Water
quality on the Hampshire Avon is set to
improve thanks to a successful partnership
between the Environment Agency, Wiltshire
Council and a local landowner - The Avon
is one of the UK’s top salmon rivers, but
in recent years has suffered from sediment
pollution – a major source being poorly-maintained
farm tracks that discharge silt straight
into local watercourses. Once in a river,
sediment can harm the spawning grounds of
salmon and trout. The run-off can also deliver
pollutants that contribute to nutrient enrichment
and upset the river ecology.
One of the worst affected
areas was a farm track at Berwick St James
where sediment was regularly washed into
the River Till, a tributary of the River
Wylye that flows into the Avon. The pollution
turned the river a chalky white.
This stretch of the
Hampshire Avon is a Site of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation
(SAC) and is important for fish spawning.
Contamination caused by the agricultural
run-off resulted in Natural England downgrading
the SSSI to an ‘unfavourable condition.’
The badly-eroded track
at Berwick St James is a Right of Way that
provides access to a local farm. It extends
for 2 kilometres and belongs to Berwick
Down Ltd. Over the years the sunken track
eroded below the level of surrounding fields
and became a huge drainage gully.
The problem has now
been solved thanks to the combined efforts
of the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council
and the landowner who have carried out improvements
to prevent sediment being washed straight
down the farm track into the river.
Run-off is diverted
from the track into surrounding fields using
existing ditches that have been dug out.
A newly-installed drain carries run-off
into a sediment pond where silt from the
track and surrounding fields is captured.
The track has also been re-surfaced and
cambered to control the direction of flow.
The improvements at
Berwick St James were funded by the Agency
and carried out by Wiltshire Council contractors
as part of a Catchment Sensitive Farming
Initiative.
Catchment Sensitive
Farming aims to reduce diffuse water pollution
from agriculture with the help of farmers
and landowners. The Hampshire Avon is one
of 50 catchments across England where the
river environment is being improved through
a working partnership with the Environment
Agency and Natural England supported by
Defra.
‘The River Till is one
of the most important tributaries on the
Hampshire Avon. Previously we had a problem
with large amounts of sediment-laden water
entering a sensitive river system and harming
the environment. Now, thanks the farm track
improvements we’ll see a corresponding improvement
in the SSSI which is great news,’ said Ellie
Mantell, Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer
for the Hampshire Avon.
The improvements have
been welcomed by local anglers, ’All of
us who care about the River Till and Lower
Wylye are very grateful to the Environment
Agency, Wiltshire Council and Berwick Down
Ltd for the way they diagnosed and resolved
this pollution problem as part of a Catchment
Sensitive Farming Initiative. We are impressed
by how well they worked together,’ said
Peter Hayes, President of the Till Fly Fishers
Association
‘This project has significantly
reduced the amount of sediment entering
the river. The future now looks much more
positive for our salmon and trout stocks,’
said Mr Hayes.
‘We are very pleased
to have worked in partnership with the Environment
Agency and Wiltshire Council to improve
this track and recognise the environmental
benefits this project has had on the River
Till,’ said Rod Crossly, Farm Manager at
Berwick Down Ltd.
Photos of the improvement
works are available from the Environment
Agency’s south west regional press office
on 01392 442008.
Note to Editor:
• Research by the Wessex
Salmon and Rivers Trust has shown that for
salmon and trout to spawn successfully,
gravel beds should be as free from silt
as possible. In order to develop, fish eggs
need oxygen dissolved in the water. Silt
clogs the gravel used by spawning salmon
and prevents eggs from hatching by starving
them of oxygen.
Environment Agency completes its action
against composting site
Smells from a composting site in Stourbridge
resulted in numerous complaints from local
residents after decomposing waste was not
handled adequately, Dudley Magistrates’
Court heard.
Composting company Simpro
Limited, of Wolverhampton, was today (7
December) ordered to pay over £40,000
in fines and costs after pleading guilty
to one charge of treating and keeping composting
material in a way that caused pollution
of the environment over a four month period.
For the Environment
Agency, Counsel Barry Berlin told the court
that Simpro operates several composting
sites in the Midlands area. Their Stourbridge
site at Iverley Park Farm, was situated
within 500 metres of 50 residential properties.
Due to number of complaints in 2007, a meeting
between the site regulators was held. It
was agreed that there were problems concerning
off-site odour, with concerns being raised
regarding the amount of material being composted
at the site.
On the 10 October 2007,
a letter was sent to Simpro detailing the
issues of concern along with recommendations
on how site operations could be improved.
Environment Agency officers
and an officer from South Staffordshire
District Council attended the Stourbridge
site of Simpro on the 29 October 2007. The
amount of composting material on the site
was unacceptable to the Environment Agency
and the site was removed from a required
Register of Exempt Activities on 31 October
2007, effectively taking away the site’s
permission to operate as a waste facility.
The court heard that
the process of composting needs to be well
managed. Without the correct amount of oxygen
green waste can produce anaerobic organisms,
which in turn give rise to offensive odours.
The site has not accepted
waste since November 2007 but the company
has refused to agree their responsibility
for causing the odours until this time.
Speaking after the case
Doug Freakley, Environment Management Team
Leader, for the site said: “While we, of
course, support appropriate recycling we
are also aware of the problems that green
waste sites can cause. While we endeavour
to work with site operators and local residents
to resolve issues, if necessary and where
the required evidence can be obtained we
will take enforcement action.“
In mitigation, Counsel
Richard Kimblin told the court that excessive
rainfall was a contributing factor and that
the material received was wet.
The charge was brought
by the Environment Agency under Section
33(1)(c) & (6) of the Environmental
Protection Act 11000. Simpro Limited was
fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs
of £26,162.65, along with a £15
victim surcharge.
Winding the willows will help stop erosion
and protect ratty
Traditional methods are being used to safeguard
the future of the river bank on a Lincolnshire
waterway
The Environment Agency
is using rods – or spiles - of freshly cut
willow to combat erosion of the base of
the flood bank on the River Ancholme at
Snitterby, near Brigg.
Harvested from willows
growing on the river bank at nearby Brandy
Wharf, the rods will be woven around upright
posts driven into the river bed. The willow
will then grow, sending out shoots and root
into the flood bank holding the soil firm
and protecting against erosion.
Keith Stothard, Operations
Delivery Team Leader at the Environment
Agency, said: “Willow spiling is a very
old system used to prevent erosion of river
banks. It has many advantages over other
methods. Because it uses a natural, living
material it has an indefinite lifespan,
is good for wildlife, consumes greenhouse
gases which contribute to global warming
and provides the raw material for future
works.”
The willow which has
been harvested from Brandy Wharf was originally
put in using the same method during December
2005. It can be harvested four years after
“planting”.
Willow spiling is a
soft form of river engineering which requires
minimal heavy machinery and causes the least
disturbance to the river environment. Alternative
methods which have been used in the past
include wooden piles and planks, steel piles
and stone but all have a limited lifespan
and cost more - both environmentally and
financially.
Reed rolls are also
being placed along the base of the bank
to further enhance the habitat for wildlife
such as water voles, a protected species.
The rolls are secured in position by softwood
stakes and naturally back fill with silt
meaning water voles are not disturbed.
Work on the 650 metre
stretch of bank, downstream of Snitterby
Carr Bridge, began on 30 November. It is
expected to take three weeks to complete.
+ More
Aviation must play its
role in reducing emissions
Environment Agency chief
renews call for review of airport expansion
plans - Lord Smith, Chairman of the Environment
Agency, responding to the Committee on Climate
Change Aviation Report Meeting the UK Aviation
target - options for reducing emissions
to 2050 said:
“The report by the Committee on Climate
Change makes a clear case for slowing the
growth in aviation to prevent an unsustainable
rise in emissions that contribute to climate
change.
“This is a conclusion
that we welcome. Aviation has a significant
impact on carbon emissions and can affect
air quality around airports. That is why
current plans for airport expansion, including
Heathrow, must be revisited - and there
is the opportunity for Government to do
just that in a new National Policy Statement
on airports, which could be brought forward
from 2011.
“Ultimately aviation
must play its role in reducing CO2 emissions.
That will mean better planning for aviation
use as well as a drive for cleaner jet engines.
It is important that people are still able
to fly abroad on holiday, but we also need
more high speed rail networks in the UK
and Europe to make low carbon travel quicker
and cheaper.”
Media enquiries: Scarlett
Elworthy on 020 7863 8617 or outside normal
office hours, please contact the National
Duty Press Officer on 07798 882 092.
