|
Mouse Water The SCA has made some enquiries about the hydro scheme which was recently given planning consent on the Mouse, and while there may be some impact on paddling this may not be as great as first feared. The original application was made in 2001 and has now been given final approval, although the SCA has only just found out about it. The developers, Tradelink Solutions, plan to re-instate the derelict hydro station above the old wooden weir at Cleghorn falls. Basically the scheme will involve the construction of a weir of 1.5m in height across the top of the falls. A pipe will then carry approx 3 cumecs of water to a small power house at the foot of the falls on river left. The water would then be returned to the river at this point, a total of 30 metres distance from the weir at the top of the falls. A series of 5, 1m wide slots will be cut into the lip of the weir to allow a small compensation flow to pass over the weir at all times (235 litres per second). This would not be enough water to think about paddling the river but the location of the slots is of interest as when the river is in spate they will determine where a proportion of the water is directed. Following discussions between the SCA and the developers, they have taken up some of the points paddlers have identified and are responding quite positively to the issues raised. The scheme will include a lay-by and footpath which will be open to the public. A 'canoe flume' will be included at the weir on the falls which will hopefully will allow them to be paddled and a gauge will be linked to the SEPA system. On a more positive note, the fallen trees obstructing the first falls have now been removed, although caution is still needed as there is a lot of wood in the gorge. Contributed
by David Bassett, EKC |
