Researchers from the University of Sheffield were out at New Mills last the weekend carrying out flow tests on the river.
The work as part of their hydro power research is studying 'Archie' to gain a better understanding of the post installation efficiency of low head hydro power turbines.
In order to understand how Archie is really performing good quality records of flow data are required at the site. Equipment has been installed permanently in the river to monitor the flow continuously over the next year but this requires calibration to give values of flow.
The tests at the weekend were the first of several to do this using a process called ‘dilution gauging’. This involves injecting red dye of known concentration into the river and measuring the concentration downstream over a few hours, from this the flow in the river can be calculated.
The work has been agreed with the Environment Agency and is totally harmless to flora and fauna.
Whilst I'm stuck out in Norway with no options of getting back to the UK I spotted some interesting info showing how much CO2 has been emitted by Volcano Eyjajjallajoekull (try spelling that one first time) in Iceland compared with the amount saved by substantial reduction in air traffic.
Take a look for yourself
T
hose of you that spend a lot of time in and around the Torrs will know that this time of year is a hive of activity for our feathered friends.
Many birds and water fowl are now hunting for mates and for that perfect nesting site - many can be seen in and around Archie - dippers are nesting in the walls next to the weir (can be spotted from the stone bridge), blue and great tits are nesting in the stone walls underneath Union Road bridge.
The Mallards (above) haven't quite decided where their new homes will be but there are several pairs in and around the weir looking for that perfect spot !
What felt like most of New Mills Primary school children descended upon 'Archie' and the surrounding areas recently to be given a tour of the site and to also help the Environment Agency and New Mills Town Council in planting hundreds of plants and thousands of seeds.
The highlight of the day for me is when they spontaneously started chanting 'Archie'... 'Archie'....
Well done everyone.
Tomorrow (Monday 15 March) will see plenty of activity around 'Archie' in the Torrs from 10:00am onwards with lots of children from local schools helping New Mills Town Council and Torrs Hydro staff in plating the surrounding areas with species typicle to riverside environments - the weather is set to be good so why not pop down.
Funding for the planting has come from our good friends at the Environemnt Agency.
After a succesful 'open day' last weekend today we had the pleasure of hosting a team from the Environment Agency.
Their task was to audit and review the way Torrs Hydro monitor and manage the extraction of water from the river through 'Archie' and back into the river.
After seeing how the scheme works and the water levels are monitored we reviewed the data that is collected every minute showing the level of water going over the weir, amount of power generated etc
Initial feedback is that we run a very tight ship and our record keeping is very precise, helped enormously by the automated system.
Following the success of last years Torrs Hydro tours we are delighted to announce our programme of open afternoons for 2010.
All run from 1 - 3pm and are free - the first one in just over a weeks time !
Come and visit Torrs Hydro New Mills and see how we generate clean, green energy and maybe spend some time on some of the many fantastic walks in the area or see some of the local sights (Millenium walkway), visit the heritage Centre, visit New Mills Original :
Sunday 28th February
Saturday 27th March
Sunday 25th April
Saturday 3rd July
Saturday 4th September
Saturday 30th October
Sunday 28th November
Researchers from the University of Sheffield were out at New Mills last the weekend carrying out flow tests on the river. 
