Skip to main content

Quaggy Island

My colleague Denise introduced this fantastic project to me recently; revolutionary in a couple of respects. Firstly, that they managed to argue for re-instating a deliberately flooding wetland regime to "flood the parks - not the properties". Secondly the ambition to carry out a "daylighting" programme. Daylighting is code for digging out the river from its underground culvert. It is not a trivial undertaking. Hear and read all about this wonderful project on the following link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20070514.shtml


Also check out the link to their project pages in my blog link list to the right of this page. Just look at what they have already achieved:




  • 1989 Proposal to enlarge and extend concrete channelling along the Quaggy for flood alleviation.


  • 1990 QWAG successfully argues that flooding is best alleviated by water storage.


  • 1994 QWAG publishes Operation Kingfisher - a plan for full river restoration of the River Quaggy.


  • 2002 The River Quaggy in Chinbrook Meadows is restored.


  • 2003/4 The River Quaggy is restored in Sutcliffe Park and John Roan School playing fields.


  • 2005 Reed bed created to filter run off from drains into the River Quaggy at Willow Country Club.


Check out the before and after shot of Chinbrook Meadows where the QWAG (Quaggy Water Action Group) released the river from its concrete channel to reinstate a natural meandering watercourse.


Massive kudos and congratulations to QWAG; you are living proof of what local action groups can achieve.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Presume to Remove Weirs? (with River Dove Case Study)

Weirs and the Backwards Ways that Rivers Work One of my favourite sayings on river restoration is a mangled quote from a movie "... boxing is an unnatural act. Everything in boxing is backwards: sometimes the best way to deliver a punch is to step backwards...but step back too far and you ain't fighting at all ". So my mangled version starts out "Everything in rivers is backwards...". Basically, I never seem to run out of new examples of "what SEEMS to happen in a river is actually the complete opposite of what really happens". The rest of this article looks at many of the "backwards" things about weirs and rivers - and finishes off with a real-world case-study that is playing out right now on the River Dove . One spoiler alert is that, from an ecological point of view, it is almost always safe to assume that: The best biological outcome for a river is the removal of some or all of an artificial weir.  Now, I don't exp...
3 comments
Read more

World Rivers Day 2017 (Grantham)

I had the great pleasure of participating in a fantastic event in the lovely setting of Wyndham Park in Grantham on the River Witham for World Rivers Day 2017. As well as drawing attention (and deserved accolades) to the habitat improvement works carried out in partnerships between Lincolnshire Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and the good ol' Wild Trout Trust, it was a great chance for enjoyment and learning. Tons of stalls, tours of the habitat works, invertebrate samples in tanks, Model Rivers, Fly casting with Peter Arfield and Tenkara casting with myself - even an epic pooh sticks race off the bridge in the park. The weather was kind too. Many thanks go to Professor Scrubbington’s Emporium of Clean for supporting the WTT stand and making sure everyone went home sparkling clean! Throughout the day there was a steady stream of visitors either strolling through the park and becoming engaged in the activities or folks who had seen the social media advertising and...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wild Trout Trust: A Film by Chalkstream Fly

Here is a great short piece that captures what the work of the Wild Trout Trust is all about. It was made for (and broadcast on) the very first "World Fishing Day" - a 24hr live fishing programme created by FishingTV.com . It features TV personalities (and WTT President & Vice President respectively!) Jon Beer and Matthew Wright as well as Director of the Trust, Shaun Leonard. You can see more work by the film-makers on Chalkstreamfly.co.uk  and, of course, you can join the Wild Trout Trust here: WTT Membership Paul Gaskell (Trout in the Town Conservation Officer)
Post a Comment
Read more