The sequence of photographs below starts with the path around the lake flooded. The lake level had been allowed to rise in the absense of anyone clearing lake debris from the outlet. The bridge and lifebuoy (see note below #) are on the north west edge of the lake. The other photographs of the 3 pipes show water flowing into the lake from the inlet on the south side. Both views can be used to judge the water level.On the 6th of November 2 council engineers cleared the lake outlet and there was a dramatic drop over the following few days.

From mid-November onwards the water level rose to the level shown in the photograph dated 17 January 2014 when it was reported to council engineers and the outlet was partially cleared the same day. They completed the the work with a further visit on the afternoon of 22 January 2014.Despite the large amount of rainfall since last week the water level has risen only slightly but again threatens the lakeside path on the north west edge.

# The lifebuoy is the one with the cormorant standing on it in the You Tube video!

The new outlet grille was installed on 30 September 2013. The subsequent failure to keep the outlet clear of lake debris meant that there was a large rise in the water level of the lake after successive periods of rainfall. Although the old grille was removed just before the new conventional grille was fitted, the hole left still restricted flow with a build up of twigs, leaves and lake weed if no one paid any attention to removing it for a period of weeks.

An additional problem was revealed on an inspection (2 October 2013) within the right hand chamber (the sluice chamber) of the outlet. Lake weed was seen to have accumulated on the top of the sluice gate. The position of the top of the sluice gate determines the lowest lake water level. A build-up of lake debris on top of the gate means that the lowest level is raised, just as would be done were the gate to be raised itself.

The problem has been acknowledged by council officials who have arranged for the outlet to be cleared thoroughly on a few occasions since the new grille was fitted. For example, this was done in advance of cosmetic work carried out in late March 2014 to repair the stone wall on the north west (NW) edge of the lake.

Within a few days the water level had been reduced to reveal most of the nearby jetty that had been created by North Tyneside Council in the late 1970s. (The jetty was once used for launching canoes.) Note the date of the photograph by Oliver Dixon.

In late April 2014 a wire mesh was fitted over the new grille; it is assumed this was done to stop the build up of debris on top of the sluice gate and to allow easier access from the lake side for park wardens to clear it. By 11 May 2014 however- a couple of weeks after the wire mesh had been fitted, the lake water level had once again risen to flood the NW edge of the lake. The problem was again referred to W/Bay ward councillors using the photographs below. The blooms of algae that grow on the lake surface with sunlight during the summer in particular were (and still are) blocking water flow through the wire mesh. Other, underwater weed loosely attached to stones near the outlet also adds to the blockage.

By the end of June it was apparent that the council's Park Warden team was unable to keep the outlet sufficiently clear so as to enable the lake water level to reduce even during several days with no rainfall. A regime of twice weekly "clearance" had been introduced but the ineffectiveness of this "clearance" is illustrated in the 3 photographs below. The first of these was taken within 10 minutes of a "clearance" being carried out. The second shows the reduced flow apparent by mid-afternoon; the third shows that by 8.37 pm the flow had been reduced to a trickle allowing a clear reflection of the wire mesh in the water below it!

Inside the Grille! (video)

Because of a continuing failure by council staff to relieve the blockage regular park users have resorted to using a wooden stick to clear algae and weed from the wire mesh on a daily basis until the water level has dropped to one ready for the (almost) inevitable deluge of rain from likely thunderstorms fed from the catchment area that feeds into the inlet on the south side of the lake. As a result the water level was reduced by 25 cm over 6 days. Once the level has been reduced little further effort in clearing the outlet is required until the level rises again due to significant rainfall.

The other time of the year when vigilance is needed in clearing the outlet is Autumn, when leaves, twigs etc. from lakeside vegetation accumulate as illustrated in the short video above that was created after the new grille was fitted but before the wire mesh was added.

During the last few months there has been no problem with flooding of the north west edge of the lake. This has been largly due to low rainfall and that the debris that accumulates on the outside of the wire mesh has consisted largely of floating twigs only. These have allowed water to flow through the mesh below them. During this period the jetty on the north west edge became uncovered and remained so for some weeks. It was also evident that some work had been carried out on the sluice gate chamber that may have helped to keep the lake water level down.

At the beginning of May the first signs of algae appeared and the problem of blockage of the wire mesh re-occured. The algae (also called "blanket weed" by anglers) sticks to the wire mesh and to other lake debris including twigs. Volunteers have cleared the outlet twice, on the 5th and 9th of May. Before the second occasion there was little sign of weed on the lake surface - it appeared to have dropped to the bottom. During the second clearance which was carried out standing in the lake using a piece of wood and a lawn rake, the weed began to accunulate on the mesh within a few minutes, drawn by the increased flow. Nevertheless there was a drop in the lake level over the following few days despite the rainfall that occured.

Debris removed has been piled on top of the manhole covers for disposal by park wardens. By measurements from an aerial view of the lake, making an allowance for overhanging bushes, the lake area is 1.26 hectares (3.11 acres). When the jetty at the NW edge is completely uncovered a rise in the level by 18 cm will begin to spill over the stone wall at the NW edge of the lake. When the jetty is fully covered a rise in level of only 10 cm is required. (Measurements of level are made from a reference point down to the water level.)