A few weeks ago, a team from the South East Rivers Trust delivered three medium-sized leaky woody dams and a large ‘gully stuff’ on a headwater stream near Biddenden, on land managed by cluster member Hugh Richards. This work was part of PROWATER, a project delivering nature-based solutions to make catchments resilient against drought and flooding.
The dams contribute to storing water during high flows, slowing it down to avoid too much water moving through the channel at once and flooding downstream. They also help wet up the area upstream, keeping it from drying out for longer. Over a year, they should help to store 675m³ of water.
Other work delivered in this project included trialling a herbal ley (also on Hugh’s land) and restoring headwater wetlands on Moat Farm. While these measures by themselves are small, delivering a large number of them across the catchment adds up to more than the sum of their parts, and helps protect the river and our drinking water supply from the effects of climate change.
Kathi Bauer – Senior Natural Capital Officer
