Flood protection in doubt if cauld is left unrepaired
With reference to the proposed flood protection scheme for Selkirk. I would like to point out. what happened when Selkirk cauld was demolished and what will happen if Murray's cauld suffers that fate.
When the cauld was taken down. the stones and gravel which had built up behind it were washed down stream. This resulted in a build-up of debris at the top side of the footbridge which serves Bannerfield housing scheme. As a result the water has been diverted towards the west bank which is now slowly eroding away.
Higher up river, as a result of the movement of the river bed, the foundations of the Selkirk bridge were exposed, resulting in its collapse in the flood of 1977, fortunately with no loss of lives.
Higher again, the flood defences at the Scaurs, put in to prevent the erosion of the river bank which supports the Ettrick Road, have been undermined and toppled in to the Ettrick.
Two years ago, in a letter to The Wee Paper, I pointed out that the site on which the new pumping station was built was flooded to a depth of about two feet in the flood of 1977 and if we got the same level of flooding again, the station would be inundated.
This almost happened but the river did not reach the same level as the flood of 1977. The bulk of the water which entered the station came from the relatively small Howden Burn.
My main concern is up at Murray's cauld. The apron of the cauld on the Yarrow side of the river has gone, weakening the structure. If the cauld is breached, the water which flows down the Philipaugh mill lade will enter the main channel and this will cause further erosion of the bank at the scaurs.
On the other hand, the thousand of tons of stone and gravel behind the cauld will shift, which could force the water towards the Yarrow bank. I hate to think what could happen to the properties and playing fields at Ettrickhaugh Road, and even Bannerfield housing estate could be affected.
100,000 spent now repairing the cauld will save millions in the future. I am all in favour of a flood defence scheme providing the cauld is repaired and properly maintained.
If this is not done, the combined Ettrick and Yarrow in full flood will overwhelm the proposed flood defence scheme and cause untold damage to the lower end of the town.
J MacDougal
Forest Road
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Weather for Selkirk
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: West
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Temperature: 3 C to 8 C
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