Reducing the Impacts of Grazing in the Kennet and Lambourn Catchment Pear Tree Stream, Copse Lock
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Reducing the impacts of grazing in the Kennet and Lambourn Catchment Pear Tree Stream, Copse Lock Rivers Lambourn & Kennet Kennet and Lambourn Catchment (33) Catchment Area County/Unitary Authority boundary CSFO: Andrew Russell OXFORDSHIRE Railway with station Swindon UA B4000 B4001 Upper Chiseldon Lambourn Brightwalton Lambourn A346 Peasemore Baydon B4494 Broad A338 Newbury UA Hinton East Great Winterbourne Garston Shefford Description Ogbourne Aldbourne B4192 R Bassett L Chieveley St George am A4361 b ou Winterbourne Ogbourne M4 rn Hermitage The Kennet and Lambourn catchment is made Monkton St Andrew Ramsbury B4001 A4 R K B4000 A34 enn Cold Ash Avebury Marlborough et Hungerford A4 B4009 up of 12 hydrological sub-catchments, all A4 Thatcham Beckhampton A346 al Woolhampton an Lockeridge C Kintbury n NEWBURY Great o A345 v contributing to the state of the water quality. A361 A Inkpen Bedwyn & A339 t e n n Shalbourne e A338 K A343 The area to the south of the main River Kennet Burbage East Wiltshire UA Grafton HAMPSHIRE differs from the majority of the catchment’s over 250m 200-250m 150-200m shallow chalk soils by having deep alluvial soils. 100-150m 0 10km 50-100m Height above sea level Based upon Ordnance Survey material on behalf of HMSO. Several small, seasonal and flashy streams run in metres cCrown copyright and database right 2013. All rights reserved. Natural England OS licence number 100022021 through this area into the River Kennet. Some of this is attributed to boat traffic on the One of these streams is known as the Pear Tree canal and the problems of existing sediment stream. This flows into the confluence of the and phosphate being stirred up. Some, however, Kennet and Avon Canal and the River Kennet at has been associated with streams such as the Copse Lock. This stream’s catchment has typically Pear Tree stream. Further investigations to find smaller fields compared to much of the area, the cause of the sediment loss from the Pear Tree with a higher level of grazing and numerous small stream catchment found there were issues with woods. Many of the fields are drained. silted ponds and culverts, woodland runoff and poorly drained bridleways. Pollution Problems The area where the Pear Tree stream flows Agricultural diffuse pollution can be attributed to into the canal has been identified by the sediment and nutrient loss from poached banks, Environment Agency (EA) as being particularly and there may be some risk from nutrients and problematic, with high levels of sediment and fertilisers entering ditch and drainage systems eutrophic blooms. which connect with the streams. Silting of Pear Tree stream just before it reaches the Kennet and Avon Canal Canal bank poaching, upstream of Pear Tree Stream The second farm walk was at a farm alongside the canal, so farmers could relate what was happening on the small streams to the sediment loads at the canal. This farmer had already come into HLS and had reverted some maize fields alongside the stream to grassland, to minimise surface runoff. There were issues with poaching along the canal side, so it was recommended that drinking bays be implemented along with fencing to encourage the marginal vegetation to Discussion group looking at the issues from the head stabilise the banks and allow regeneration. waters of the Stream down to the conflux with the canal There was a further problem with a connecting track along the canal bank side. It has Solutions been proposed to relocate this to higher, In order to engage farmers with land having less waterlogged land: this needs to be problems associated with water quality in their investigated further, as it may impact on an local area, a discussion group was set up with adjacent ancient woodland. farmers and landowners on and around the Pear Tree stream. Two walks were held, one Farmer Engagement and Motivation upstream of the main river where one of the Farmers gave positive feedback at the springs forming the stream begins. discussion group. They thought it was a useful forum to discuss local issues openly and get It was clearly visible at this site that poaching specific advice about their area. Visiting sites had some impact on the sediment loads to that demonstrate good and bad practice the stream. There were also degraded water was useful to illustrate the problems faced meadow ditch systems, creating further and solutions available. One farmer also problems with waterlogged and poached pointed out that, ‘…farming is becoming an land. The planting of a number of conifers at increasingly isolated profession as farms grow the source of the stream had altered the flow and labour forces shrink; groups like this enable of the stream and was causing eutrophication local farmers to come together generally as of a headstream pond. well as having a positive specific purpose.’ The farmer was in Countryside Stewardship Following the discussion group the majority managing some species rich grassland areas. of farmers took advantage of one-to-one It was recognised that there were more visits from their CSFO to look at their own opportunities to develop options to improve farms for areas where they could reduce their the management of wet woodland and cattle contribution to diffuse water pollution. drinking under the Higher Level Stewardship scheme (HLS). As a result, the Catchment Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer (CSFO) Sensitive Farming officer (CSFO) recommended Andrew Russell the Natural England Advisor to make an early Natural England, Oxford transfer between schemes. 0300 060 1929/07901 512398 [email protected] Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) is delivered in partnership by Natural Funding is from the European Agricultural England, the Environment Fund for Rural Development: Europe Agency and Defra. investing in rural areas..