Why does part of The Salts always flood, even when there’s been no rain asks Rodney Booth.
Having walked the footpath between Rye Bowls Club and the new orchard I’m worried about the continuing flood of sea water escaping onto The Salts.
This small area always floods during high tides killing the grass and preventing the general public from using this area. I’m also concerned this water could kill the freshly planted trees. There has been a lot of hard work by community-spirited people completing this new orchard and it would be such a shame if their efforts were in vain.
When I was involved with Rye United Football Club on the Cricket Salts we had a similar issue just in front of the five bar gate that leads onto the field. It repeatedly flooded at high tide through a manhole cover and killed a vast area of the grass.
Is this a similar issue? Is water coming through a gate valve at Simmons Quay and are they being maintained properly? If not where is the water coming from?
My pictures were taken on 17 June.
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Image Credits: Rodney Booth .
If I believe correctly there was some out let or pipe with a closure flap ,that was roughly adjacent the area that floods in sea water ,it should only work one way so if not properly maintained would allow the seawater to contaminate that area of the salts , When we played football on those salts that area would seem to flood . Especially at high tide time. I am sure that my Dad ( Len ) who was a fountain of knowledge to do with drainage on the Marsh etc, told me about the flap.He worked on the Water board nearly all his life ,Sadly local knowledge was not always listened to especially when it became the Southern water and then the environment agency .
The house where I live is built over sandstone. Frequently, a spring will seep through the cement flooring of the garage and on parts of the drive, especially after heavy rain… and never precisely in the same spot.