Storm Babet sees Toddbrook’s temporary bywash diversion become partially blocked

Storm Babet caused flooding across the county and also damaged the ongoing repair works.

There was water flowing across the footpath during and after the storm.

The Canal and River Trust own the reservoir and following the 2019 bad weather which saw the spillway crack contractors Keir have been working on the site.

A spokesperson for construction company Keir said: “Some of you had seen water flowing from the lower area of the construction site, across the path to the river.

“The temporary bywash diversion set up through the site unfortunately became partially blocked by debris, and this caused a small overflow towards the river.

“It otherwise functioned correctly, and the site was monitored throughout Friday night and the remainder of the weekend – at no point was this deemed a significant risk or concern.

“Measures were taken yesterday to reduce the likelihood of a similar occurrence in severe weather.”

The temporary bywash diversion channel will remain in place for the remainder of the project.

The spokesperson said: “We would also like to clarify the pumping from Toddbrook is very important in order to maintain reservoir safety, especially during storm events.

“This is done in line with a specific plan, as agreed with the Environment Agency. The water pumped from the reservoir and flowing from the Todd Brook combined is typically only a fairly small proportion of overall flows in the River Goyt during severe weather, so it is the flow from the river upstream that unfortunately causes flooding.”