HAVE YOUR SAY: Severn Barrage
A barrage across the Severn estuary could have the same damaging impacts on flood prevention, wildlife and industry as a barrier in the Netherlands has caused, the RSPB claimed today.
The conservation charity said a Dutch report about the storm surge barrier built across the Oosterschelde estuary in the 1980s showed such constructions have a series of negative effects on their area.
-

The report showed the barrier, which protects against dangerous storm surges, has altered the tidal flows of the estuary.
The changes have led to increasing erosion and the “slow drowning” of intertidal habitats in the estuary, with impacts including higher waves and water levels.
The loss of tidal flats and saltmarshes leads to fewer shellfish and birds, with oystercatcher numbers predicted to fall by 80% by 2045.
But what do you think? Is a barrage the best way to harness the power of the powerful river? Or is it just a recipe for disaster?
Have Your Say by using the comment facility below...











104 Comments
View all
by GOMOH, Glos
Monday, March 01 2010, 8:09PM
“Do not meddle with the Severn. The old man/person rolls on regardless. He/she is no doubt powerful, but who do we think we are to try to harness this power with no regard to the wildlife, in consequence made homeless?. I know what's more important and it aint' no foreign power company with the money to exploit our natural resourses to make money for themselves!”
by Severn Bore, Gloucester
Tuesday, February 23 2010, 10:33AM
“Annabelle - and everyone else who finds the tiny comments box absolutely hopeless: please email TiG and ask them to make the box bigger!
It doesn't have to be so small and the amount of effort required to make it a lot bigger is a few seconds work. Maybe then we could actually *see* what we're typing before we commit it to publication!
TiG - please take note!”
by Annabelle, Chelt
Monday, February 22 2010, 10:40PM
“Cat lover, Glos. I am not Dylexic, but I am sight impaired and I do have co-ordination diffficulties which mean I do make spelling errors and grammatical errors and yes sometimes miss words even if I do try and check my coments. It is not easy for me to see black text on a white background so often I do see the misstake uintil the post goes onto TIG. And I think you God as opposed to dog and I actually find your used of the word dog. My faith in involves spreading The Word of The Lord both in wpord and deed. The extenstion latter of the latter goes through every part of my life and in some parts is still to be discovered even in thin the part of the journey.”
by Annabelle, Chelt
Saturday, February 20 2010, 9:18AM
“Sorry to go off track again, I just addding a slight correcting something I said in one of my earlier.
God does give us wisdom via His grace - however it is up to us to use it wise in ways that do not damage the environment.
Now back on the issue we have here.
As far Nuclear Power is concerned - I do not think it is a wise way to solve the problem of power provision for our homes becasue it willl damage the enviromnet for the current generations, the full scale of damage done will not be known for many years to come in contaminated land that cannt be used to build on or for the production of food for our population. There are and will be more urgent things that some of the money that the money used to buuild and refit nuclear power staitions and indeed nuclear weapons willl need to spent on. I think that this debate is a llitlle too narrow when there are so many other things that the funds must be spent on which will effct many peoples' liveover the next 20/30 years.”
by Paul, Cheltenham
Friday, February 19 2010, 3:51PM
“Blimey is this comment section still going!
I don't think that turning street lights off at night is such an issue, as my car has headlamps on it which allow me to see in the dark, ( sorry sarcasm there ).
Anyway, on a different subject, you can store energy, and we're been doing it for years.
In reservoirs or pumped storage.
Look up Electric Mountain.”