Stroudwater Canal route flood bank interface issue
There is an issue of flood bank integrity if the River Frome and the remaining length of the the Stroudwater Canal from Latham to the A38 are to be connected.

The River Frome summer water level and that of the canal are similar but the river flows between high flood banks and the water level can become significantly higher than that of the canal at times of heavy rainfall.

If the river route is used to restore through navigation, it is not necessary to connect the canal and river together.

If the canal route is used or if it was decided that the truncated arm of the canal should be connected to the river even if through navigation follows the river, it will be necessary to carry out flood protection works.

There are two immediately apparent ways to providing protection:-
Frome from canal

canal overflow


The River Frome as approached by the reedy bed of the Stroudwater Canal. Note the flood bank separating the canal from the river channel. Simply cutting through it would result in high levels of water in the river backing up the canal and over topping the banks in times of high rainfall.













Currently, any excess water in the canal flows over this small weir into a nearby deep drainage ditch. An operational canal might demand a larger weir to cope with additional lockage water at times when the river levels were higher than that of the canal as might be the case if a flood control structure were to be built here.





deep drain under Frome





The deep drain passes under the River Frome near the site of Latham Aqueduct.











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