Shapwick Heath Newsletter April – June 2016

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Shapwick Heath Newsletter April – June 2016 Shapwick Heath Newsletter April – June 2016 Volunteer and Reserve News Avid readers and fans of the newsletter will no doubt remember that I ended this section in the last issue with news that the new crowdfunded Tower Hide would soon be opened, so it seems fitting to start this issue with the words: It is with great pleasure that Natural England and the Shapwick Team can announce that the new Tower Hide is now officially open! The finished Shapwick Tower Hide on its opening day in April. The hide now hosts a large number of visitors every day who enjoy fantastic views across the wader scrape and 70 acres reedbed. ISA carpentry did a smashing job on the construction of the project, but not without some technical issues. The boys worked exceptionally hard to keep to the deadline for the opening ceremony, working weekends, and even on one occasion, working more than 24 hours in a single day. The hide, with its unique appearance and design, offers fantastic views across the scrape, and the reedbeds of 70 acres, and has already proved to be a popular visitor attraction. As usual though, work has not been confined to Shapwick Heath. The volunteer team spent most weeks in April and much of May up at Rodney Stoke woods, repairing many sections of drystone walling that had collapsed over the years. Getting to site was difficult, but working on the steep slopes was more so. But as ever, the intrepid team did a sterling job. Getting back to ole Shappers, a new volunteer group has been set up specifically to survey parts of the site, and to monitor changes in habitats and species over time. This is particularly important on our mire restorations where data collected comprises a baseline survey and will help to ensure the right management is in place to restore these areas that are in less favourable condition. As well as site surveys, several species specific surveys have been carried out across the NNR suite, including once again, a survey for the rare violet oil beetle on our Mendip sites. Seven adults were found, and several celandines in the woods were covered in hundreds of the larvae, called triungulins. Water vole surveys and continuing surveys for bittern flights have also been carried out across Shapwick. Mendip reserves: Dry-stone walling at Rodney Stoke NNR, the finished footpath at Ebbor Gorge, previously a mud bath and violet oil beetle enjoying the Spring sunshine. Aside from the addition of the spectacular new Tower Hide at Shapwick, one of the biggest pieces of work carried out must be the repair of the footpath at Ebbor Gorge. The footpath crosses a small valley before exiting the reserve on the north western side and is a naturally wet area with many springs and at least two small streams. Over the years, at the footpaths lowest point, silt has built up, and the ground turned into a quagmire. The decision was made to try and fix the problem permanently, rather than just addressing it short term. An excavator was hired, and the silt dug out until a solid layer of clay/stone was reached. The sides were built up with gabion baskets, pipes laid to carry the water from the various streams and springs, and the whole section filled in with about 20 tons of stone. The access is now dry and free of mud. The construction will be monitored over the coming months to make sure that it functions properly. With the Glastonbury festival happening during June, the Somerset weather does its usual thing, and mid-June is a mix of hot sticky sultry days, prolonged heavy showers, and summer storms, resulting in the perfect growing conditions for weeds. This is the time of year when staff and volunteers don the brushcutters, and try and keep the footpaths clear, a thankless task made worse by the endless horse flies and other biting bugs. This year has also had the team out and about repairing large sections of fence across the reserve. Several sections have been repaired at the Ashcott plot, a section along Kent drove, and a very long section at Skinners wood. Fencing will continue throughout the summer. Wildlife Highlights A dry and relatively warm April, with the wind coming up from the continent, saw the start of the influx of summer migrant birds here at Shapwick. Across the reserve two ospreys were present, along with sightings of a small flock of whimbrel at Canada Farm and several common tern on Noah’s Lake. The water level on Meare Heath was again lowered, as it is annually to expose the scrape. During spring this is a welcome stop off for a host of migrant birds, passing through on their way to their breeding grounds further north. Highlights this season included: ruff, redshank, greenshank, dunlin and ringed-plover, along with our ever present flocks of lapwing and black- tailed godwit. A female bittern making a feeding flight and a rare shot of a cuckoo, both taken by volunteer Rob Balch Following the booming bittern monitoring sessions during March and April volunteers have been spending long hours recording feeding flights across the reserves. These flights at first seemed down on previous years, however after much discussion the likely cause seems to be that there is so much food near to their nests now that they are not having to travel very far and therefore feeding flights are not picked up so easily. Despite this, monitoring has identified several nests, with those recorded likely to be an underestimate of the actual number out there. Great-white egrets and marsh harriers also seem to have had a successful breeding season. Other spring highlights on Shapwick have included a white stork which was sighted over the reserve on a number of occasions and remained in the general area for a couple of weeks. Up to two glossy ibis have been visiting us all through the season and were regularly coming into roost in the trees on Noah’s Lake, along with the great-white and little egrets. Cranes have flown over the reserve at regular intervals and the first hobbies started to turn up in mid-April following the return of our swallows, house martins, sand martins and swifts. Cuckoos were calling from the very start of spring, right across the whole area. Otters have been sighted best from Noah’s hide with some good views of a large male dog otter on the scrape in June. Slow worms and grass snakes have been seen in abundance; however adders seemed to have had a slow start in the cold spring, whereas common lizards have been sighted more regularly, especially in our mire restoration areas, which is a very encouraging sign. Clockwise from left: Grass snake, scarce chaser dragonfly, white admiral butterfly, green tiger beetle. Photos from Rob Balch, Deon Warner, Bill Urwin and Julie Merrett Butterflies were in abundance in April however numbers tapered off rapidly during May with a sharp change to more unsettled cooler and damper weather. Peacock, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, green-veined, small and large whites, common and holly blues and ringlet have all been recorded. One of our more charismatic and rarer butterflies, the white admiral, started to emerge in mid-June which was a surprise as this is a few weeks earlier than usual. It can be seen along the woodland rides, especially along the Sweet Track and the path to Meare Heath hide. The Argent & Sable moth was on the wing from late-May onwards and a few may still be seen at the time of writing. Damselflies seem undeterred by the damp weather with every conceivable species of blue, along with large red and banded demoiselle seen in abundance along the South Drain. Dragonflies recorded have been: hairy, four-spotted, broad-bodied and scarce chaser, emperor and black- tailed skimmer. Other invertebrate highlights of our monitoring this spring have surely been the green tiger beetle and water spider (a nationally scarce species and the only British species of Arachnid that actually hunts under water) and a rare staphilinid beetle, all found in our mire restoration areas. During a weekend in May, Shapwick played host to a field visit from the Dipterists Forum, who are a national body that monitor and record flies. A huge variety of these insects were recorded - with some nationally rare species being found on the reserve. These healthy populations go to show that our habitat management on Shapwick is paying dividends in biodiversity across the site. That’s it for this quarter, keep looking… you never know what might turn up! Mark Huntington, NE volunteer. Article: Habitat Management for the Argent and Sable Moth adapted from Rob Petley-Jones’ June ‘Invert of the Month’ article. The Argent & Sable (Rheumaptera hastata) is one of those classy moths which is doubly blessed by being reasonably unmistakable and which can also be seen during the daytime. Its unique black-and-white chequered pattern makes it difficult to confuse with other species, though the abundant Silver-ground carpet moth (Xanthorhoe montanata) flies at the same and may cause some confusion for the unwary or inexperienced. Argent and Sable moths will easily fly in bright sunshine and have a habit of popping off trees in front of the observer and flying tantalizingly along, to land just out of reach of nets or cameras. A pair of close-focusing binoculars can be invaluable in confirming identification! The Argent & Sable can be seen from late May until early July in a variety of habitats such as damp woodlands, lowland bogs and moorland, where its larval food plants bog myrtle (Myrica gale) and young growth birch (Betula spp.) grow.
Recommended publications
  • Summer Meetings 2019
    Somerset Rare Plants Group: Summer Meetings 2019 Please email or ring the leader before each meeting to say you are coming. This helps with planning and can be useful if there are changes to the programme. Parking is sometimes limited so please lift share where possible. Please bring your GPS/Mobile phone if you have one. Meetings usually start at 11am. Please note that the Meeting on 1st April at Taunton Herbarium starts at 9.45am. Meetings on 9th June at Fivehead Arable Fields and on 31st August at Shapwick Heath NNR will start at 10am and Meetings on 1st June at Flax Bourton and on 11th August at Holford Combe will start at 10.30am. Monday 1st April Taraxacum meeting (Taunton Herbarium; Somerset Heritage Centre) (VC5) Aimed at those currently collecting/recording dandelions or those wishing to do so. Although dandelions are often seen as difficult (and it’s true: they’re not easy!) they nevertheless have a significant number of identification features that, with the help of keys and an ‘expert eye’, make them readily identifiable to species level. Collecting and pressing dandelions can be a tremendously satisfying pastime – an art as much as a science – and a nicely mounted and correctly named specimen is always a source of tremendous satisfaction. This meeting will comprise a short introductory talk on Taraxacum, followed by a visit to the Herbarium (same building). In the afternoon we will venture onto road verges and waste ground adjoining the Heritage Centre to collect specimens, then return to the Centre to work through keys and press plants for eventual determination/confirmation by the national expert John Richards.
    [Show full text]
  • Accounting for National Nature Reserves
    Natural England Research Report NERR078 Accounting for National Nature Reserves: A Natural Capital Account of the National Nature Reserves managed by Natural England www.gov.uk/naturalACCOUNTING FOR-england NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES Natural England Research Report NERR078 Accounting for National Nature Reserves: A Natural Capital Account of the National Nature Reserves managed by Natural England Tim Sunderland1, Ruth Waters1, Dan Marsh2, Cat Hudson1 and Jane Lusardi1 Published 21st February 2019 1 Natural England 2 University of Waikato, New Zealand This report is published by Natural England under the Open Government Licence - OGLv3.0 for public sector information. You are encouraged to use, and reuse, information subject to certain conditions. For details of the licence visit Copyright. Natural England photographs are only available for non commercial purposes. If any other information such as maps or data cannot be used commercially this will be made clear within the report. ISBN 978-1-78354-518-6 © Natural England 2018 ACCOUNTING FOR NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES Project details This report should be cited as: SUNDERLAND, T., WATERS, R.D., MARSH, D. V. K., HUDSON, C., AND LUSARDI, J. (2018). Accounting for National Nature Reserves: A natural capital account of the National Nature Reserves managed by Natural England. Natural England Research Report, Number 078 Project manager Tim Sunderland Principal Specialist in Economics Horizon House Bristol BS1 5TL [email protected] Acknowledgements We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this report both within Natural England and externally. ii Natural England Research Report 078 Foreword England’s National Nature Reserves (NNRs) are the crown jewels of our natural heritage.
    [Show full text]
  • River Brue's Historic Bridges by David Jury
    River Brue’s Historic Bridges By David Jury The River Brue’s Historic Bridges In his book "Bridges of Britain" Geoffrey Wright writes: "Most bridges are fascinating, many are beautiful, particularly those spanning rivers in naturally attractive settings. The graceful curves and rhythms of arches, the texture of stone, the cold hardness of iron, the stark simplicity of iron, form constant contrasts with the living fluidity of the water which flows beneath." I cannot add anything to that – it is exactly what I see and feel when walking the rivers of Somerset and discover such a bridge. From source to sea there are 58 bridges that span the River Brue, they range from the simple plank bridge to the enormity of the structures that carry the M5 Motorway. This article will look at the history behind some of those bridges. From the river’s source the first bridge of note is Church Bridge in South Brewham, with it’s downstream arch straddling the river between two buildings. Figure 1 - Church Bridge South Brewham The existing bridge is circa 18th century but there was a bridge recorded here in 1258. Reaching Bruton, we find Church Bridge described by John Leland in 1525 as the " Est Bridge of 3 Archys of Stone", so not dissimilar to what we have today, but in 1757 the bridge was much narrower “barely wide enough for a carriage” and was widened on the east side sometime in the early part of the 19th century. Figure 2 - Church Bridge Bruton Close by we find that wonderful medieval Bow Bridge or Packhorse Bridge constructed in the 15th century with its graceful slightly pointed chamfered arch.
    [Show full text]
  • Environment Agency South West Region
    ENVIRONMENT AGENCY SOUTH WEST REGION 1997 ANNUAL HYDROMETRIC REPORT Environment Agency Manley House, Kestrel Way Sowton Industrial Estate Exeter EX2 7LQ Tel 01392 444000 Fax 01392 444238 GTN 7-24-X 1000 Foreword The 1997 Hydrometric Report is the third document of its kind to be produced since the formation of the Environment Agency (South West Region) from the National Rivers Authority, Her Majesty Inspectorate of Pollution and Waste Regulation Authorities. The document is the fourth in a series of reports produced on an annua! basis when all available data for the year has been archived. The principal purpose of the report is to increase the awareness of the hydrometry within the South West Region through listing the current and historic hydrometric networks, key hydrometric staff contacts, what data is available and the reporting options available to users. If you have any comments regarding the content or format of this report then please direct these to the Regional Hydrometric Section at Exeter. A questionnaire is attached to collate your views on the annual hydrometric report. Your time in filling in the questionnaire is appreciated. ENVIRONMENT AGENCY Contents Page number 1.1 Introduction.............................. .................................................... ........-................1 1.2 Hydrometric staff contacts.................................................................................. 2 1.3 South West Region hydrometric network overview......................................3 2.1 Hydrological summary: overview
    [Show full text]
  • 2008 Newsletter 9
    SOMERSET RARE PLANTS GROUP 2008 Newsletter Issue No. 9 Editor: Caroline Giddens December 2008 Welcome to our Newsletter. We start this year with news about our new Website being prepared by Christine Loudon. The following is her report on its progress and we thank her for all her hard work on this. “At one of the winter SRPG meetings it was suggested that it would be nice to have a group website. It might attract new members, it would be a handy reference for the Rare Plants Register and the meetings programme, and a chance to relive past fun meetings (or at least be reminded of them by the Newsletter archive). Originally I had thought of using one of the free "community" sites, but when I spoke about it to Tony Price at SERC he offered to host a site as he does for the Exmoor Natural History Society. This has meant a whole new level of sophistication and no advertisements! In addition to hosting the site, he has also set it up using the computer facilities at the SERC office. It seems that part of their remit is to encourage independent voluntary groups, and SRPG are benefiting from this. I should say that Tony is always careful not to influence the content; the mistakes are mine. The content so far has come from meetings and emails - mostly from Liz, Helena, Steve and Simon. Similarly, with the design and general layout, although more of this has been necessarily my input, working with the template provided by the software. “It can easily change! I hope to be reacting to comments from now on.
    [Show full text]
  • January 2020 Tour Report Somerset Levels in Winter with Mike Dilger
    Tour Report UK – Somerset Levels in Winter 12-15 January 2020 Starling murmuration Shapwick Heath Marsh harrier Shoveler Compiled by Helen Bryon 01962 302086 [email protected] www.wildlifeworldwide.com Tour Leader: Mike Dilger with seven participants Day 1: Meet-up at the hotel & visit to Shapwick Heath NNR Sunday 12 January 2020 The group convened at 2pm in the Swan Hotel’s front reception area in the centre of Wells so that tour leader Mike Dilger (MD) could formally welcome everyone. After introducing himself, MD then gave a brief outline as to the locations the group would visit and the key species he hoped the group would encounter during the course of their stay. With a very mixed weather picture looking increasingly likely, MD also made it clear that the itinerary would have to be fairly flexible to mitigate for the impending arrival of Storm Brendan! Each group member then introduced themselves, highlighting both their level of birding experience and which species they most hoped to catch up with during their stay on the Levels. With the weather calm (possibly before the storm), MD suggested they seize the initiative and head straight out to catch up with the famous starling murmuration, a wildlife spectacle for which the Somerset Levels in winter have become justifiably famous. Assembling at the minibus the group then travelled across to the western end of Shapwick NNR to get in position for the evening’s entertainment. MD had caught up with the spectacle the previous evening, as the roost location can be quite mobile, so up-to-date information on where the starlings ‘are currently going down’ is vital to avoid any disappointment.
    [Show full text]
  • Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve (NNR) Management Plan
    Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve (NNR) Management Plan 2018 - 2023 Site Description 1: Description 1.1: Location Notes Location Shapwick Heath NNR lies 12 km from M5 Junction 23 between the villages of Westhay and Shapwick. Its central entrance lies on Shapwick Road, which intersects the site, approx. 7 km west of the town of Glastonbury. County Somerset District Sedgemoor and Mendip District Councils Local Planning Somerset County Council: Authority Sedgemoor District Council and Mendip District Council National Grid ST430403 Centre of site Reference See Appenix 1: Map 1 Avalon Marshes 1.2: Land Tenure Area Notes (ha) Total Area of NNR 530.40 Freehold 421.93 Declared an NNR in 1961 and acquired in stages: 1964/ 1984/ 1995 / 2006. Leasehold 108.47 Leased from Wessex Water plc S 35 Agreement S16 Agreement Other Agreements 137.81 A 10 year grazing licence with Mrs E R Whitcombe is in place until 30th April 2021. This includes use of farm buildings and infrastructure. This land is also subject to a Higher Level Stewardship agreement expiring on the same date. Legal rights of See Map 2 – Shapwick Heath NNR Landholdings access Access rights granted to Natural England by the Environment Agency Other rights, Natural England own access, mineral, sporting and covenants, etc. timber rights over all freehold land Notes Copies of leases and conveyances are held at 14-16 The Crescent Taunton TA1 4EB See Appendix 2: Map 2 Shapwick Heath NNR Landholdings 1.3: Site Status Designation Area Date Notes (ha) Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Special Designation: 1995 Part of the Somerset Levels & protection Area Moors SPA (SPA) Ramsar Designation: 1995 Part of the Somerset Levels & Moors Ramsar site NNR 452.4 Declarations: NNR and SSSI boundaries are No.1 1961 similar but not the same.
    [Show full text]
  • TABLE 1: Highly Generalised Key Character Defining Features Of
    TABLE 1: Highly generalised key character defining features of Rackham’s (1986) ‘ancient’ and ‘planned’ countryside (based on Rackham 1986 tabs 1.1 and 1.2, with additions in square brackets) ‘ancient’ countryside (South East and western England) ‘planned’ countryside (Midland England) modern historic modern historic isolated farms, hamlets [farmsteads, hamlets and villages [resulting from villages [resulting from and small towns small towns, derived the 9th-12th century the 9th-12th century from a long history of ‘replanning’] and isolated ‘replanning’] settlement growth and farms [which emerged contraction] after Parliamentary Enclosure as farmers moved closer to their now consolidated landholdings] [enclosed fields, mostly open fields either absent [enclosed fields, mostly strong tradition of open irregular in layout] or of modest extent and rectilinear/planned in fields lasting into the enclosed before c.1700 layout resulting from Enclosure Act period [though recent research, Parliamentary Enclosure] [18th-19th century] including the HLCs in Cornwall and Devon, are challenging this: see Part 3] hedges mainly mixed, not most hedges ancient hedges mainly hawthorn, [very few hedges in a straight and straight [having been landscape of open fields] planted following Parliamentary Enclosure, the plants coming from nurseries] roads many, and not [roads many, and not roads few, and straight [different network of straight straight] [resulting from roads to that created Parliamentary Enclosure] during Parliamentary Enclosure] many public footpaths [many footpaths/rights of few footpaths [different network of way] footpaths/rights of way to that created during Enclosure] many woods, often small many woods, often small woods absent, or few and woods absent, or few large and large TABLE 2: Schematic examples of historic landscape elements, parcels, components, types and areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Somerset's Ecological Network
    Somerset’s Ecological Network Mapping the components of the ecological network in Somerset 2015 Report This report was produced by Michele Bowe, Eleanor Higginson, Jake Chant and Michelle Osbourn of Somerset Wildlife Trust, and Larry Burrows of Somerset County Council, with the support of Dr Kevin Watts of Forest Research. The BEETLE least-cost network model used to produce Somerset’s Ecological Network was developed by Forest Research (Watts et al, 2010). GIS data and mapping was produced with the support of Somerset Environmental Records Centre and First Ecology Somerset Wildlife Trust 34 Wellington Road Taunton TA1 5AW 01823 652 400 Email: [email protected] somersetwildlife.org Front Cover: Broadleaved woodland ecological network in East Mendip Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 2. Policy and Legislative Background to Ecological Networks ............................................ 3 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3 Government White Paper on the Natural Environment .............................................. 3 National Planning Policy Framework ......................................................................... 3 The Habitats and Birds Directives ............................................................................. 4 The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 ..................................
    [Show full text]
  • Somerset Geology-A Good Rock Guide
    SOMERSET GEOLOGY-A GOOD ROCK GUIDE Hugh Prudden The great unconformity figured by De la Beche WELCOME TO SOMERSET Welcome to green fields, wild flower meadows, farm cider, Cheddar cheese, picturesque villages, wild moorland, peat moors, a spectacular coastline, quiet country lanes…… To which we can add a wealth of geological features. The gorge and caves at Cheddar are well-known. Further east near Frome there are Silurian volcanics, Carboniferous Limestone outcrops, Variscan thrust tectonics, Permo-Triassic conglomerates, sediment-filled fissures, a classic unconformity, Jurassic clays and limestones, Cretaceous Greensand and Chalk topped with Tertiary remnants including sarsen stones-a veritable geological park! Elsewhere in Mendip are reminders of coal and lead mining both in the field and museums. Today the Mendips are a major source of aggregates. The Mesozoic formations curve in an arc through southwest and southeast Somerset creating vales and escarpments that define the landscape and clearly have influenced the patterns of soils, land use and settlement as at Porlock. The church building stones mark the outcrops. Wilder country can be found in the Quantocks, Brendon Hills and Exmoor which are underlain by rocks of Devonian age and within which lie sunken blocks (half-grabens) containing Permo-Triassic sediments. The coastline contains exposures of Devonian sediments and tectonics west of Minehead adjoining the classic exposures of Mesozoic sediments and structural features which extend eastward to the Parrett estuary. The predominance of wave energy from the west and the large tidal range of the Bristol Channel has resulted in rapid cliff erosion and longshore drift to the east where there is a full suite of accretionary landforms: sandy beaches, storm ridges, salt marsh, and sand dunes popular with summer visitors.
    [Show full text]
  • Homeway Farm, Meare Homeway Farm Westhay Road, Meare, Glastonbury, BA6 9TL Versatile Small Holding Nestled in the Somerset Countryside
    Homeway Farm, Meare Homeway Farm Westhay Road, Meare, Glastonbury, BA6 9TL Versatile small holding nestled in the Somerset countryside. • Four bedroom modernised farmhouse with enclosed garden • Range of well equipped agricultural and equestrian buildings • Converted traditional stone barn with scope for development • Two timber clad chalet style static homes • All weather equestrian school • 15.75 acres of level grassland land with mature trees and hedgerows • Available as a whole • About 17.25 acres in total • EPC Rating - E Meare 1 mile, Glastonbury 4.5 miles, M5 (Junction 23) 11 miles, Taunton 22 miles, Bristol 26 miles Introduction Located in the beautiful Somerset countryside, Homeway Farm is a unique private farm, accessed via the B3151 from Glastonbury. A well apportioned four bedroom farmhouse is complimented by attractive pastureland and a range of buildings including a converted stone barn, workshop and livestock facilities. Planning consent has also been granted for two established chalet style static homes located within the farmstead, both of which are fully serviced. The farm has been used for a range of purposes and includes stabling for up to 14 horses along with general purpose storage, stock handling facilities and an outdoor school. Land for grazing and haymaking is provided by 15.75 acres of permanent pasture located within a ring fence of the farm. Situation Homeway Farm is situated approximately one mile west of Meare alongside the B3151, which leads to picturesque market town of Glastonbury located just over 4 miles away. Glastonbury offers extensive everyday amenities along with an iconic cultural identity. The A361/A39 is approximately two miles south of the farm and provides a link to the M5 motorway connecting to Taunton, Bristol and West Country.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hydrological Studies for the Avalon Lakes Scheme
    Jïwfriofogy of Natural and Manmade Lakes (Proceedings of the Vienna Symposium, August 1991). IAHS Publ. no. 206,1991. The hydrological studies for the Avalon Lakes scheme A. T. NEWMAN National Rivers Authority, Wessex Region, UK P. J. HAWKER Sir William Halcrow & Partners, UK S. M. POSTLE Global Atmosphere Division, Department of the Environment, UK ABSTRACT The Counties of Somerset and Avon in south-west England contain 635 km2 of land below the level of the highest tides in the adjacent Bristol Channel, but protected from them. Some 13 km2 of these wetlands are being excavated of peat for horticultural use. The residual depressions of the land are in coherent blocks of up to 3m deep, and close to a river system with available water resources for a pumped storage scheme. The Avalon Lakes project was perceived as an opportunity to harness these resources for public water supplies, by using a series of peat excavations surrounded by clay bunds. The bunds would be constructed specifically in order to transform the former peat workings into shallow lakes. Hydrological examination of the yield of such a scheme was complicated by a number of factors peculiar to the site. Principal amongst these was the nature of land management in the wetlands, which relies upon numerous river offtakes for distribution of water between the fields of the surrounding valley. Other factors were the water retention characteristics of the underlying clays, and the need for rigorous attention to environmental constraints which governed reservoir area and storage potential. Investigations of the feasibility of the scheme included pilot scale experiments using on-site lagoons to test both leakage rates and water quality.
    [Show full text]