The South East Rivers Trust is pleased to announce a new natural flood management (NFM) project with funding provided by London Gatwick.
The upper River Mole is characterised by its flashy nature. As a clay-based catchment, an impermeable geology, the river is prone to both flooding during wet periods and drying up during dry periods. Climate change is expected to only exacerbate these issues. The river also faces pressure from pollution and a lack of adequate habitats for river wildlife.
This project aims to address these challenges through a series of NFM measures. These techniques, including tree planting, leaky woody structures, and wetland creation, work to slow the flow of water through the landscape, increasing the its natural retention of water, to both reduce the risk of flooding downstream during times of heavy rainfall and maintain river flows during drought periods.
A key component of the project is the implementation of a “stage zero” restoration, which involves reconnecting the river’s headwaters with their floodplain. In other words, turning back the clock to a time before human intervention. This approach not only enhances natural flood protection but also improves resilience during low flow periods, reduces diffuse pollution, and creates habitats to increase biodiversity.
Dr Chris Gardner, Head of Science and Partnerships at SERT, said: “Natural flood management is a crucial technique for us at SERT, as it harnesses and restores the natural processes our rivers depend on. We’re delighted to have London Gatwick support for this project and are eager to see the positive impact we can achieve on the ground.”
The funding from London Gatwick comes from the airport’s efforts under their sustainability policy, Decade of Change, and remains focused on what matters: increasing the emphasis on people and reducing emissions. London Gatwick is working to support and invest in local communities, continue transition to net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 and reduce impact on the local environment and waste.
Ian Waghorn, Principal Environmental Water Engineer at London Gatwick, said: “We are thrilled to be working with SERT, this collaboration will provide real improvements to the Upper Mole catchment. Working with our partners is just one aspect of our ambitious water targets for this decade.
“We are making significant investments in our own water systems at London Gatwick. In our first Decade of Change we reduced water consumption from 30 litres per passenger to 15, we are now aiming to halve this figure again to 7.5 litres. This will be achieved by harnessing the capabilities of our existing infrastructure to produce a non-potable water source for toilet flushing.”
The first year of the project will focus on conducting scoping work to generate feasibility studies, engaging with local landowners, and establishing baseline surveys across the sub-catchment to pave the way for delivery in future years of the collaboration. We’re excited to get to work on this project, so watch this space!
Hundreds of people attended Saturday’s Chamber Mead wetlands open day, many of them volunteering to start the mammoth task of adding 10,000 plants to the edges of this important pollution filter for the River Hogsmill.
The 2000m2 series of wetlands has been created to divert pollutants, coming from the Green Lanes stream, away from the globally rare chalk stream and will increase the numbers and types of wildlife across the Hogsmill Local Nature Reserve.
Egrets and ducks were already enjoying the wetlands as crowds gathered to hear Dr Bella Davies, Co-CEO of the South East Rivers Trust (SERT), explain the reasons for creating the wetlands in partnership with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, which owns and manages the nature reserve.
The Mayor of Epsom & Ewell Rob Geleit cuts the ribbon to open the wetlands
The wetlands were then officially opened thanks to a ribbon being cut by The Worshipful Mayor of Epsom & Ewell, Councillor Rob Geleit.
In her speech, Bella explained that the project had been conceived more than a decade ago by the Hogsmill Catchment Partnership. This group of organisations and individuals wanted to address the issues of poor water quality in the Hogsmill. It is one of only about 220 chalk streams worldwide. Clear, cool waters in such streams should provide special conditions for creatures such as trout, eel and water voles to thrive.
“Many years ago we identified the Green Lanes stream was bringing poor water quality in. We discovered there was a whole load of urban runoff coming from Epsom,” Bella said.
“Surface water drains were sending [polluted] water straight from roads into the river – and that included lots of nasty things like hydrocarbons, heavy metals from tyres and catalytic converters and microplastics. In addition, there are misconnected pipes for example where toilets are plumbed in wrongly. People pour items down drains, there are pesticides from gardens – and all that is really toxic.
Volunteers start to plant up Chamber Mead wetlands
“There is another really big impact which came from the sewer storm tank overflows. Further up the Green Lanes stream there are two sewers that come together … and to stop them from backing up into your homes, there is a storm tank system where water flows up and theoretically goes back into the sewer. But in exceptional circumstances it overspills into the Green Lanes stream.
“Trying to fix that is really difficult,” Bella continued. “We worked with Thames Water to make the performance of the storm tanks as best as they could and they have reduced the number of times they spill massively.
“Another option is to clean the water before it goes into the river – and that’s what the wetlands are here to do.”
The public had the chance to added plants to the wetlands
About 90% of wetlands have been lost in the past 100 years, Bella added, and this nature-based solution would bring lots of other benefits. “It might look a bit raw, but it is a great time to see it [before plants are added].”
Trapping the silt in the initial pond was “really important,” she explained, because otherwise that silt smothers the river gravels in the water, restricting wildlife’s ability to thrive.
Contaminants coming from Green Lanes are also cleaned through the plants, before the cleaned water is sent back into the Hogsmill downstream of the popular stepping stones.
Multiple benefits of the wetlands include it becoming an attraction for wildlife such as damselflies and dragonflies, Bella added. It is also “really important” for local climate regulation. Those living near water experience lower temperatures which will be “really important” in hot summers in particular.
A special cake was created by Heidi’s cakes in Carshalton to mark the occasion
“There is also increasing evidence of the importance of nature for health and well being – and that’s amplified when we are near water. It helps decrease stress and also is a really great educational resource,” she added, referencing a new nature trail that has been put up around the site.
Delivering multiple benefits meant SERT, which leads the catchment partnership, has been able to appeal to a wide range of different funders. The development of the wetlands has received funding from The Coca-Cola Foundation, Natural England (through the Species Recovery Programme), the Environment Agency, Surrey County Council, the Rivers Trust, the Zoological Society of London, Garfield Weston Foundation and Thames Water, with in-kind support from the landowner Epsom & Ewell Borough Council. The new wetlands are part of the wider Replenish programme in partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation and the Rivers Trust. The aim of Replenish is to restore millions of litres of water in this and other local catchments, in turn improving biodiversity.
In total, about 300 visitors through the day had the chance to start the task of putting in vegetation around the wetlands and go on guided walks to hear more about the project.
Family friendly activities such as craft and the chance to explore what lives in the water through riverfly demonstrations were also available. Visitors also enjoyed a fabulous cake, baked to look like a wetland flush with wildlife, created by Heidi’s cakes in Carshalton.
Sharing a stand with the Kent Wildlife Trust at the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match in September gave us a fantastic platform to tell the public all about rivers – and in particular our work nearby, writes Cleo Alper, our River Medway Catchment Officer.
SERT and Kent Wildlife Trust at the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match. Picture by Anne Tipples
The popular annual ploughing match, run since 1947, was held near Tonbridge alongside the River Beult, where we have carried out a great deal of work, including nature-based solutions to improve water sources on land.
Demonstrating what’s in the River Beult with a Riverfly spot check
Through a Riverfly sample we sourced on the day, we demonstrated some of the life below the surface in the River Medway – of which the Beult is a tributary.
We were able to discuss with the public the importance of monitoring our waters for riverflies – mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies – which are at the heart of freshwater ecosystems and a vital link in the aquatic food chain. Visitors to our stall were delighted to learn about these species and also see we had found shrimp and pea mussel, among other creatures.
It was inspiring to talk to more than 100 people who had a wide range of interests, knowledge and experiences of the river and local wildlife.
We had encouraging conversations around observations of what is happening with our rivers and about what the community would like to see in the future.
Listing what we found in our river sample taken from the Medway
The event demonstrated both how much local people are aware of the importance of their local river and the range of concerns they have. These include diminishing wildlife and nature, water quality issues, and low water flow.
Collaborating with Kent Wildlife Trust on the stall was a real pleasure. A shared stand allowed us to talk about the work we are doing in partnership to restore rivers and our landscape and to showcase the wide range of partnership work and restoration occurring in the River Beult, one of four catchments on the Medway, and beyond.
Among the work we spoke about were the benefits of natural flood management and how these manage flood risk, increase water storage and create habitat. We also spoke about the benefits of nature-based solutions and our work on the River Teise. Here we are working on restoring wetlands to create more habitat and increase resilience to low water flows, plus putting in leaky woody structures to improve the river flow and the range of habitat. We are currently working on installing a backwater to increase biodiversity and prevent flooding.
We also told the public about our PROWATER work, managing landscapes to retain water for longer, the results of which include restoring key habitats and healthy soils and grasslands.
Our Co-CEO Hester Liakos with staff at the Weald of Kent Ploughing Match
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a Catchment Officer? What is it exactly they do? The South East Rivers Trust’s catchment officer for the Loddon River catchment, Lou Sykes, takes us through a typical week; from admin tasks to going out and assessing the state of sections of rivers with partners, to plan improvements.
Lou says: “My job in its simplest form? I host Catchment Partnerships, meaning I chair meetings of different stakeholders with a geographical common interest in a particular collection of rivers which make up one named network. In my case, one of these is the River Loddon and another the Cuckmere & Pevensey Levels.
“The external partners in a partnership could be water companies, the Environment Agency and Natural England, environmental NGOs, community flood groups, local councils, fishing groups. All of them have an interest in improving the health of the river. Collectively, we want to improve and maintain the health of the river network as a whole, not just treat sections in isolation.
“As detailed on our Catchment Partnerships page, this method is guided by the national Catchment Based Approach (CaBA). Every catchment partnership is different, and this is why they work so well: you can tailor them to your patch and work on the specific needs of that river system.”
Monday
Typically, this is a working from home day. I start with a morning catch up with the Science and Partnerships team before going through my emails. I complete admin tasks such as writing minutes from a Catchment Partnership meeting I hosted recently, then send off a few emails for events and activities planned for later in the week.
Tuesday
Assessing water quality on the River Lyde
Today I was involved producing a statement piece that provides a holistic view on the water quality of the river.
This included information gathering on legal and illegal discharges into rivers, drinking water standard breaches and citizen scientist data collection.
We have been working with local MPs who have a keen interest in their local river and want to work with citizen scientists – members of the public who volunteer for tasks in their spare time.
Through them we want to understand the current state of the water quality and investigate ways that we can monitor and make improvements.
Wednesday
Meeting the catchment partnership members out on site
Catchment Partnership meeting day! These happen quarterly and it was exciting to have our first one in-person, post-COVID. Typically, our meetings have themes – this one focused on looking at emerging water company plans as they go through their next phase of business planning for both their Water Industry National Environment Programme (known as WINEPs) and their Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs).
Other topics at meetings can vary from looking at biodiversity and wildlife (both native and invasive species) to investigating ideas for tearing up a weir that is acting as a barrier to fish who need to move between different sections of river to find the best feeding and breeding grounds.
By engaging many different parties in this collaborative format, we are providing the opportunity for community groups, government bodies and water companies to come together and form common goals to help rivers thrive. This is particularly important as it allows us to look at the area in a ‘big picture’ format because in every river system, what happens upstream impacts the downstream area.
Thursday
Thursday was spent exploring funding for a potential backwater
This was a strategic day of investigating new funding opportunities that could be available for research, project development and delivery – the on-the-ground restoration work that will improve rivers for wildlife and as places people can enjoy. Being a project-funded organisation means we are constantly looking for funding opportunities. We might be looking to “rewiggle” – or remeander – a straightened river. We might want to help fish connect to different parts of a river network by removing man-made, historical objects such as weirs, as we have done at Acacia Hall, Dartford, or by installing eel or fish passes, like we have done further along the Darent. We might be wanting to look to create backwaters to increase biodiversity and mitigate against potential flooding. For one such example, read about Charvil Meadows, on our Loddon Storymap (in the “Action plan” section under “case studies”).
All this work requires funding, and the co-operation of landowners and other interested groups to make it happen, so the over-riding strategy has to look at prioritisation to improve the whole catchment. On this particular week, I also got out to meet and continue to develop a relationship with one of the key stakeholders on my patch. These meetings are some of the most vital parts of my job. Time and resource in every environmental job is a stretch and collaborative working is the key to keeping everything on track.
I finished off the day with a catch up of our Catchment Officers team at SERT. We are constantly evolving and working out ways that we can work more efficiently, working together so that we are not reinventing the wheel every time something new crops up.
Friday
A large part of my job also involves putting on a pair of wellies, getting out on site and identifying opportunities in the catchment for improving stretches of river or their surrounding land.
A scene from the Lyde tributary
On this particular Friday, I walked three miles up the River Lyde – one of the tributaries of the River Loddon – with members of a local fishing club. They were looking at how they could possibly manage the river for both their fishing club members and to keep the waterway as healthy as possible. This stretch of river is a chalk stream, so we would like the water to be clear, with clean gravel, plenty of underwater plants and a decent buffer of green on the banks. Chalk streams are globally rare habitat with only about 200 of them left in the world, 160 of which are in the UK.
Pleasingly on this day, on this river, a healthy amount of aquatic plant growth was evident and there was a good amount of shade and light getting to the channel. However, it could do with some habitat or restoration work to help mitigate erosions on some stretches.
Not every week looks exactly like this, but this is an average one. There will be weeks where there is more home working, the odd day in our HQ office in Leatherhead in Surrey, or you could end up hosting a week of volunteer events that put you in a pair of waders all week, such as during Loddon Rivers Week held annually in September.
This is the beauty of being a catchment officer or manager – it’s varied nature keeps you on your toes and gives very little opportunity for burn out from doing the same thing over and over again.
The South East Rivers Trust has launched a Chalk Streams Review, to ensure that all rivers and streams which qualify across our catchments are identified and mapped. Dr Chris Gardner, our Head of Science and Partnerships, sets out the plan and how the public can help.
Join us for a fun-filled Wandle Discovery Day on Saturday 16th July, as the South East Rivers Trust (SERT) celebrates its 20th anniversary during London Rivers Week.
Several events will be running from Merton Abbey Mills to Poulter Park, giving you the chance to don waders and find out what’s in the river, or learn about the wildlife and industrial history through a range of activities.
Bringing landowners together through a series of workshops and site visits has opened inspiring conversations about what the future of nature-based solutions at catchment scale could look like.
Kathi Bauer, our Natural Capital Co-ordinator, writes an update on the South East Rivers Trust’s work on a national trial, funded by DEFRA, for the new agricultural subsidies programme – Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS).
Almost a year to the day that the South East Rivers Trust constructed a backwater on the River Loddon in Charvil Meadows, we were back to do further enhancements as part of Loddon Rivers Week 2021.
This was just one of a series of river work that took place during this celebration of the River Loddon and its tributaries, between 18th-26th September. The work to co-ordinate the week was funded by the Environment Agency.
During the week, volunteers planted native plants to stabilise the banks of the previously constructed backwater, put in gravel to a chalk stream, tackled invasive species and enjoyed learning about bats.
Several partners were involved in the week, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, the Loddon Fisheries and Conservation Consultative, Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership, Hampshire County Council and Dinton Pastures County Park.
There is no doubt that we are going through a massive and positive paradigm shift. It is finally hitting home that human activities thoroughly depend on the health of the natural environment and the sustainability of the many services it provides. The natural environment has rapidly moved from the periphery to the very centre of conversations, with action on fundamental issues from our own well-being to agriculture and the economy.
Humans are an increasingly urban species, although a major consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is how we have come to realise the importance on being in contact with Nature, and how Nature can provide us with many solutions to the problems we create.
One of those problems is road runoff. Most of us are highly dependent upon cars or other vehicles and the massive road network carved into our catchments, to get us or the goods we buy from one place to another.
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