Clearance under the valve

I advanced down the porch steps onto the gravel path. Ahead stood a large green rainwater butt mounted on a black ribbed plastic base. Below its brass brass valve, slow moisture had darkened a small patch of fine silt. I halted to observe the clearance. A dropped zinc bolt rested against one of the base's hollow structural legs. I inspected its thread: coarse, intact, and free of dirt. Gripping the hexagonal head, I wedged the bolt horizontally beneath a thin plastic drainage lip that had sagged into the path. The lip lifted by half an inch and snapped firmly into place against the bolt's shoulder. Passage beneath the reservoir cleared.