Aquatic Newsletter
-
Upload
nick-hartley -
Category
Documents
-
view
152 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Aquatic Newsletter
aliens, we are Canadian,
Australian, and New
Zealanders just out side
York, and every other town in
the UK”. Ok, so we know
there is a great deal of
license in this but we
thought it sort of worked!
With a significant increase in
our level of seriousness we
ask the main questions, how
did they get here, what are
the implications and has the
industry managed to find a
way to eradicate these
seemingly indestructible
invaders.
All in all an action packed
issue, and we hope you enjoy
reading it as much as we
enjoy putting these things
together.
Nick Hartley
The lyrics from the popular
song are quite poignant at
the moment with the
unseasonably warm, yet wet
weather, bringing a number
of aquatic issues on all water
courses, to the forefront of
professionals’ minds.
From the ever challenging
problem, which is the
seemingly endless and
unstoppable spread of
non-native vegetation, to the
potential project stopping
issue of cost effective silt
management on site. The
aquatic sector is facing some
of its toughest ever
challenges and new
techniques are crucial to help
achieve more sustainable
and more economical project
completion.
In the first of our newsletters,
Ebsford Environmental are
looking at a wide range of
topics, all specifically relating
to the aquatic market and
those involved within.
We have a mix of industry
news, project case studies,
and this month we are lucky
enough to have a guest
article by Graham Cousins,
the Managing Director of
British Flora who will discuss
the benefits of using locally
grown and UK provenance
aquatic plants.
In a new feature , looking at
unique machinery which we
feel is assisting the market
we “road test” one of the
TRUXOR range of machines.
Keeping the musical theme
of our newsletter, we discuss
“illegal aliens, we are illegal
“If you take my advice, there is nothing as nice. As messing about on the river”
Project News—Rookery Lake, Dorking
Ebsford Environmental are
delighted to be working on a
number of projects in the South
East of the country.
One of our favourites is a
privately funded project on a
multi-use lake in the Dorking
area. Suffering from a huge build
up of silt caused by overhanging
vegetation, the lake is now
undergoing extensive work
which will see areas cleared, the
construction and manufacture of
silt islands and the planting and
sowing of native wildflowers and
aquatics which will replicate the
natural surroundings.
The project is currently underway
and will be completed in the
Spring of 2012.
Covered this month:
Dredging and silt retention
Bio-engineering and stabilisation
Aquatic weed control
Native aquatic plant supply and installation
Machinery spotlight—TRUXOR
“Focus On”—Aquatics
Even in November the mild and wet
weather has meant that aquatic
invasive vegetation is still thriving and
showing no sign of typical annual die
Ebsford Environmental
Vo
lum
e 1
, Is
su
e 1
Q
ua
rte
r 4
—2
011
Inside this issue:
Invasive Aquatics
2
TRUXOR Road Test
2
Aquatic Plant Selection 3
Silt Management 3
Company Info 4
Free Wildflowers 4
The recorded instances of non
native aquatic invasive plants is
increasing at a speed only matched
by their ability to choke and destroy
every environment they come
into contact with.
With glossy, waxed coats
almost impervious to chemicals,
deep rhizomes which are
impossible to remove mechanically
and a taste which is unpalatable to
all but the most desperate of
predators, is there any way to keep
these unwelcome visitors at bay
and indeed where did they come
from?
The names are a dead giveaway as
to the ancestry of all these plants,
however as with most
environmental issues in the UK it is
the vanity and apathy of man which
has allowed such a devastating
spread.
90% of non native aquatic plants
recorded in the UK were or still are
available as ornamental pond or
aquarium plants. It is only after
rapid colonisation and disposal
that the impact to the wild
environment is highlighted.
With a number of the plants being
added to amendment of Schedule
9 Part 2 of the Wildlife and
Countryside act, it is now more
important than ever that effective
control is adopted. So, if all the
usual methods are ineffective, how
do you fight the fight?
An approach which uses a
combination of all or some of the
systems available will usually
achieve the best results.
Weakening the plant with a low
dose chemical application
conducted at 72 hour intervals,
followed by a careful mechanical
removal to a depth of 2m can be
highly effective. If space and
budget allows, a covering with a
membrane over the affected area
can also restrict and prevent any
future growth and complete a
process.
Additionally, some environmental
measures can be done to try and
reduce the re-growth once removal
has taken place. Increasing the
flow rate of your pond can help,
and in extreme cases the
introduction of grass carp can also
limit spread.
It must be remembered that even
using all these options may not be
a guaranteed long term solution, it
is important therefore that before
tackling a weed problem, that you
prepare yourself for a long and
difficult battle.
tightest of
access routes, leaving almost no
evidence of its arrival. Its graceful
entry into the water was almost an
anticlimax, leaving our team with
grand visions of a robotic Tom
Daley and reaching for imaginary
score cards.
Traversing along the bank of the
lake, happily clearing vegetation,
the Truxor works effectively either
on water or if necessary can clear
terrestrially. The unique weed
harvester attachment enabling the
machine to remove some of the
more problematic weeds down to
depths in excess of 2m.
A simple change to the
hydraulics can see a number of
attachments be fitted. These
include a range of silt pumps,
excavator attachments and even a
clam shell, all of which are ideal
for silt collection and bank works.
The clear benefit of this is that is
allows a single, low impact
mechanical solution to be
specified for a full range of
operations.
At the end of the two days, we
were left with an ecstatic client, a
project delivered ahead of time
and under budget and some new
friends.
The only down side we could find
to write about is that they currently
have no plans to allow self drive
hire of the machines. News of this
left two staff and a client checking
our banks to see if we could afford
one ourselves.
So, thanks to our friends at
Aquatic Solutions, Ebsford
Environmental were given access
to their range of machines on one
of our projects in October.
The day started hesitantly. Waiting
at the side of a lake you could be
excused for expecting to hear the
familiar beep, beep, beep of a
large delivery vehicle, banks man
in tow, lumbering across the
pastureland and down the muddy,
difficult access route, destroying
everything in its way.
This proves to be the first of the
many surprises you will be given
when using this machine. Arriving
on a small trailer towed by a
pickup, the Truxor is light and
small enough to simply
manoeuver itself through the
The TRUXOR range of machines—Has the long reach had its day?
Invasive Aquatic Vegetation—Endless curse or potential cure?
Page 2 “F
oc
us
On
”—A
qu
ati
cs
V
olu
me
1, I
ss
ue
1
“Weighing in at
less than 1500kg
and able to work
terrestrially or
aquatically, the
TRUXOR offers
real flexibility”
From top;
Parrots Feather
Canadian Pondweed
Australian Swamp
Stonecrop (plus close up)
The importance of using UK native
and local provenance vegetation on
habitat restoration projects is now
widely accepted and implemented
in restoration projects.
EU legislation, such as The Water
Framework Directive, stipulates the
environmental improvement of
water bodies with a focus on
ecology and this has led to an
increase in the number of aquatic
improvement projects where the
use of native local provenance
plants is a legislative requirement.
The use of native plants is
particularly relevant on aquatic
sites, where it is difficult to
establish plants from seed and the
requirement for rapid plant
establishment to stabilise and
withstand changes in water flow is
the key.
The UK boosts a wide variety of
aquatic and marginal plant species
that can provide biodiversity and
environmental benefits, whilst
providing a colourful palette for
aesthetic planting schemes. Plant
species selection should take into
consideration important
information such as planting depth,
water levels and flow rates. There
are a wide variety of native aquatic
plants differing in form, flowering
period and colour that can be
selected for specific purposes such
as improving water quality,
reducing erosion of banks and
attracting certain wildlife.
A diverse mix of plants with
differing and long flowering
seasons will greatly enrich an area
for biodiversity and aesthetics. All
these options should be
considered at inception and design
stage of an aquatic scheme. Ask
yourself what you are trying to
achieve and then select the correct
plants seeking advice from
specialists in native flora.
Planting density, plant size and
installation methods are the
material consideration in native
landscaping, which is sometime
overlooked, especially in times of
economic uncertainty. With
budgets being cut around the UK, it
is often the case that cost savings
will be made by selecting smaller
pot sizes, fewer plants or by
accepting unsuitable planting
conditions in order to complete
projects early or in budget
Ultimately, the success or failure of
an aquatic planting scheme comes
from the quality of the stock from
the nursery. Problems can range
from plants with insufficient root
development, diseased plants or
plants which contain one or more
invasive aquatic plants as listed on
Schedule 9 of The Wildlife and
Countryside Act. These issues can
all have negative consequences.
Reputable suppliers should be
members of BALI and also
subscribe to the code of conduct
set out by Floralocale. If in doubt
before placing any orders, check on
the website www.floralocale.org to
see if your supplier is approved or
speak to the statutory advisors at
the Environment Agency.
As with most things in life, if you
consider what you want to achieve,
take time to install, complete the
work to a high standard and buy
high quality plant products, then
you will ultimately achieve success
first time round.
www.britishflora.co.uk
When embarking on a project
which may require silt removal,
huge cost and environmental
benefits can be achieved by taking
a long term and integrated
approach to silt management.
On man made water bodies,
creation of marginal zones or is-
lands using reclaimed silt planted
with native vegetation can improve
water quality and also aesthetically
and Ecologically enhance the whole
area.
In most natural occurrences, silt is
likely to be made up of
organic matter in one form or
another and this will usually make
it extremely high in nutrients and
ideal for use as a planting medium.
Despite, and in some instances
because of this, it is unlikely that
any landfill facility will classify the
material as inert; this can lead to
an increase in disposal costs and a
decrease in available landfill
space, two things that are
particularly high on the economic
and environmental agenda.
For small areas or where on site
retention is not suitable, silt
receptor pits can be created or
surface laid bags constructed and
landscaped post completion
So next time you are working in
water, why not try and think green,
save money and retain your silt.
Ebsford Environmental are able to
give advice and complete all silt
retention and removal projects.
Aquatic Plant Selection —a guest article by Graham Cousins, MD British Flora Ltd
How do you solve a problem like Silt removal?
Page 3
“Ask yourself
what you are
trying to achieve
and then select
the correct plants
to achieve this.”
Silt bags can be a cost
effective way of dewatering
silt with limited space.
Species such as Carex bring both
Ecological and Environmental
benefits.
grasses local to the
project area and are
specifically designed for
both the application and
soil conditions. So be it
Aquatic work, Invasive
Weed eradication or
Reptile Fencing on Green
field, Brown field or even
Woodland area you know
that we are restoring your
project to the way nature
intended.
If the sowing doesn't fit in
with your development
then don't worry, we can
supply the service to a
local wildlife charity,
school or organisation of
your choosing on your
In a bid to promote the
decade of bio-diversity
and to continue to offer
our clients the most
ecologically sensitive and
aware contracting service
available. Ebsford
Environmental have
teamed up with our
friends at BritishFlora to
design a range of
promotional seed
packages which will be
supplied and installed by
Ebsford Environmental
staff at the end of each of
our contracts.
Each 1kg bag will contain
a mix of Native
Wildflowers and Amenity
behalf, what better
message for a developer
to give to the local
community?
Full details and
specifications will be
given at proposal stage
together with a detailed
overview of species and
location.
Each 1kg bag will provide
enough seed to sow an
area of approximately
100m².
1200 Century Way
Thorpe Park
Leeds
LS15 8ZA
Phone: 01132 251 5015
Fax: 01132 251 5100
E-mail: [email protected]
Ebsford Environmental
Free Wildflower Seeds and Sowing with every order before Summer 2012!!
Ebsford.co.uk
Field of Oxeye Daisy in Northumberland
Ac
hie
vin
g e
xc
ell
an
ce
in
la
nd
pre
pa
rati
on
an
d m
am
ag
em
en
t
Ebsford Environmental is a consulting and contracting
company specialising in the specification and implementation
of bespoke environmental and ecological remediation
solutions to the UK market.
Ebsford offers a complete end-to-end full-service solution
in contrast to the more usual requirement to employ an array
of consultants, implementation specialists and cross market
subcontractors.
We offer services to our clients in the following areas:
Ecological consultancy and mitigation
Aquatic remediation, bio engineering and green
solutions
Site clearance and preparation
Invasive species and vegetation management
Remediation and ground working
From first contact, meeting our technical consultants and all
the way through to full completion, you will find Ebsford
offers a high level of service, support and excellent project
delivery skills.