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Showing posts from September, 2016

Local Rivers Day

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Local Rivers Day was held at KEC on Saturday 24th September. Amongst the displays were The Environment Agency on local flood alleviation plans, the Hogmsill Community Garden, the Hogsmill river project, and the London Waterkeeper-Theo Thomas- who campaigns for clean and thriving rivers in parks, including swimming zones created along the our non-tidal stretch section of the Thames, as well as helping to monitor the Hogsmill.  There was also a magnetic fishing pond complete with mini supermarket trolley created by Danielle O'Shaughnessy for the children.

The 'Nutrient Nickers' of Tolworth

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Meet Greg and Chris of Red Kites, engaged in this Poldarkian  haycut at Tolworth Court Farm Moated Manor.  The matrix is cut by tractor, whilst the delicate areas- around the  yellow meadow ant mounds- are carefully strimmed.  Raking and removing the hay is an essential part of the process of sequestering the nutrients before they can enrich the grassland. If the hay is left to rot down it will  fertilise and encourage rank grassland, nettles and hemlock which will outcompete next years delicate flowers. If anyone can lend us a cow, we can greatly assist in this process. Last week young people participating in a Duke of Edingborough Award Scheme -under the direction of the Environment Trust- extended the dead hedging, which will eventually secure the site enabling us to have grazing animals at the site. In addition to the two Homonids were seen: Two buzzards and a kestrel with a marsh harrier on passage spotted before my arrival; Reptile mats yielded their usual

Portsmouth Road Improvements and the Filter Beds at Seething Wells

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One unforseen benefit of the Go-Cycle and Portsmouth Road 'Improvements' is that walking alongside the Filter Beds is a more pleasant experience now that the site is slightly divorced from the roar of the traffic.The trees on the site are maturing becoming recognisable specimens of ash, oak and willows. forty tufted ducks Whilst this has resulted in the loss of chalk grassland, it also creates a structural habitat screening the air, noise and light pollution from the filter beds, making it even more dark and undisturbed. This summer the water levels are almost back to the brim; there have been more tufted ducks during the period of moult than ever before, although it is hard to count them amongst the dabchick bobbing around them like corks. The last of the house martins could be seen fly-catching today, along with small aerial flocks of starlings in the afternoon heat. cormorant drying its wings apples Although electro-fishing surveys found  no significant

More on Sewage and something on Bream

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As a recap, there was a large spill of sewage onto Green Lane Recreation Ground and the Hogsmill river 8.2.16, when 2,500 bags of waste were removed (posted 21.2.16). Since then it has continued to be bad news for the Hogsmill river, with sewage entering the river every month (see: sewage spill into the Hogsmill River 19.4.16; spates and sewage 23.6.16). Much of this has been via the 'channel of cess' on the north-east bank near California Road as well as other surcharging manholes. But a large release of sewage occured last Thursday, in the early hours of the morning from the final settlement tanks. Something of a puzzle is that an amount of rag was also noted, which should not be associated with the final stage of sewage treatment.  As usual this has largly gone  uncommented upon. This silence is not commensurate with the large amount of sewage that has entered the water course.  On the tiday Thames there are regular announcements for rowers when there is a spill see