Wildlife Circus

Paul and Caitlin with Kingfisher   Thames 21 are an organisation that aims to: connect local communities with their rivers; demonstrate what is happening to them; and design bespoke solutions for them. I have blogged  some of their amazing projects elsewhere see Rainscapes in Enfield       Ewell storm tank outfall We are lucky that one of their research projects - using robot boats to  measure water quality- includes  the Hogsmill,  and a boat known as KINGFISHER. The hulls are  made by a company called Platypus' and the first step is to install and calibrate  its monitoring systems. We met last Friday to introduce the superboat to the range of different chemical and other influences presented at different stretches including the various outfalls along the Hogsmill.This included the Ewell Storm Tank outfall   where water quality can be affected by sewage overflow. sediment from the Bonesgate   The floating l...

Yesterday I went to the CaBA workshop, well attended by members from many of the 108 river catchment partnerships that exist throughout the country. This included, officers from the Environment Agency and  good representation from Thames Water - one of our own Hogsmill Partnership members (see previous posts on the South East Rivers Trust; including side tabs on  naturalising the Hogsmill river and Beverley Brook).  The London boroughs were well represented (Harrow, Enfield, Walthan Forest, Lewisham, Croydon) with many officers leading the presentations, on how they had dealt with devastating fluvial and pluvial flooding events in their boroughs with prevention top of their agenda. The London Wildlife Trust demonstrated their role in the Lost River Efra Project and how they were incorporating Sustainable Urban Drainage with depaving interventions. A CIRIA representative discussed their support for SuDS delivery and the guidance document that can be downloaded from th...

  South East Rivers Trust have been knocking out weirs along the Hogsmill to enable fish to pass from the Thames to the source of the Hogsmill at Ewell. The results are impressive and this improvement is at Elmbridge Meadows on the west side of the A3.We went to look in vain for frogspawn in the seasonal pond on the Meadows. Maybe a little too early, although there are records nearer the town centre (Penrhyn Road) from 20.2.15 and at Manor Park 28.2.15. Although with a little egret on regular patrol, the frogs will have to be quick to get to the pond.

   The South East Rivers Trust have been knocking out the weirs along the Hogsmill. Last year they undertook improvements at Knights Park near Kingston Town Centre see previous posts on the  Hogsmill-valley .  At the start of the project there were  fifteen obstructions on the river preventing fish from passing. These included weirs, culverts, concrete bridge footings and the gauging station near Watersplash Close. This results in the available habitat being highly fragmented causing bottlenecks at various life stages, making some fish species very vulnerable.  The concrete bridge footings at the A240 Kingston Bypass formed a complete barrier to fish passage. A rock ramp has now been built to drown out the weir and increase the depth of water under the bridge. To facilitate vehicular access, some of the vegetation has been removed, which will allow light into the dingy floor and breathe new life into the linear  copse, where ivy has s...