Broadmeadow Estuary is getting low on water

darkman2

Anyone seen Malahide estuary in recent days!? It looks like it is draining of water. It's getting lower and lower every day - I have never ever seen it as low as it is now. Anyone from the area? A dam broke when the railway bridge collapsed.

galwayrush

If you believe in the power of prayer, start praying for rain.:rolleyes:

jumpguy

Believe me, you'll have enough water coming in tonight if you get the rain we're getting on the west coast.

Conor108

Havent seen it since Friday but yeah I heard it was/would be getting lower

hidinginthebush

As far as i can tell, it's a result of the bridge collapsing. The bridge also had a retaining wall, which kept water in the estuary, now that work on repairs has commenced, they've blocked off the bridge, so no water can come in or out. Reckon they blocked it at low tide, where the water was lower as a result of the retaining wall going, to make the work easier. The warmish weather has led to a bit of the auld evaporation. But yeah, the water is at the lowest I've ever seen it.

Victor

Rain and evaporation have negligible effects on an area that holds several million cubic metres of water.

Tabnabs

Victor wrote: »

Rain and evaporation have negligible effects on an area that holds several million cubic metres of water.

Not exactly true, anyone who knows the Shannon and the lakes there know how rain (and the lack thereof) effects the levels quite a bit.

There are several very well documented cases of lakes in Asia and Africa that are slowly drying up too.

Bluetonic

Victor wrote: »

Rain and evaporation have negligible effects on an area that holds several million cubic metres of water.

The Broadmeadows river flows into the estuary, I would have thought rain fall would have an measurable effect via the river.

T-Maxx

Victor wrote: »

Rain and evaporation have negligible effects on an area that holds several million cubic metres of water.

True in the case of a small but deep reservoir with small/no catchment area.

However, the estaury is relatively large and shallow, with a substantial catchment area as well.

Bluetonic

Indeed, I've stood in the middle and the water was not over my head when the tide was full in.

Nodster

jumpguy wrote: »

Believe me, you'll have enough water coming in tonight if you get the rain we're getting on the west coast.

...tell me about it, the missus and I rode straight back from Galway in it! Typically it stopped as we saw our first road sign for the M50, this was taken in Xtreme45, Turvey after we just arrived!

Alan Farrell

darkman2 wrote: »

Anyone seen Malahide estuary in recent days!? It looks like it is draining of water. It's getting lower and lower every day - I have never ever seen it as low as it is now. Anyone from the area? A dam broke when the railway bridge collapsed.

I didn't notice a drop at all today and I took a wander at lunchtime.

The weir on top of the viaduct (under the bridge) was damaged and since removed, that particular section of bridge is blocked off but the tidal flows are still present under the other expanses.

Its a tidal & a river estuary so it rarely if ever drops significantly in depth, maybe a foot or two at most. I recall being told the deepest point in the entire estuary is just over three metres.

I'll ask a yocal...

Germag

The Broadmeadow river rises close to my house in Co Meath and I can assure you that at the moment and for the last few weeks it is nearly bursting its banks.

Alan Farrell

Alan Farrell wrote: »

I'll ask a yocal...

Yocal says nope, hasn't dropped.

Sparky84

http://www.sailing.ie/dynamic/pdf/Dublin%20August%202009.pdf

Reason is one of the smallest tides of the year 3.2M

opensourceguy

Sparky84 wrote: »

http://www.sailing.ie/dynamic/pdf/Dublin%20August%202009.pdf

Reason is one of the smallest tides of the year 3.2M

Rain definitely has an impact as well as tides. But I've lived very near the broadmeadows estuary for years and I never saw it quite this low:

http://www.opensourcemechanic.com/blog/

If I have time, I'll post photos showing that the part of the weir beneath the collapsed section was lower than the other parts, so water was draining from the estuary faster than previously. This morning much of the collapsed concrete had been removed and they had already begun work on shoring up the underlying weir. The water level is already up from what it was in this photo. But I don't yet know whether that is because of the tides, the rain or the weir repair.