New Crest Boards for Settle Weir

Settle Hydro renew the damaged wooden boards that top Settle Weir.

The height and alignment of the weir boards, and the integrity of the seal between the boards and the stone structure of the weir, are critical for two reasons:

1. It ensures that the optimum amount of water flows down the adjacent fish pass under low river conditions. The fish pass enables various fish species to bypass the weir which would otherwise present the fish with an insurmountable obstacle.
2. It ensures that the optimum amount of water is available to drive the Archimedes Screw under low river conditions and maximises the amount of electricity that can be generated by the hydroelectric scheme.

A permit for the work was obtained from the Environment Agency. The permit specified the timeframe within which work was to be undertaken to ensure minimum impact on the integrity of the fishery. For practical and safety reasons, the work had to be undertaken when the river level was very low. 

The engineering work was undertaken by MannPower Hydro Limited. The work involved removing the old, damaged boards and mounting brackets and replacing them with new boards (supplied by Timberworks of Settle) and brackets (supplied by J Mortimer Fabrications of Kirkby Lonsdale).

The cost of the work was shared equally between the owners of the adjacent Bridge End Mill (who are the owners of the Weir) and Settle Hydro Ltd. Settle Hydro raised a portion of their share of the costs from a crowdfunding appeal. Grateful thanks go to shareholders and members of the public who contributed towards the cost of the work. 

The weir boards before the work was undertaken

Installing the new weir boards 

New weir boards in place

The weir after completion of the work