Although the Thames flows generally from west to east, it makes a large ‘omega-shaped’ northbound detour, starting just before Oxford, then returning southwards in all its streams, as it passes through the city.
Callling the proposed Seacourt to Kennington flood-relief pipeline (Oxford Times, 24th January 2019), say, ‘option 1’, there is surely also an ‘option 2’ of a cross-country route, cutting across the bottom of the ‘omega’ detour, drawing storm surge floodwater from the river somewhere between Babcock Hythe and Farmoor reservoir, and discharging it back into the river near Sandford.
Although a longer pumping distance (5 or 6 miles), this is still not very far for a pipeline, and, with its construction well-away from the city and its rush-hour traffic problems, both the city and the pipeline works would have a lot less to cope with. Furthermore, the pumping station could be integrated with both the existing water storage installations at Farmoor reservoir, and the proposals for a new reservoir at Abingdon, into which floodwater could also be diverted, combining water supply and flood storage, which would surely be an abundantly sensible use of resources.
I believe that either ‘option 1’ or this suggested ‘option 2’ would be far better than the EA’s proposed open channel through west Oxford.
The impact on both normal and rush-hour traffic for three years, in the roads on the west of the city, would be an appalling prospect, if the EA’s scheme were to be adopted, with 100,000 heavy earthmoving lorry movements in and out of the EA’s proposed site, as well as a continual stream of site traffic including articulated low-loaders bringing tracked excavators, cranes, site offices, fencing, compressors, pumps and so forth save a good bit more on the cost of the project.
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John Wasilewski
North Hinksey