The Environment Agency
has just completed work on the River Leadon
at Ledbury to help fish, such as salmon
and trout, migrate up the river to reproduce.
We have installed two
small weirs which will help them get over
an existing weir that has proved to be a
barrier to migration in the past.
This work is funded
by Defra, to help meet Water Framework Directive
targets aimed at improving all aspects of
the water environment.
This work has been carried
out in conjunction with other habitat improvement
work and fish re-stockings we have recently
completed, using income from the sale of
rod licences.
Senior Fisheries Technical
Specialist, Charles Crundwell, says “When
they are ready to spawn, salmon try to return
to the river where they were born. Man-made
obstacles such as weirs can sometimes make
this journey very difficult for them.
“We have constructed
two small additional weirs before the existing
weir to allow the fish sufficient depth
of water to leap the obstruction. We hope
that this will make it easier for them to
negotiate the obstacle and allow them to
breed, so that we continue to see more salmon
in the River Leadon in the future.”
+ More
Environment Agency takes
action to boost bathing water quality in
Bude
Major investigation
works are underway in the North Cornwall
resort of Bude to reverse a decline in bathing
water standards at the town's Summerleaze
Beach
The Environment Agency
is focussing its efforts on the Strat and
Neet river catchments as well as the town
itself. The aim of the project is to trace
possible sources of pollution that could
be impacting on bathing water quality.
The work is being carried
out in partnership with South West Water
and will continue throughout 2010. A preliminary
survey of the Killerton Road area of Bude
in 2009 uncovered a defective main sewer
that was contaminating surface water entering
the River Neet.
As a result of the findings,
South West Water is putting together a proposal
to fix the problem and stop further contamination.
The Environment Agency and water company
plan to survey neighbouring roads to identify
and trace other suspected sources of pollution.
In addition to checking
the town’s drains, the Agency’s Upper Tamar
Team have walked the entire length of the
River Strat in an attempt to discover other
potentially harmful discharges.
Their detective work
has already paid off with two major pollution
discharges uncovered. Both discharges have
now been stopped and Agency officers are
working with local businesses and householders
to tackle a number of minor pollution issues.
The Agency plans to
carry out a similar survey of the River
Neet over the coming months.
Officers will also visit
farms in both river catchments to raise
awareness of problems caused by agriculture
including soil compaction and run-off, soil
erosion and the contamination of watercourses
by slurry and manure.
Farmers will be offered
advice on how best to minimise the risk
of diffuse water pollution from their day
to day farming activities.
‘We have made Bude our
Number One priority for the coming year
in a bid to address some water quality problems
that have caused a decline in local bathing
water standards. We plan to carry out a
huge amount of work in the town and the
surrounding river catchments in 2010 and
hope local people will support us in our
efforts to achieve a better water environment
for residents and tourists alike,’ said
James Wimpress for the Environment Agency.
A photo of the some
of the officers involved in the survey work
at Bude is available from the Agency’s regional
press office. For more details call 01392
442008.
Anyone with knowledge
of potential pollution problems in the Upper
Tamar Area can call the Environment Agency’s
free 24-hour hotline 0800 80 70 60.
