Silt clearance off Brielle Way intends to prevent flood
Silt clearing at Diggs
Marshes off Brielle Way
A stretch of water that collects drainage from Halfway and
parts of Sheerness and Queenborough is being cleared of silt.
Readers might have noticed a JCB digger working on water courses
near the Brielle Way flyover, on land known as Diggs Marshes.
The 5,020m network of ditches is looked after by the Lower
Medway Internal Drainage Board.
Unless routine work is carried out every 10 to 15 years, the
land could potentially flood.
The last time similar digging took place was in 1993, although
there was clearance on a smaller scale in 1996.
A total catchment area of 1,060 acres, covering Halfway, the
edge of Queenborough and the edge of Sheerness, converges at Diggs
Marshes.
Water then flows through the Lappel Bank, which is owned by Peel
Ports, and out to sea.
Clerk and engineer at LMIDB, Michael Watson, said: “There are 20
to 30 water courses that we look after just on the Isle of
Sheppey.
“It is a massive area, hence the reason it silts up and needs
draining.
“Silt gathers from off the roads and from off the land. Because
they are not very fast flowing, it sits in suspension and then
settles and blocks the drains.”
12/03/13
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