Leie water level: back on level, inland navigation resumed
Due to problems in a weir in Sint-Baafs-Vijve, the water level of the Leie had dropped almost 2 meters on Sunday morning. Water that was not allowed to flow away, did flow away with all its consequences. In the marina of Sint-Eloois-Vijve and Ooigem, pleasure boats got stuck on the bottom of the Leie and the propellers were stuck in the mud. The jetty also collapsed.
Shipping traffic between Harelbeke and Waregem came to a standstill for a long time because the locks were kept closed to restore the water level. Inland shipping also came to a standstill on the Roeselare-Leie canal.
“Faster than expected”
“The problem was solved faster than expected,” says Liliane Stinissen, spokeswoman for De Vlaamse Waterweg. “The water level is back to normal. The locks have been open again since six o’clock this morning and inland shipping traffic can recover. Technicians have done everything they can to solve the problem. We also received more water from the north of France. That was because of the thunderstorms and also because the French have sent more water our way through their weirs.”
The situation is also back to normal in Waregem Yacht Club
The pleasure boats are back in the water in the Waregem Yacht Club. The jetty is back in its normal place, says Chris Devriendt, the association’s chairman.
Whether there is damage to some boats will have to be determined later, after a thorough investigation.