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TRANSCRIPT
RIVER INGOL WETLAND CREATIONA partnership to benefi t all
32
As it m
eanders through the beautifully scenic N
orth Norfolk landscape, the River Ingol m
ight only be 10.4 km
in length, but this belies its im
portance to the wider environm
ent.
The River Ingol is one of only 200 chalk rivers and stream
s in the w
orld, providing an extrem
ely rare habitat for a diverse group of plants and w
ildlife. Chalk rivers derive m
ost of their
– an area of international natural
it provides to migrating birds and
mouth of the River Ingol enters the
All of this makes the quality of w
ater
were show
ing that water quality in the
Ingol had deteriorated downstream
of the outlet from
the Anglian Water
Armed w
ith the data from the
water quality in the River Ingol.
Anglian Water explored a num
ber
or pumping the w
ater away for
treatrment elsew
here.
the water dow
nstream from
the Anglian W
ater site. When the
solution to improve w
ater quality
A true partnership
The project was entirely funded
by Anglian W
ater as part of their strategic com
mitm
ent to improve
water quality in affected rivers.
With extensive previous experience
in the creation of wetland projects,
land drainage and environmental
experts William
Morfoot partnered
with the N
orfolk Rivers Trust to deliver the project for A
nglian Water.
Following a full project-planning
process, involving not only Anglian
Water, N
orfolk Rivers Trust and W
illiam M
orfoot, but also local landow
ner James W
ilson, the project began in the autum
n of 2017 and w
as completed in spring 2018.
Trust to assess the feasibility and
Following a full assessm
ent of the
delivering the required improvem
ents
The quality of water
is of prime
THE RIVER IN
GO
L –
Revitalising water quality
54 and im
prove water quality is not new
innovative solution to the problems
Wetlands are used all over the w
orld as a natural w
ay of treating and
Morfoot has been involved in land
UK for over 50 years.
the undesirable elements w
ithin the
–
which are essentially ponds.
– carefully selected by N
orfolk Rivers Trust – which
grow w
ithin the wetland.
– these include iris, sedges, rushes, m
arsh m
arigold and watercress.
– via a new
ly installed pipe, connecting the treatm
ent plant directly to the w
etland.
each cell in turn.
by the plants, w
hich remove
undesirable properties – in this case, phosphate and am
monia –
through each cell. By the tim
e the water exits
– it can
into the River Ingol.
– the area being low lying and w
et already, and set in a valley bottom
, making it unsuitable
for arable crop production. The woodland present on
the proposed site had also been badly affected by ash dieback fungal disease, and m
any of the remaining trees
within it w
ere infected.
Wetland C
REATION
A natural solution to an unnatural problem
76 D
elivering TH
E PROJECT
Getting the tim
ing right in challenging conditions
Although funded by Anglian Water
timetable – to ensure that the required
plants to be in the wetland in tim
e to thrive in the spring.
deliver the solution:
Specialist plant and machinery
required, including the use of ultra- low
ground pressure equipment,
designed for use on saturated land.
An experienced, highly-skilled
team w
orked in waterlogged conditions
where the cells w
ere to be built.
variable soil types m
ade for challenging w
orking conditions.
William
Morfoot’s G
PS surveying equipm
ent and specialist wetland
software w
as used to survey and adjust the design of the site, as it took shape and developed.
The project was delivered in four
distinct, but connected phases:
Phase 1 – Site/tree clearance
Despite the ravages of ash
dieback
Trees needed to be felled and transported out from
within the
wetland site – no easy task given the
nature of the saturated soils at that tim
e of year!
Phase 2 – River diversion
In order to ensure that the
project delivered
The new line of the river w
as positioned aw
ay from the site of the
new w
etland – providing segregation
lower quality w
ater entering the wetland.
The William
Morfoot Team
then
habitat available to wildlife w
ho would
make this their hom
e.
Phase 3 – Cell creation
The creation of the four cells was
within the proposed areas w
here the
This mam
moth digging exercise
GPS technology w
as used
The edges of each cell were
carefully created with gradually
and other wildlife to live and thrive.
Phase 4 – Pipework
connection
saw
the
the water supply from
the Anglian
River Ingol wetland.
A new
spillway w
as also installed
erosion to the banks and to disperse
This feed had to be installed over the top of the River Ingol.
Each cell was then
interconnected by large diameter
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 4
98
FOR A
LLCom
munity experience and opportunity
A real-life exam
ple of how
All stakeholders in this innovative
project are keen that it should not
but that it also provides a wider
area. The footpath provides an ideal
example of how
developing new
water m
anagement and deliver a high
to plant the wetland w
ith the new
wetland plants.
to the site – to learn more about w
hat is being done.
that the site should be utilised as a
method of im
proving water for use in
1110
Improving
WATER Q
UA
LITY ‘‘Partnership and com
mitm
ent
‘‘ Without the cooperation,
understanding and pragmatic approach
of the Environment Agency,
we would never have been able to com
plete this groundbreaking system.
The Environment A
gency’s role
stakeholders to return water quality
Steve Hopper, Environm
ent Planning Specialist at the Environm
ent A
gency, elaborates: deliver the River Ingol W
etland as a
thinking around environmental
improvem
ent and the framew
orks for
, let alone planned, funded, comm
issioned and delivered, is a testam
ent to the comm
itment that all parties m
ade wholeheartedly to the project.
alternative solution that w
ill
many of us have been aspiring to
deliver for some tim
e. “I hope that all the w
ork we have done
demonstrate the w
ider environmental
Anglian W
ater is comm
itted to im
proving water quality
throughout its operating network.
solution for its site – provided by the
Regan Harris, from
Anglian W
ater plc, com
ments: “This is a really
in England. Wetland treatm
ent sites
water to the sam
e high standards
well as from
human and anim
al waste.
treat them rather than adding m
ore
the wetland is a great solution.
are sustainable for future generations ‘‘
‘‘ We want this type
of scheme to becom
e m
ore comm
onplace as a water treatm
ent option in the future.
1312
RIVERS TRUST
Aquatic conservation and restoration
The Norfolk Rivers Trust (N
RT)
quality of water provides the best
wildlife that live w
ithin and around it.
with a w
ide range of government
The NRT are involved in the
managem
ent and improvem
ent of river system
s and watercourses
throughout Norfolk.
Previous projects have involved reviving choked and forgotten river system
s, as well as revitalising
highly important chalk rivers and
streams, such as the River Ingol.
The River Ingol Wetland
Project presented the NRT w
ith a great opportunity to utilise its vast know
ledge and expertise in w
atercourse managem
ent and river conservation.
From the N
RT’s perspective,
project particularly stand out:
1. of w
ater exiting the Anglian Water
2.
David D
iggens, CEO of N
orfolk Rivers Trust, com
mented: “W
e are delighted w
ith the delivery and
this pioneering innovative nature
“We have already w
itnessed the
that water quality im
provements
‘‘
‘‘ Th ese wetlands give us a fantastic opportunity to research many
aspects of water, soil and environmental change aff ecting our use
of water and river ecosystems.
1514 Chem
icals such as phosphates and am
monia com
e from rising
urbanisation
from hum
an and animal w
aste – and are tw
o of the most detrim
ental
sedges and other planting solutions
use at many sites around the globe.
Rivers Trust to grow in the w
etland
removing am
monia and phosphates
The SCIEN
CEA natural solution
it was
the Environment A
gency, w
hich revealed the rising levels of harm
ful properties in the w
ater downstream
of the A
nglian Water
recycling site, that brought about its creation.
having the added advantage of
tough standards for the quality of the
water being returned to the River Ingol;
in addition to a phosphorus limit of 4.5
milligram
s per litre. Early signs are that these standards are m
ore than being m
et by the new River Ingol W
etland.
Enthusiasm for the developm
ent of nature and biodiversity alongside the
Trust turned into a reality.very high standard.
‘‘
‘‘ I feel that this plot of land is m
aking a highly positive contribution to addressing som
e of today’s environm
ental diffi culties.
(River Ingol Wetland site)
James W
ilson is the owner of the
land at Ingoldisthorpethe new
wetland site has been built.
within the w
etland site – meaning that
was inevitable.
Asset enhancement through nature
PERSPECTIVE
1716 The sounds of a diverse array of
birds now greet visitors arriving
at the site at any time of the day.
quickly; encouraging birds and local w
ildlife to start feeding in the shallow
waters from
day one.
Biodiversity at its best
Just weeks after the
completion, the plants
have already taken great steps forw
ards in grow
th – basking in the sunshine and w
arm spring
temperatures. Insects and
other invertebrates are buzzing all around the cell perim
eters and within the
ponds too, on the fast-grow
ing plants and reeds.
The newly-cut river
channelcrystal clear w
aters, and the new
river banks are steadily developing new
life thanks to the clever planting w
ork carried out by the N
orfolk Rivers Trust.
constantly from the
Anglian W
ater recycling facility and through the four cells – w
ith the water
quality already being recorded as being of vastly im
proved quality.
There have been a number
to
interest from other w
ater authorities and like-m
inded organisations looking to replicate this kind of project w
ithin their own areas.
The site has been transform
ed from a
dying woodland into
something w
hich is unquestionably beautiful, fully com
plimenting the
stunning countryside of w
hich it is now part.
The breathtaking views
around the site have been enjoyed by scores of schoolchildren, students and m
embers of the public
who have an interest in the
natural world.
RESULTS
1918 Perhaps the greatest legacy of the River Ingol W
etland Project is that its
examples in the U
K of how w
ater
use of a natural wetland.
population growth m
eans that there
the UK. A num
ber of other similar sites
elsewhere in the U
K.
aware of the need for environm
ental
greater understanding about the need
is, literally, living proof that private, public and third sector organisations can collaborate successfully for the
in this case:
– Privately-owned utility com
pany
– Charitable N
GO
– Governm
ent agency
– Privately-ow
ned land drainage and w
etland specialist
In addition, the River Ingol Wetland
Project collaboration involved
– Local comm
unity
– Local landow
ner
to provide habitats to support rare and
regarded as being of international
What is unquestionable is that the
River Ingol wetland has surpassed
expectations in terms of w
ater quality and, crucially, has delivered a spectacular natural environm
ent in w
hich wildlife can thrive – one that
future generations can continue to enjoy for m
any years to come.
A beacon for others LEG
ACY
Get in TOUCH…
Norfolk Rivers Trust
+44 (0)1263 711299norfolkriverstrust.org
William Morfoot Ltd
+44 (0)1362 820371williammorfoot.co.uk
Anglian Water plc
+44 (0)3457 91 91 55anglianwater.co.uk