The testing of the eight-door sluice at the Hope Canal, continued into yesterday with water flowing from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).
When Stabroek News visited the site yesterday, four excavators were still at work clearing and dredging the outfall.
All eight doors of the sluice were open and the operators were keeping close watch. They said they would close the doors of the sluice if the need arose. The men stated that the doors of the sluice were open all day and night on Sunday, but they were not sure how long the test will be running for. While this newspaper was there, the tide was rising in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the water was still discharging at fast rate and a substantial dredging of the outfall was also achieved.
A decision was taken to test the $3.6 billion Hope Canal, which is still not completed, after the water level in the EDWC rose to a threatening level on Friday as a result of recent rainfall. The water level in the EDWC was 58.25 Georgetown Datum (GD), while the height of the EDWC dam is 59 GD.
Previously, this water has been released through the Mahaica Creek and has caused severe flooding of farms located there with the concomitant loss of crops and livestock. The Ministry of Agriculture had said that this former method would only be considered as a last resort and if it were used the release of water would be controlled. To date this has not been necessary.
On Saturday, Head of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Lionel Wordsworth had revealed that there was a drop in the EDWC level to 58.15. However, attempts to contact him yesterday to obtain the current level proved futile, as his phone was unanswered.
Wordsworth had indicated that it was hoped the exercise would bring the EDWC level down to 58 GD or lower. The optimum level was said to be 57.5 GD.
Meanwhile, the Hope Canal is now expected to be completed in August. It has now been under construction for over 4 years, having missed several deadlines since works began in February 2011.
