CONGRATULATIONS to Lawrie Dews: at last someone who can see where our problems start with the flooding ('Dredge the River Ouse, says ex-bargeman', January 31). Yet I feel absolutely incensed to read a nameless spokeswoman for the Environment Agency immediately put him down, then British Waterways engineer Peter Wade tell us water finds its own level.
It is obvious to me that neither has ever used a water level. I have many times and water is not level until it is absolutely still like a millpond. Therefore a river is never level because it is moving towards sea level.
The flooding we are experiencing is about volume not levels. Over the past 30 years, the building work on houses, roads, major shopping centres and new land drainage techniques have increased the volume of water that quickly runs to our old container, the river. Sadly it is no longer big enough.
We need to build flood culverts, not walls. These just move it about elsewhere. All we ask is that the agency dig it just deep enough - it's cheaper and more effective than walls.
David Lee,
Moorend Cottages,
Kelfield, York.
Updated: 11:28 Monday, February 05, 2001
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