Habitat Improvements on the River Avon
Location
River Avon Ringwood
Date
October 2013
Client
Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust
Stakeholders
Environment Agency
The landowner
Barbel Society
Ringwood & District Angling Club
Avon Roach Project
Tasks
• Create 6 large fry bays
• Install 21 log deflectors
• Clear scrub from Mill stream
• Clear vegetation from culverts
Key remarks
• A collaborative partnership which showcased how Five Rivers Environmental Contracting Ltd adopts a flexible approach to projects.
• An extremely successful project with immediate impacts to be seen.
Effects
• 8 Tonne tracked excavator with tilt head was extremely useful in defining various gradients on fry bays.
• Fry bay inlets at 45° to the main watercourse prevent future silting.
• Log deflectors were immediately effective creating various flow speeds and altering flow direction.
• Willow staking provided additional shading for fish fry and other species.
• Clearing scrub from the Bickerley Mill stream aids movement of migratory fish.
• Clearing culverts under the castlemain footpath helps to allow catchment water to flow freely to the River Avon.
• Overall effect will be the growth in fish populations and diversity due to increased nursery habitats along the River Avon.
