra and East Collect, West Collect canal area and the entire residents living around these canals are extremely grateful. We couldn't wait for this; it came at an opportune time. Ultimately I believe we will be controlling the flooding to a great extent."
The proposal is part of the IDB Draianage project part 2 which carries a hefty price tag. How much? Try 8 million US dollars! It's just in the design phase and Chung is just doing data collection at this time. The earliest possible completion date would be in two years time.
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