Brief outline of future management work to be undertaken on the perimeter of the ‘O’ reservoir

   Many of you will have heard and perhaps been alarmed by the possibility of work on the grassland and ditch surrounding the ‘O’ reservoir, and the impact this would have on plant, insect and amphibian communities here.

   As a background the site has recently come under the scrutiny of an independent ‘Reservoir Inspector’ acting under instruction from central government.  He is ensuring that the site meets the safety requirements of the Reservoirs Act, and you may have noticed the large scale clearance work which has taken place in the Treatment Works enclosure as a result.

We had feared the worst:

   That the ditch would be mechanically excavated and kept permanently free of vegetation.

   That the Marsh level would have to be maintained all year below the level of the ‘V-notch’ through which it is fed - meaning we would lose control of the S. Marsh water levels.

   And that the embankments would be cut back completely with the loss of the hay meadow and its plant communities including the bee orchids.

After an on-site meeting with Peter Izzard, Geoff Lomas and myself, along with the Reservoirs Inspector and several representatives from the Treatment Works, we came out very pleased with the following regime:

   The ditch will not be altered in profile – initial management will consist of one cut a year, as has been trialled already in some areas, between the end of September and March.  This is a similar regime to that of a few years ago, and will hopefully prove beneficial in some areas.  Some larger clumps of reed and rush will be removed to enable the flow to be observed easily, but the ditch basin will be essentially left unaltered.  A section 50m in length to the N.W. filled in by contractors a few years ago will be re-excavated so we will gain a new length of ditch here.

   The ‘basins’ around the three ‘V’ notch points will be kept clear of dense vegetation and re-instated.  The notch which abuts Barmston drain path will be secured with new fencing and a secure gate to prevent uncontrolled access.  The southern notch will be raised by 12 inches giving more scope to efficiently control marsh levels.

   The new embankment cutting regime will entail regular cutting to a maximum of three metres from the ‘toe’ of the embankment.  This will obviously impact in places (the stakes at points around the ‘O’ denote this currently) but we are happy that the bulk of the hay meadow and bee-orchid colonies will remain.  The same regime will take place on the ‘D’ where we should see little net loss of hay-meadow. 

   We have also gained the grassy area to the South of the visitor centre as a ‘wildlife’ area – and I will be happy to hear suitable suggestions and offers of help in its development, initial thoughts being along the lines of an extension of the ‘finch’ habitat or a wildflower meadow.

I would like to highlight Peter’s contribution to the discussion, and indeed it was he who brokered the final regime – a result with which he was very happy.  If you have any queries on this or other matters do not hesitate to contact me on 07790 617585.

                                                                      Regards,

                                                                                    Richard Hampshire