Adrian Stott wrote: > "Mike Stevens" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> Some people seem to believe that the "officially correct" thing to >> do is to leave a lock with all gates & paddles closed. Others >> acknowledge that that's the official view but think it's a daft >> one. Personally I believe the official policy is better phrased as >> "leave the gates open in you're on a canal, close them if you're on >> a river".
> It does not save (much) water, so I disagree with Mike and say that it > makes no sense to distinguish between the practice on rivers and on > canals. I wasn't, at that point, saying whether I thought the rule as I understand it was or wasn't sensible, but merely what I understood the rule to be. As a matter of fact I do think it's sensible. > As Ron said, on the waterways around London one always leaves gates > open. I live on one of those waterways. Very nice. That's not the offically-sanctioned practice on the waterways around London generally. It is one the Lee & Stort because they are on rivers. Notices on the Regent's say (or said fairly recently - I'm not sure whether they still do) that *top* gates should always be closed. I think that's perverse. On the southern part of the GU there has been ab commonly accepted practice (which isn't the same as an official policy) of leaving gates open. In the 30 years I've boated on that stretch, the quoted northern limit for that practice has been steadily moving south. In 1977 it was Cowroast. Then for a long time it was Berka. Now somebody tells us it's Hemel. In my observation currently it only applies to Cowley lock. -- Mike Stevens narrowboat Felis Catus III web-site www.mike-stevens.co.uk Defend the waterways. Visit the web site www.saveourwaterways.org.uk
