Managing water summer 2015 by Relbon Limited

The on-line magazine for the water management industry

and its environment

Summer 2015

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Contents FLOOD RISK

Sir Philip Dilley on the EA annual report and accounts

Committee on Climate Change - progress report

Two-thirds of UK households fail to check flood risk levels

8-9

New App for flood recovery

EA Annual Report and Accounts

STORMWATER & SuDS

Sustainable Vortex technology

10 - 11

New SuDS Regulations: Where now for SuDS? Alex Stephenson,

13 - 14

SuDS is a question of balance - Lattenbury Services

16 - 17

Introducing Hydro’s Bio-cell

Long-Awaited Northallerton Flood Defences Use Sustainable Vortex Technology

18 - 21

RIVER RESTORATION & MANAGEMENT Improving river quality sees the return of some very rare species - Environment Agency

23 - 24

Snipe ‘takes off’ in a sensitive environment

28 - 29

Canal Tugs, the next generation - Land & Water

Rare creatures returning to our rivers

Fish Pass reaps rewards as the first spawned salmon is found in the River Dearne for 150 years Creating Wetlandswith the Fen Group

Bringing back life to a contaminated lake - ADC

Work begins on internationally important wetland

DIRECTORY

26 - 27

32 - 33 34

36 - 40

To advertise in Managing Water or list your company on FADS,

Wetland creation

Contact Mike by email at mike@fadsdirectory.com or Telephone: 0845 2 575 575

Contact

General Enquiries content@managingwater.co.uk Tel: 0845 2 575 575

Work begins on internationally important wetland

Advertising advertising@managingwater.co.uk Tel: 0845 2 575 575

Editorial articles@managingwater.co.uk Tel: 0845 2 575 575

Subscriptions subscribe@managingwater.co.uk Tel: 0845 2 575 575

Published by: Relbon Ltd, Company Reg 07488993 Relbon House, 27, Derwent Close, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE29 6UT, UK, admin@relbon.co.uk

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Flood Risk

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The Committe on Climate Change urges early action in dealing with flood risk Committee on Climate Change progress report – June 2015

The Committee on Climate Change has released it's new progress report stating that early action in the new Parliament is needed to adapt to climate change and the increasing flood risk.

Adapting to climate change and increased flood risk

The Committee’s evaluation of the UK National Adaptation Programme concludes that more households will be at high risk of flooding, despite the increase in spending on flood defence. An increased risk of flooding, including from rivers and the sea, and surface water flooding, was the largest risk identified in the CCRA. The Government invested £2.55 billion to manage flood and coastal erosion risks in England over the last four-year spending period (April 2011 to March 2015). As a result, around 180,000 households now benefit from new or refurbished defences, exceeding the 145,000 target.

Investment in flood and coastal defence assets will need to steadily increase in the future to counter the impacts of climate change. Concerted efforts will also be needed by local authorities and partner organisations to improve the management of catchments, the coast, and urban areas in ways that alleviate the potential for flooding. Even in the best case scenario, with sustained increases in spending at optimal levels over many years, 45,000 more homes and other properties are expected to fall in to

the highest flood risk category by mid-century (i.e. at a 1-in-30 annual chance of flooding or greater).

Planning policy is ensuring that three-quarters of new development in the floodplain is located in low risk areas. However, each year 1,500 new homes are built in areas of high flood risk and 3,100 homes per year in areas of medium flood risk (at a 1in-100 annual chance of flooding or greater). New development will add to future flood protection costs and result in flood events causing more damage.

Plans to subsidise flood insurance represent poor value for public money unless, as part of the ‘Flood Re’ scheme, high risk households are given the information they need to make informed choices and prompted to take action to prevent flood damage. More needs to be done by local authorities to manage the risk of surface water flooding from heavy rainfall, including by requiring the use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and enforcing controls on the use of impermeable surfacing. Local flood risk management strategies have yet to be finalised by most local authorities despite this being a legal requirement for the last five years.

Recommendations

The findings are part of the Committee’s new progress report which is published half way through a crucial year for global climate action. 196 nations will meet in Paris in December to agree a new www.fadsdirectory.com

international deal to limit global warming.

The Committee is advising Government to:

• extend funding for low-carbon electricity generation to 2025, to support investment and innovation and to continue cutting costs • agree an action plan that delivers low-carbon heat and energy efficiency to allow homes to be heated for less while addressing the risks from rising temperatures and flooding

• continue support for efficient, lowemission vehicles to save drivers money • develop new infrastructure that helps to combat climate change and is resilient to its impacts

• act to preserve the fertility and organic content of soils and counter the decline in productive farmland. Lord Deben, Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, said:

“This Government has a unique opportunity to shape climate policy through the 2020s. It must act now to set out how it plans to keep the UK on track. Acting early will help to reduce costs to households, business and the Exchequer. It will improve people’s health and wellbeing and create opportunities for business in manufacturing and in the service sector.”

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New App Puts Flood Damage Recovery On The Fast Track

Professionals tasked with the recovery and restoration of a building following flood damage can turn to a new online tool to drive greater efficiencies and transparency.

The National Flood School has launched a new app, which uses a clear interface to formulate the complex factors and calculations associated with drying a property, to support a faster process. Representing years of research and insight, the DryApp responds to the demands set out in the Pitt Report, introduced following the catastrophic 2007 floods, which concluded that the drying of properties in the UK was taking too long after flood damage. Aimed at insurers, adjusters, surveyors, restorers, and builders, the online tool helps users make the most of natural weather conditions through a link to the Met Office forecasts, and specify exactly the correct size of refrigerant or desiccant dehumidifier needed to dry a property quickly. An understanding of the environmental impact of a chosen drying methodology through the recording of the electrical usage of each drying method can also be identified – and the app also provides a means of auditing and challenging drying regimes being used on site by contractors. A further feature is the ability to record an audit trail to provide contemporary evidence of the external and internal drying conditions to support insurance claims.

Chris J Netherton, managing director of The National Flood School, said: “Drying a property after it has been damaged by a flood, storm, pipe leak or an escape of water can be a technically complicated task. “With this in mind, the DryApp has been developed with the aim of reducing drying times and driving environmental efficiencies.

“As a result insurers should benefit from a considerable cost saving on flood damage claims and those affected get back into their homes more quickly.”

The app assists in the specification of drying out wet buildings using the three most commonly used techniques, open drying, and closed drying using refrigerant and desiccant dehumidifiers. It also irons out confusion over the right amount of equipment needed for the task.

Mr Netherton added: “It’s not been possible to assess the use of ‘open’ drying without visiting site before, as questions about the weather mean that it is not always suitable to leave the doors and windows open and let the property dry naturally.

“However, the link to the Met Office allows this both from site, when away from site, and also predictively five days ahead.

“Another common problem is a lack of clarity regarding the number and size of dehumidifiers required to dry a property, but the app allows the standard calculations to be made and then emailed and recorded in a really quick and easy fashion. “Ultimately this gives complete transparency to the process of drying a wet building.”

Currently available on Android-based mobile devices, the app can be purchased at www.dryapp.co.uk

The National Flood School

Based in Farnham, Surrey, The National Flood School shares its expertise to support and train restoration professionals and provides information and professional guidance for many other associated industries, including insurers and loss adjusters. The organisation has three specific divisions; • training • consultancy • research and development.

The school was founded in 1988 to increase training opportunities and protect the public from the anguish and distress caused by poor quality restoration work.

Key to its work is the Flood House, built in 2001 and believed to be the only purpose-built floodable house in Europe, the building comprises of eight rooms and 60 common household materials. It is regularly flooded with 1500 gallons of water for research and development, as well as training purposes.

More details about the National Flood School and the Flood House can be found at www.nationalfloodschool.co.uk

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Two-thirds of UK households fail to check flood risk levels

• New YouGov research identifies lack of awareness over flood planning and responsibility, despite 1 in 6 homes being considered at risk1 • Homeowners in the North East of England least likely to have researched into their homes’ flood risk

• Only 20% of people check flood risks before moving into a new home

As we approach the anniversary of the June 2007 summer floods, people in Britain are still not checking the flood risk of their homes, in spite of increased incidents of flooding in recent years. 67% of respondents to a new YouGov survey2, which was commissioned by the Know Your Flood Risk Campaign, reports that they had never checked the flood risk level of their home. Those in the North East were the least likely to have carried out any checks, with 88% confirming they had never researched their flood risk, despite major floods occurring in areas such as Hartlepool, Peterlee, East Durham, Morpeth and Redcar in the last two years. This compares to 55% for those in the South East, which has also bared the brunt of significant flooding events – including last year when January 2014 was reported as the wettest January on record3, which resulted in over 100 flood warnings being issued in the South East region alone.

League table of Flood Risk regions where people have failed to check flood risk:

Region North East North West Scotland West Midlands London Yorks & Humber South West East of England East Midlands South East

The research went on to identify that there is confusion over who is responsible for protecting a home against flooding. Respondents considered a range of organisations that they believe have a responsibility to

% 88 77 75 71 70 69 62 57 57 55

The survey also shows that many do not take the threat of a flood seriously with just 6% of respondents confirming that they have a flood plan and are sure of what they would do if a flood occurred in their homes. Worryingly, a third of people (31%) reported that they do not have a plan and would not know what to do in the event of a flood.

The survey identifies that the public are still not making flood checks part of their research process when moving into a new home; just 20% of respondents currently check the flood risk of their home before moving in, and only 11% check after.

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protect homes against flooding including the Environment Agency (57%), their local council (55%) and the Government (34%). Homeowners (55%), landlords (39%) and tenants (23%) were also noted as being responsible for protecting a home against flooding. Mary Dhonau OBE, Chief Executive of the Know Your Flood Risk campaign, said:

“People have short memories just three years ago in 20124 we had the second wettest summer on record and during the summer of 2007, 55,000 properties were flooded5. With such wide-scale media coverage of the devastation that significant flood events cause, it’s surprising that that the public are not doing their homework when it comes to protecting their homes. With so many floods in recent times combined with flood insurance problems, it’s worrying that so few people check their flood risk before they buy. It is also interesting to see the level of confusion over who should protect homes from being flooded. It is clear that there is still a need to educate homeowners of their responsibility and to ensure they know where to go to find this information”

The Know Your Flood Risk Campaign’s mission is to raise awareness of the risk of flooding from all sources. It is

Flood Protection Systems

one of the UK’s leading online sources for helping people find out the flood risk related to their current or future homes. For example, users can purchase a Know Your Flood Risk Report, which assesses the potential risk and confirms whether they will be able to obtain insurance at standard terms. The property-specific assessment report can be purchased via the website for £24.00. Mary, known by many as ‘Mary Queen of Floods’ continues: “Your home is the most expensive asset you are ever likely to own, so it pays to be prepared in order to protect it. Information is out there to alert you to such risks, including our Know Your Flood Risk report, which provides detailed analysis so you can plan or take appropriate action in advance of any flood events occurring. By doing so, mitigating any risk upfront may also allow reduced premiums on home and contents insurance, which many people may be unaware of.”

In addition to the flood report, the Know Your Flood Risk campaign also provides comprehensive guidance via its website and a free mobile app, which offers information about flood forecasts and warnings, example flood plans, details of how to protect against floods or how to recover if affected by a flood. For more information, visit www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk

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Environment Agency - achieving our aims The Environment Agency Annual Report and Accounts for 2014/2015

By the end of the Spending Review 2010 period we had:

• reduced the risk of flooding and coastal erosion to 177,300 households 7 • achieved £71.18 million of efficiency savings • maintained 96.6% of Environment Agency assets at their target condition • ensured that 54.7% of properties at highest flood risk in England receive direct flood warnings • created 506 hectares of intertidal habitat

Sir Philip Dilley, Chairman of the Environment Agency, described 2014 to 2015 as a year of change for the Environment Agency, moving to a national and area structure, saving £10 million per year, reducing the workforce and making significant changes to support services.

He highlighted the achievement in restoring flood protection to over 200,000 households affected by last winters storms and flooding and the implementation of a 20 year plan for the Somerset Levels and Moors. Sir Philip welcomed the government’s announcement in December of a 6-year investment commitment for capital flood risk project work which will enable the EA to plan ahead in a way that they couldn’t before, leading to greater efficiencies and cost savings. They can also provide communities with a greater level of certainty letting them know what flood risk management schemes they can expect and when. At the end of the 6 years the target is better flood protection for a further 300,000 households.

The Strategic Report

This strategic report outlines the Environment Agency's performance against the priorities set for the financial year from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 and how these aims are being achieved in a sustainable way.

Performance against Spending Review 2010 targets

The government’s Spending Review presented in 2010 outlined the spending budgets for each government department up to 2014 to 2015.

Objectives for the Spending Review 2010 period were to:

• reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion to at least 165,000 households • achieve efficiency savings of 15% (£65.96 million) • ensure at least 97% of Environment Agency maintained assets were in target condition • extend our flood warning coverage to at least 66% coverage in high risk areas • create 400 hectares of intertidal habitat 10

Building, maintaining and improving flood risk and coastal erosion management infrastructure and systems

2014 to 2015 saw the completion of 111 flood and coastal risk management schemes, helping to reduce flood risk to around 33,000 households. Following the extensive damage, caused by the 13/14 winter storms, the EA, assisted by 200 trained military personnel carried out over 150,000 asset inspections in just 6 weeks. 890 urgent repair projects were identified costing £135 million and by October 2014 all assets had been restored to the pre-storm standards.

In Somerset, as part of a 20 year plan the first part of the action plan to dredge an 8km stretch of the Rivers Parrett and Tone near Burrowbridge, began in March 2014 and was successfully completed by the end of October 2014. Procurement of the first 10-year asset management programme for the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan has been completed. The plan will reduce the risk of flooding in an area where 1.25 million people across Kent, Essex and London are at risk. This includes £200 billion of property, UK government buildings, major infrastructure and businesses.

Ensuring that investments in flood and coastal risk management provide economic and environmental benefits

Carry out an integrated programme of work to create new habitats and provide other environmental benefits that contribute to Water Framework Directive improvements, to England Biodiversity Strategy outcomes for priority habitat creation and the restoration of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and to meet EU Eel Regulation objectives Creating and restoring habitats

During 2014 to 2015 the EA created 643.5 hectares of priority habitat, including improvements to around 132

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hectares of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Eel and fish migration was improved by removing barriers to their passage on 171 flood and coastal erosion risk management structures and 65km of rivers were improved in special areas of conservation. Play our part in the implementation of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010

In September 2014, we published our third annual national flood and coastal erosion risk management report, as required under Section 18 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The report reflects on the successes and challenges of flood and coastal erosion risk management during the period 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014. It reports on progress in implementing the national flood and erosion risk management strategy for England. It includes contributions from a range of sources, including flood and coastal erosion risk management authorities. Work with natural processes to reduce flood risk

Measures such as land management and moving coastal defences further inland offer a more sustainable way to reduce flood risks in certain locations. These measures can also achieve many additional benefits, such as reduced soil erosion and sedimentation of lakes and rivers, carbon capture and storage, improved water quality, and enhanced biodiversity. Significant progress has been made over the last few years in using natural measures to reduce flood risk but there is still a way to go before such measures to reduce flood risk are commonplace but we are confident the programme we have in place will help us progress in this area.

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SuDS & Surface Water Management

Stormwater & SuDS

Alex Stephenson,

www.managingwater.co.uk

Alex has 40 years experience in stormwater drainage design and related issues. As well as being the UK Stormwater Director with Hydro International he is also Chairman of the British Water SuDS focus group. He is ideally situated to keep you up to date with the industry changes and legislation.

A brave new world for SuDS began when new planning regulations came into force in April designed to ensure, where possible, that Sustainable Drainage Systems are used on major new developments in England. More than 10 years of wrangling over legislation to make SuDS compulsory is over. But with the publication of just two pages of technical standards, the rules are a mere shadow of what many had hoped for.

Eric Pickles, then Communities and Local Government Secretary first laid out a new regime for SuDS in a ministerial statement December last year. Then, the publication of 14 non-statutory technical standards to guide planning authorities, designers and developers, replaced the much more detailed and prescriptive regulations drafted but never enacted as a part of the Flood and Water Management Act. After years of industry debate and consultation, the substantial and detailed draft National Standards have been cut to just two pages.

The non-statutory technical standards essentially see English regulations back to ‘square one’ - not much different to the original PPS25 guidance that preceded even the recommendations of the Pitt Review - although tweaked to account for climate change. In fact, the new non-statutory technical standards contain little in themselves to make them specifically recognisable as standards for SuDS - reflecting principles of quality, quantity, amenity and biodiversity.

The standards are concerned with outcomes, rather than practice, and any specific reference to water quality objectives have been removed. Treatment of runoff is, at best, only implied. Water quality will continue to be protected via Environment Agency consultation on planning applications. Local authorities will be driven by their regional catchment plans to meet Water Framework Directive targets for the ‘good status’ of rivers.

New SuDS Regulations -

Where Now for SuDS?

In his statement, the Minister sets out an expectation that developers should demonstrate clear and affordable arrangements for maintenance of SuDS over the lifetime of a development. But there is no mention of this within the technical standards themselves.

The Welsh Assembly looks set to stick with its version of the much more prescriptive approach established via the proposed Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (FMWA). With Scotland already having its own legislation, we are looking at a devolved regulatory framework for SuDS. The original intention of the FMWA to harmonise National Standards seems all-but forgotten. With the lack of Government guidance, local authorities are also likely to develop their own regional approaches to SuDS design and construction. Developments crossing over regional or county borders could have to contend with more than one set of rules. Along its length, one river will be discharged into according to different local authority policies and national regulations.

SuDS Best Practice

So will uncertainty and fragmentation in SuDS delivery continue? What does best practice for SuDS look like – and where can designers and developers go to find it? One harmonising factor is likely to be the revised SuDS Manual from CIRIA, expected to be published later this year, providing an updated ‘bible’ for the use of a full toolbox of SuDS components.

The English standards are only enforceable for housing developments of ten homes or more – the equivalent commercial or mixed development. They apply only to new development, and not to highways construction and maintenance. It looks unlikely that there will be regulatory support in the near future specifically to drive retrofitting of sustainable surface water drainage in urban environments.

Contact Alex by:email: alex.stephenson@hydro-international.co.uk Telephone: 01275 878371

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Highways England has its own standards to ensure runoff is controlled and treated to protect the environment around trunk roads and motorways. Their work, perhaps, provides the most encouraging glimpse of a brighter future for sustainable approaches to surface water drainage.

Highways England has shown great commitment to combating pollution through its own guidance and has embedded robust water quality research into its HAWRAT risk management tool for designers. This more scientific understanding of water pollution management sets a more evidence-based approach to delivering repeatable, maintainable through-life performance and guaranteeing that pollution is avoided.

Designers and Highways Authorities are doing some great work to trial and develop innovative technology to treat water quality often in challenging locations where there is limited space, for example in the M25 widening projects, where hydrodynamic vortex separation is providing reliable, maintainable surface water treatment in a small footprint. Proprietary devices such as Hydro’s Downstream Defender® are being used as standalone solutions or together with natural SuDS components, for example protecting the sediment forebay of a pond.

It seems the arguments about SuDS and what defines them, and what constitutes best practice will continue for some time to come. We hope that resources like Engineering Nature’s Way can continue to play a part in supporting the industry. Visit www.engineeringnaturesway.co.uk Contact details as previous columns.

Contact Alex by:email: alex.stephenson@hydro-international.co.uk Telephone: 01275 878371

Stormwater & SuDS

Nature’s perfect curve

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Hydro BioCell™

Engineers in Nature’s Way

Hydro BioCell™ is the new name for Hydro’s innovative SUDS-compliant drainage unit which harnesses natural biological and chemical processes to combine stormwater control with treatment of pollutants and sediments, ideal for both retrofit and new developments. Hydro BioCell™ introduces the pioneering principles of biofiltration to urban environments, highways and car parks in an attractive, compact and predictable technology. Hydro BioCell™ is part of the StormTrain® Series of surface water treatment products, a comprehensive toolbox of devices designed to remove silts, sediments and other pollutants from stormwater runoff. From the surface, the Hydro BioCell™ system looks like a tree or shrub protruding through a decorative grating at pavement level. Stormwater runoff is channelled through a kerbside inlet into a concrete container underneath filled with a mulch, plant and soil filter medium.

Beneath the pavement, the Hydro BioCell™ system comprises of a concrete container with a 75 mm mulch layer, 500-750 mm of unique soil filter medium, an observation/clean out pipe and an under drain system, which is connected to the surface water drain.

Treated water can also be diverted into additional storage / infiltration systems using geocellular structures such as Hydro’s Stormcell® or the Stormbloc® systems. An emergency overflow bypass facility is used for extreme events.

Hydro BioCell™ connects simply to drainage inlet and outlet systems, provides for ease of design against flow control and treatment parameters and performs consistently whatever the site characteristics. Hydro BioCellTM is part of the Hydro StormTrain® Series of stormwater treatment products. For more information about the new Hydro BioCell™ Bioretention System and other Stormwater management products please call 01275 337955, email enquiries@hydroint.com or visit www.hydro-int.com.

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SuDS is a question of balance Lattenbury Project Report: viewing platform, Trumpington, Cambs

Trumpington is an area of major residential expansion to the south west of Cambridge. The housing is supported by a new area of amenity parkland focused around a pond served by numerous drainage channels. The pond has been enhanced with an extensive viewing platform to the benefit of the residents and visitors, designed and installed by Lattenbury Services Ltd on behalf of the Duchy of Westminster.

Measuring 20m by 18m it is supported on 90 concrete pads with oak uprights with pressure treated softwood construction plus anti-slip decking. The whole structure is bolted together with stainless steel fixings for longevity.

Civil engineering required the dewatering of a section of the pond with ton bags of sand. Concrete pads were plotted with GPS technology to ensure accuracy and ease of erection.

Lattenburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work on site also included the design and installation of 5 foot bridges over the channels.

Civils to suit sensitive sites. Lattenbury Services started in 1980 providing a practical approach to a wide range of contracting works. Founded by Peter and Rosemary Burton the business has kept its family roots with the addition of their daughter Susie and son-in-law Chris Wisson. Being a family business they 16

strive to accommodate all enquiries, no matter how large or small.

At present they employ 20 full time staff all of whom pride themselves in delivering their works to the highest standard. They are very experienced in a range of construction disciplines and carry necessary certification where required. Enviromental Works & Water Course Management As part of their environmental works Lattenbury operate a large range of machines for vegetation management and watercourse construction and maintenance. Vegetation management works range from grass cutting with strimmers to tractors with 8 metre reach flail mowers complete with front cutters.

They maintain thousands of metres of riverbanks for local councils and the environment agency. They also carry out dredging works and scrub clearance along watercourses. Lattenbury have the machinery and skill to carry out large-scale scrub clearance at an efficient level using 360-degree diggers with scissors and long reach machines with cutting heads. With these works they often carry out bank repairs where necessary and offer new building of reservoirs and ditches including culverts and bridges where required. For further details please contact Chris Wisson on 01480 830224 or visit www.lattenburyservices.co.uk

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Specialists in bridge replacement, bank protection and fencing.

Talk to Lattenbury Serrvvices about your next waterside project: bridges, board walks, fishing platforms etc. Besides a full design service we have access to machinery and equipment suited to the job in hand. See our website for projects and testimonials. Godmanchester . Huntingdon . Cambs . PE28 9PA . Tel: 01480 830 224 . lattenburysevices.co.uk www.fadsdirectory.com

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Long-Awaited Northallerton Flood Defences Use Sustainable Vortex Technology

A ÂŁ3.1million project to build a longawaited scheme to help reduce the risk of flooding in Northallerton has been completed. The scheme works by storing fluvial flows upstream of the town which will create space in the culverts in the town for the surface water to drain away.

The North Yorkshire town and surrounding villages have been plagued with flooding since the early 20th Century, with major floods most recently in 2000, 2008 and 2012 that caused widespread disruption and damage including to the townâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Friarage Hospital.

When funding was finally secured after a long wait, the Environment Agency wanted to develop a scheme

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Stormwater & SuDS

that was sustainable with low-maintenance needs and conforming to SuDS principles of holding back flood waters on the outskirts of the town and discharging flows safely into the town’s culverted watercourses at a controlled rate.

The solution designed is based on two large HydroBrake® Flood Alleviation vortex flow controls, installed in newly-refurbished culverts on the outskirts of the town. They enable excess water to be held back in specially built flood storage basins on the approach to the culverts. “The Sun and Turker Becks have repeatedly overtopped and threatened the town,” reports the EA area project manager Ian Cooke. “That’s why, after consultation and looking at similar successful schemes in other areas, we decided to use upstream storage to reduce the flooding risk.

we used vortex control technology. In addition, the ability to carefully-size the flood allevation vortex flow controls means we could minimise the back-up storage requirements, even under high rainfall conditions. As a result, the risk of the farmland on the outskirts of Northallerton flooding and threatening nearby developments and the town centre will be minimal in future.”

Flood Risk

The Northallerton catchment, with the villages of Brompton and Romanby is in a low lying river valley, surrounded by steep, well-drained agricultural land which

“The resulting scheme needs very low maintenance, and is resistant to blockage. Our chosen solution meant that

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makes it susceptible to flash flooding.

Largely culverted, the Turker and Sun Beck watercourses run through suburbs and the centre of the town, causing flood threats to amenities including Grade II listed buildings, conservation areas and listed monuments as well as the Friarage Hospital. At times of peak flow, excess floodwaters can overtop the watercourse in the agricultural land on its approach to the culverts, sending flows to cause flooding in the East of the town. The rivers in the catchment are constricted by their channel capacity, bridges and culverts and recent CCTV surveys have revealed some were in a poor state of repair, or could be threatened with collapse should flows continue at high volumes. As part of the wider flood alleviation scheme, the Environment Agency undertook a programme of repairs to rectify these defects in advance of works to create the storage areas.

Lower flows would also reduce back-ups in the remaining combined sewerage entering the culverts. On top of this, frequent floods have already necessitated the ground floor of Friarage Hospital to be reconfigured so as to reduce major disruption from flooding, although it remains vulnerable.

Hidden Protection

Stormwater & SuDS

To reduce the risk of flooding to about 170 properties, the EA has adopted a scheme designed with advanced selfactivating vortex flow controls to protect against a minimum 1 in 75 year fluvial flood event. Detailed hydraulic modelling was conducted for the Northallerton catchment before designing the new scheme. Ian Cooke continues: “The scheme is designed to also improve protection to the area from flash floods,” continues Ian Cooke. “The design meets sustainable principles, by attenuating (holding back) excess flows and allowing them to discharge at a controlled rate.”

“The Hydro-Brake® FAS controls have been installed in specially-constructed below-ground concrete culverts. The storage basin will be grassed over so the flood defences tie in with the local agricultural landscape.”

The cone-shaped Hydro-Brake® Flood Alleviation vortex flow control devices installed in the culverts are based on an industry-standard method of flow attenuation, most frequently used in much smaller dimensions as part of urban surface water drainage designs. Hydro’s UK Stormwater Operations Manager Andy Kane explains:

“The Hydro-Brake® Flood Alleviation vortex flow control’s

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internal geometry is designed so that water can flow unrestricted through the device for as long as possible, before a self-activating vortex is triggered when the water reaches a pre-determined head. In a flood, water is throttled back and released at a controlled rate.

“We have individually-sized both the controls at Northallerton to create an optimal internal geometry that delivers best-possible hydraulic performance with the minimum amount of upstream storage.

“Compared to alternative flood control devices such as orifice plates or penstocks, the vortex flow controls have a larger opening, so more water is able to flow through the culvert unimpeded, meaning less flood storage is needed. At the same time, there is less risk of blockages. This, together with fact that the flow controls have no moving parts or power requirements, means they require minimal maintenance.”

On the Turker Beck, an 857 mm outlet diameter HydroBrake® Flood Alleviation vortex flow control has been installed with a maximum design flow is 1 cu.m./sec , requiring a back-up storage volume of 12,500 cu.m.. The Sun Beck installation, sited upstream of the junction with Turker Beck, has a 684 mm Hydro-Brake® Flood Alleviation vortex flow control with a maximum design flow of 0.58 cu.m./sec and requiring 1,500 cu.m. of backup storage.

To protect the inlets of the flow control devices, a series of new stepped trash screens have been installed. The low flow channels to the control device’s back-up storage areas are sited in the original stream beds. Shallow grassed banks lead up to the same level as the original banks, thereby remaining unobtrusive while providing the amenity of grass meadows outside of high flood events.

Technology Opportunity

The installation at Northallerton follows successful flood alleviation schemes built on the White Cart Water in Glasgow, the River Douglas in Wigan and at Weedon Bec in Northamptonshire since 2002.

“The Northallerton scheme demonstrates the versatility of Hydro-Brake® Flood Alleviation technology to deliver a sustainable solution to controlling flood risk, in line with SuDS principles. As funding becomes available for other planned flood defence schemes across the UK, we hope the technology can provide low maintenance and minimal storage solution,” Andy Kane adds. For more information about the Hydro-Brake® Flood Alleviation and other stormwater and wastewater management products please call 01275 337937, email enquiries@hydro-int.com or visit www.hydro-int.com.

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Improving river quality sees the return of some very rare species The Environment Agency has produced a ‘secret seven’ list of the rarest species that are now starting to return to our rivers, thanks to the work that they carry out, alongside Conservation groups, to improve the quality of rivers.

The reasons for their previous decline include historically poor water quality, barriers to migration and a changing climate. But now, with hundreds of miles of channels being opened up to fish and eels through the removal of obstacles, such as weirs and sluices or the introduction of fish and eel passes, along with big improvements in water quality and polution control the waterways are again starting to thrive and encourage back these rare species. The seven species are lamprey, Arctic charr, vendace, spined loach, allis shad, twaite shad and smelt. All seven species of fish are a conservation priority at a national and international level. Alastair Driver, national biodiversity manager for the Environment Agency said: “These rare fish are the unknown jewels of our rivers. The Environment Agency has a range of projects to support them and although England’s rivers are the healthiest for 20 years, there is still more to be done to improve their chances. Reintroducing meanders, breeding fish and removing weirs are among our key work to help these little-known fish thrive.”

The Lamprey

Lamprey, once eaten by Vikings, regarded as a luxury food by monarchs and served poached in red wine by Romans. They are the oldest living vertebrates, having been around for about 450 million years and predating the dinosaurs by over 200 million years.

A 400-million-year-old rare blood-sucking creature once eaten by Vikings and a relic from the Ice Age tops the ‘secret seven’ list of England’s rarest fish,

Lampreys are eel-like creatures and pre-date dinosaurs by more than 200 million years. Thanks to the lowest levels of pollution seen for more than 100 years and the removal of barriers to their spawning migrations they are returning to many UK rivers. Where barriers cannot be

removed, Environment Agency fisheries staff have fitted lamprey ‘tiles’ to existing weirs to help them get upstream. River and sea lamprey have now been found in the Yorkshire Ouse, where only 30 years ago they were absent. But lamprey are very secretive creatures and very little is known about their life at sea.

So far the Environment Agency has identified one spawning site on the River Wear and spotted a total of 20 adult sea lampreys.

These illusive fish are extremely selective with their spawning sites and will only nest where the water quality is good. Their appearance is a ringing endorsement of the water quality in these areas.

The lamprey is an extremely unusual creature. The most primitive fish in the world, it uses its mouth like a suctioncup to attach itself to the skin of a fish and rasp away tissue with its sharp probing tongue and teeth.

They outwardly resemble eels because they have no scales and an adult lamprey can range anywhere from 13 to 100 centimetres long. They have large eyes, one nostril on the top of their heads, and seven gill pores on each side.

A Brook lamprey found in Kex Beck, Yorkshire

The Arctic Char

It is widely recognised that the majority of UK Arctic charr populations are in decline with increasing temperatures considered to be one of the greatest threats to their existence in UK waters. In 2005 the Environment Agency, with partners, set about reversing this trend. A barrier to migration was removed and land-use changes were implemented in order to improve water quality in an important charr-spawning stream. Fisheries experts collected ‘broodstock’ from Ennerdale Water and began

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All these rivers were once a part of the Rhine catchment, at a time when the North Sea was a land mass. But when the North Sea cut off Great Britain off from mainland Europe the spined loach was stranded and hasn’t moved much since.

The Twaite Shad

Arctic Char swimming in the River Liza The Lake District contains England’s last surviving pockets of indigenous Arctic Charr, and the population in Ennerdale Water is the most unique in that its fish still maintain the urge to swim upriver to spawn.

rearing them at the Kielder Hatchery. The following year the young fish were released and this process continued through to 2013. The charr population showed a marked increase in terms of adult spawners. Now that the population is beginning to show signs of recovery, the project has entered a monitoring phase.

The Vendace

One of the last adult vendace recorded in Bassenthwaite Lake The vendace is the rarest native freshwater fish species in the UK. It is a lake-dwelling, herring-like fish, native to just four UK lakes; Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria and Castle Loch and Mill Loch in South West Scotland.

The herring-like vendace is the rarest native freshwater fish species in the UK. This silver fish is native to just two English lakes (Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria). Their populations are impacted by lake siltation and the introduction of non-native species. The Environment Agency has been improving river habitats upstream of Derwentwater and working with others to prevent the introduction of more non-native species than could harm the vendace.

The Spined Loach

The Spined loach spends most of its life in and around the silty bed of rivers, streams, drains and lakes.

The amazing Twaite Shad is a herring which enters a river to reproduce each May, hence the local name of “May fish”.

At one time, twaite shad were commonplace throughout the Severn Estuary and its rivers. During the 19th century many rivers were modified which has restricted shad, to the lower reaches of the river by preventing access to their historic spawning habitat. Weirs cause problems for Shad as these fish don't leap There are only four spawning twaite shad populations in the UK – the rivers Tywi, Usk, Wye and Severn. The Environment Agency is working on a project to secure funding for a project that will open up more than 230 km of historic spawning ground to support shad populations in the Severn Estuary. if successful, will once again see shad migrating all the way upstream beyond Shrewsbury for the first time in 170 years.

The Smelt

The smelt is a small species of fish, related to trout and salmon. They live in coastal areas of Britain,

By the end of the twentieth century, there were fewer smelt populations, due to the effects of pollution in river estuaries, and the construction of weirs which stop the fish moving upstream to spawn. The situation is improving due to better water quality – investment in sewage treatment has reduced instances of low oxygen levels in estuaries. Work to improve fish passage, by the removal of weirs or the installation of fish passes, has benefitted all species of migrating fish, including smelt. In addition, smelt have been given additional protection by the creation of Marine Protected Areas. Photographs courtesy of the Environment Agency

The spined loach is found in just five river catchments in the east of England – the Trent, Welland, Witham, Nene and Great Ouse. The easterly flowing direction of all these rivers is an indicator of the origins of the species. 24

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Canal tugs: the next generation

The Land & Water Group operate the largest fleet of specialist long reach excavators, dredging equipment and floating plant in the UK The company’s expertise covers the design and construction of aquatic or wet civil engineering projects ranging in size from ornamental lakes and ponds to marinas to complete waterways, working both in fresh and salt water environments and operating throughout the UK.

Land & Water keeps Britain's waterways navigable by dredging many rivers, lakes, canals, ponds and marinas. Over the last 20 years the company has developed many innovative disposal solutions to protect and enhance the environment. Currently they dredge around 400,000 tons of silt annually from UK waterways.

Recent contracts include dredging of the Grand Union Leicester Line Canal under its National Dredging Contract. The scope of works involved the removal of 12,380m3 of material. Dredged material was taken to agricultural fields to improve the soil conditions.

Included in the works was the installation of 300m of Nicospan and coir roll revetments to improve the bank and moorings opposite Crick Marina in order to facilitate and improved access for the Crick Boat Show. The environmental nature of the solution was chosen to further protect the local Water Vole habitat.

Such work invariably includes the movement of dredgers into position and supporting them with ‘pans’ (hoppers), towing away full ones and fetching empty replacements. Their fleet of small tugs however is aging and May 2015 has seen the launch of the first of their next generation of engineering class tugs: ‘Telford Rolt’, named after the 26

great canal engineer and a pioneer of the canal’s resurgence as a national leisure resource.

The new 16.8m / 6.25 tonne canal class tug was launched into the River Soar with a naming ceremony performed by Charlotte Wood, Regional Construction Manager South at Canal & River Trust, a major customer of Land & Water Services Ltd.

Designed by Ian Darley, the naval architect and consultant who has worked on numerous projects for the company, the tug was built by Meercat Work Boats of Porchester, Portsmouth, part of Burgess Marine. The welded steel hull is of heavy displacement type with flat bottom, rounded bow, vertical sides and angled chine plate; it incorporates a centreline tunnel to improve water flow to the propeller when operating in shallow water. Twin pushing logs are arranged forward with a hydraulic operated barge latch/gangway between. Propulsion is by a single diesel engine powering a hydraulically operated drive leg on the centreline aft. A recessed wheelhouse is located amidships with large windows all round and an access door and sliding hatch aft. The main engine is located forward of the wheelhouse with a hinged cover for easy access and maintenance.

All controls and instrumentation are at the helm in the wheelhouse comprising an electrical proportional control lever for steering and mechanical valves for hydraulic drive, leg tilting, winches and latch rams. Engine speed is

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controlled by single lever cable push/pull system. The instrument panel contains engine start/stop, hydraulic pressure, engine temperature, low oil pressure alarm, high engine temperature alarm, charging alarm and hydraulic pressure gauge. The main engine is an Isuzu model 4JG1 rated 43.7 Kw at 2,600 rpm, 4 cylinder, direct injection diesel engine fitted with a 12v DC starter motor, 50 amp alternator, rotary fuel injection pump, mechanical fuel lift pump and it is emission compliant to EC Stage 2. Close coupled to the engine at the fly wheel end is a tandem hydraulic pump, 45 cc/rev and 25 cc/rev, maximum pressure rating 310 bar with load sensing control.

Vital statistics

Length Overall: 6.18m Moulded Hull Length: 6.00m Maximum Beam: 2.08m Breadth Moulded 2.04m Depth Moulded: 1.40m Mean Operating Draught: 0.85m Mean Operating Air Draught: 1.74m Maximum Displacement: 6.25T Fuel Capacity: 650 litres

The ‘Telford Rolt’ is highly manoeuvrable in the tight confines of canals and rivers and its compact design will enable road haulage between Land & Water’s national waterway locations.

“It not only looks the part, it will be more efficient in every way including fuel economy” according to Site Manager Gary Cunningham.

Besides Charlotte Wood, Land & Water’s Divisional Business Manager Claire Greenwood and Mobilisation Manager Mick Beattie were joined by tug architect Ian Darley and Jason Coltman, Managing Director of Meercat Workboats Ltd. www.fadsdirectory.com

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CW pushes forward with new management group CW Engineering of King’s Lynn is now part of a group with its own Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) division re-branded CW Group.

CW Group’s new management team has pledged to invigorate the product range, notably their weedscreen cleaners which the company has been successfully producing for many years.

“CW has never been backward in taking on new & difficult weedscreen cleaning concepts” explains Tony Jolley MD. “Our success has been based on a broad knowledge of good engineering principles which are ingrained within the company”.

They plan to build on these strong foundations & are actively looking for new opportunities for their water management based products. With this in mind they are upgrading the engineering facilities & look forward to the opportunities which the water industry will always need resolving.

Tony also said “This is a very exciting time for the entire CW team, both existing staff & the new members. Of course we still manufacture quality standard weedscreen cleaners at a very competitive price as well as the refurbishing of old, troublesome weedscreen cleaners even if not initially manufactured by CW Group.

“We offer regular inspections to combat unreliable & poor performance as technology on these old machines has been superseded with more stable & reliable components especially regarding electrical control panels. Current weedscreen trolleys have also been engineered to remove problematic mechanical components. All these things add up to a more reliable & stable machine. CW Group, offers all these aspects as standard.” 28

River & Wetland Management

Snipe ‘takes off’ in a sensitive environment CW Group of King’s Lynn has been called upon to apply their design expertise to meet a specific weed cleaning task: two remote pumping stations operated by the Broads Internal Drainage Board, servicing a refurbished canal with a sensitive & flourishing wildlife population.

The pumping stations serve an area of winter flood plains which require effective drainage in the summer to allow cattle grazing. Broads IDB working with D C Hunting Engineering identified CW Group’s Snipe ‘dipping’ weedscreen cleaner as ideal for the refurbished Dilham Canal in North East Norfolk. Subsequently two Snipes have been installed: one at the Eastfield Pumping Station & the other at Tonnage.

Snipe installed at the Eastfield Pumping Station

The former has been in operation since March while the latter has required civil engineering provision at the Tonnage Pumping Station.

Snipe installed at the Tonnage Pumping Station

These involved removal of an aging weedscreen, extending the inlet pipe to allow backfill & the establishment of solid foundations (rocks in wire cages) for a working platform with decking & perimeter fence. www.fadsdirectory.com

The aging weedscreen

In both cases, new CW weedscreens have also been installed.

The extended inlet pipe

“Installation was completed with particular regard to the local environment & wildlife in an area strictly off limits to motor vessels from the nearby Norfolk Broads” reports Sales Engineer Dickie Dye. “The Snipe lend themselves particularly to small drains & culverts which typically can not accommodate traditional gantry style weedscreen cleaners. Moreover their reliability & telemetric provision make them ideal for remote locations.”

The Snipe’s hydraulically controlled weed cleaning head is mounted on a counter balanced arm from which a beam extends when in the dipping position, submerging it to the base of the weed screen. The beam is then retracted pulling the head up the screen, returning to its horizontal position before swinging 90 degrees, once again extending to the designated weed depositing area. The fully hinged head moves to vertical, dropping the weed into a skip (during the winter season). Finally the head beam retracts & the Snipe returns to its parked position in readiness for its next cycle. This is also the default position should any problem occur.

The new installation is fully automatic with a CW designed control panel. Operations are monitored & their functions displayed by an amber & red

River & Wetland Management

lamp (with audible alarm), the former confirming correct operation, the latter a failure. A warning lamp and alarm are initiated before each cycle and there is an auto restart programme should the station be affected by a power failure.

Commissioned by Broads IDB, the North Walsham & Dilham Canal scheme was developed & installed in conjunction with D C Hunt Engineers Ltd. The Board actively maintains their most critical watercourses that are not ‘main river’, which equates to around 25% of the total length of watercourse in the Drainage District. It is therefore vitally important that these watercourses are maintained to design levels, to properly convey flows to the pumps & other water level control structures.

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Canal history

The ‘North Walsham and Dilham’ is the only canal in Norfolk, in part the canalisation of the upper reaches of the River Ant. This navigation was constructed with locks a little wider than most canals in the UK to accommodate the use of the Norfolk wherries, shallow draft barges with a distinctive black sail. It is 8.7 miles (14.0 km) long and runs from Swafield Bridge to a junction with the River Ant at Smallburgh. The canal was designed by John Millington, who acted as engineer for the project, although the actual construction was carried out by Thomas Hughes, who had previously worked on the construction of the Caledonian Canal.

His design of the canal included six locks to raise the level by 58 feet along its 8.2-mile length. The locks were sized for wherries, which were 50 x 12.3 ft. The canal was formally opened on 29 August 1826.

The canal fell into decline by the early 1900s & the wherry "Ella" made the final trading journey on the canal from Bacton Staithe in 1934 The canal was never nationalised & continued to belong to the North Walsham Canal Company. Today the canal is only navigable for the first 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Smallburgh end up to Honing lock.

The East Anglian Waterways Association has undertaken a detailed environmental survey of the canal and engineering studies on lock restoration and other technical matters and with help from the North Walsham & Dilham Canal Trust, has held regular work parties at Honing, Briggate & Ebridge Locks, to clear encroaching trees. Some 2.25 miles (3.62 km) of the route were sold to the Old Canal Company in 2009, who plan to re-water this section. Work includes the lock at the restored Bacton Mill, where reinstated water levels will enable the mill to operate once more.

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River & Wetland Management

Fish Pass reaps rewards as the first spawned salmon is found in the River Dearne for 150 years A major engineering project helping salmon return to what was once one of Britain’s most polluted river systems, has achieved a historic success after a young salmon was discovered in the River Dearne, South Yorkshire.

The Sprotbrough fish pass is part of a wider programme of work which will improve the river for coarse fish and eel and also return salmon to the centre of Sheffield. There are fourteen further weirs between Sprotbrough and Sheffield, and five of these are already passable to fish.

An Environment Agency fish survey team spotted the 14cm juvenile when carrying out routine checks last week. The discovery is the first evidence of salmon spawning in the

“Our rivers are the healthiest for more than 20 years and otters, salmon and other wildlife are returning for the first time since the industrial revolution. But there is still more to be done. The construction of the fish pass at Sprotbrough Weir is a significant step in getting salmon back to rivers across South Yorkshire.

Salmon spotted in a South Yorkshire river for the first time in 150 years in what was once part of Britain's most polluted river systems.

river, which is a tributary of the River Don, for more than 150 years.

Salmon were once so common on the River Don that they provided an affordable meal and formed a staple part of the local diet. But in the 18th Century a number of weirs were built along the river for industry or to regulate water levels for boats. These prevented salmon, lamprey and eels from migrating, and any coarse fish like barbel that are washed over a weir during high waters cannot return back upstream.

The River Don already supports a healthy population of coarse fish, and adult salmon have been caught in the river in the recent past, but the discovery of this juvenile salmon in the River Dearne is hugely exciting. The size of the fish indicates that it was born in early 2014, which means that its parents probably used the fish pass at Sprotbrough Weir shortly after it opened.”

Jerome Masters, Environment Agency fisheries technical officer

Pollution from industry during the 19th and 20th Centuries then made the river uninhabitable for most wildlife and by the mid 19th Century salmon were all but gone from South Yorkshire’s rivers.

Last year the construction of a £500,000 fish pass was completed at Sprotbrough Weir, near Doncaster, opening up 55 kilometres of the River Don, allowing fish to migrate upstream as far as Rotherham, and also into the River Dearne. 30

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The Fen Group Creating Wetlands

With forty years’ experience Fen Group is a trusted name in water and land management services recommended by clients as diverse as the RSPB, the Sandringham Estate and farmers nationwide. They have contributed to a wide range of environmental schemes including the ‘Great Fen’, and have worked extensively with Norfolk Wildlife Trust on wetland creation projects at Hilgay and Methwold in the Fens, and Potter Heigham in the Broads. These have been funded by the Environment Agency to mitigate coastal habitat loss for wetland species such as Bitterns and Marsh Harriers.

Work at Hilgay commenced in 2010 to create reedbed and wet grassland across sixty hectares previously set aside. Fen Group undertook construction works, providing ditches, banks and water controls to enable wetting of the site. Their expertise enabled work to be successfully completed despite the challenge of unstable ground, and their environmental understanding also proved valuable in terms of species mitigation.

Potter Heigham in the Broads also required a contractor with experience of environmental sensitivities alongside

major construction work. The objective for this grassland site, owned by the Environment Agency, was to create wetland habitat to mitigate loss and Fen Group were again selected to work with Norfolk Wildlife Trust who manage the site. With their proven track record Fen Group was also a clear choice for a scheme adjacent to Hilgay at Methwold, and with similar challenges of peaty conditions and protection of species, they have continued to work closely with the Wildlife Trust to ensure work runs efficiently and sensitively. Nick Carter, Wetland Project Officer for the Wildlife Trust observed that “Fen Group has lots of experience in environmental projects as well as agricultural ditching and drainage and draw on this to make good suggestions and help find solutions. We’ve been pleased with their flexibility and adaptability as well as their expertise.” Work started recently at Methwold and habitats at the other sites are still developing but biodiversity is promising. Marsh Harriers are now hunting above Hilgay and there is every indication that they and other target species will successfully establish in these newly created wetlands.

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Bringing back life to a contaminated lake

ADC (East Anglia) Ltd rescues dire situation at Harrow Lodge Park Lake in the London Borough of Havering.

The lake was the scene of mass bird and fish deaths after being hit with avian botulism. Martin Stanton of Havering Council contacted ADC (East Anglia) Ltd to remove approximately 6000m³ of contaminated silt from the lake. This follows horrific scenes of fish and bird corpses being found in and around the Lake. A volunteer has estimated that over 1000 fish had been found dead. The works consisted of removing the silt from the lake using the ADC Silt Pusher in the water and an excavator on the land. The silt slurry was removed and allowed to dewater and dry out before using the material to reshape the lake, alleviating the costly exercise of taking the waste to a disposal facility.

Councillor Melvin Wallace, Havering Councils cabinet member for Culture and Community Engagement said “This has been an important piece of work that we have wanted to do for a while now, and we’ve waited until the

right time. In doing so we are aiming to give the wildfowl a better habitat, and this will certainly go a long way towards that”

Works started at the beginning of February 2015 and scheduled to be completed by the middle of April 2015. ADC are not only removing the silt, they are providing new reed beds around the perimeter in the newly formed area to provide new nesting sites. This £300k contract is now approaching its completion and the site is looking considerably different to when the ADC team started.

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This contract immediately followed on from the silt removal works of Wardown Park Lake in Luton. This was a more difficult test for ADC as all of the silt was contaminated and had to be removed from site. ADC undertook the role using the Silt Pusher and the on site de-watering equipment. All of the silt was removed using a suspended high volume cutter suction pump and pumped into the de-watering units where it was treated allowing the water to return to the lake. The dry cake was then taken to the Augean site in Peterborough for disposal.

These methods were chosen by Luton Borough Council because of the environmental friendly systems being used.

Jane Conway for Luton Borough Council was happy that this method ticked every box with fewer vehicle movements on site. Less lorry loads of waste going to Peterborough is an example of ADC’s environmental commitments with a much reduced carbon footprint for these works.

Mike Reeve said “Both of these projects had delivered We kept both parks open to the public at all times and even welcomed the public and schools to visit to understand what and why we were doing the works. With no heavy plant moving around the site, it was always safe and the parks were returned to normal in a short time. The healthy fish and fowl were undisturbed as we did not have to lower the water levels and they quite happily lived around in where we were working”. Jane Conway said “This has to be the way, we will use this system in the future as we have been very pleased with the way the contract was conducted”.

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Work begins on internationally important wetland a major extension to Essex Wildlife Trust’s Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve

mix of saltmarsh, mudflat and saline lagoon, with a further 1.5 hectares of new reedbed.

Once planning permission was granted in 2013, the Trust’s supporters raised over £125,000 to buy the land for the project. A number of key funders and donors also supported the acquisition.

The Environment Agency has began construction works on a major extension to Essex Wildlife Trust’s Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve, on the Colne estuary.

This exciting wetland creation project will be important for both wildlife and people and will open up what is currently inaccessible, arable land with paths and a bird hide – giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the landscape and wetland creation.

Andy May, Conservation Manager for Essex Wildlife Trust said: “This is a very exciting project, which will make much-loved Fingringhoe Wick even better for wildlife and people. We are really looking forward to working in partnership again with the Environment Agency to bring this important work to fruition.” Charles Beardall, Area Manager for the Environment Agency said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this

The estuary has national and international designations due to its conservation importance and has recently been included in the Marine Conservation Zone designation.

Coastal habitats that make it special include tidal mudflats, saltmarshes and coastal grazing marsh in Essex. Around 80% of the coastal marshes have been lost and the remaining are disappearing at an alarming rate.

The project, which is a partnership between the Trust and the Agency, will see 22 hectares of new intertidal habitat created by breaching the existing seawall – allowing the tide to enter the site. The habitat will be a 34

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partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust, and so pleased that our workforce is playing such a huge part in creating this new internationally important habitat.”

Over the next few months new seawalls will be built to the north and south of the proposed intertidal habitat and it is hoped the breach will be created in the autumn.

The new wetland will also include: new nursery areas for marine fish, Little Tern nesting islands, a new bird hide and new public footpaths on this previously private part of the estuary. Among other species to benefit will be Black-tailed Godwit, Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Lapwing, Bittern, Water Vole and a range of dragonflies.

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With its range of 'simple to fit' tools the Truxor can be easily converted to work as a harvester, trash collector, excavator or dredger.

Aquaclear Contracting Specialists in:

Aquatic weed harvesting Dredging and silt pumping Trash and flotsam removal Ongoing waterway and reed bed management

FEMAC Professional line of long reach flail arms

are specifically designed for road, farm and bank contractors.The range includes the 6.5 and 7.5 m parallel flail arms and the mid mounted flail arms from 8 to 20m for river bank work.

COMING SOON:a variable forward reach 8m telescopic arm, rear mounted so driver does not have to turn to follow the flail head. Energreen second hand machines Now contractors and smaller IDBs on limited budgets can enjoy the comfort and performance previously available only to those with bigger budgets. Call Lucio Cardani today for availability...

Tel: 01646 641560 Mob: 07775 672 567 info@aquaclear.force9.co.uk www.aquaclearwatermanagement.co.uk

07900 400 005 pro-mach.net

16 Angle Village Pembrokeshire SA71 5AT

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