Chapmans, Nottingham Fee
BACKGROUND
A stretch of the milbrook river, about 45 metres in length, runs at the base of our garden around 20 metres from the dam at Ashbrook House (shown in red on the diagram below).
This stretch has probably been the widest element on the milbrook and therefore runs very slow. Evidence if this is the path of watercress that constantly sits on the upper part of the stretch against the opposite bank.
The camber of the river is also very flat here, but increases round the corner down past Nottingham Fee Studios and under Mike Edmund’s bridge.
The flow also increases as there is a large island in the middle the stream with a narrower side on the opposite side of our stretch.
One of the clear features of this stretch, given its width, slow movement of water and proximity to the dam, is the amount of silt that has built up. This silt can be up to 50/60cm depths in some places.
This also has the added impact of natural debris (leaves, sticks etc.) sinking to the bottom and not moving down stream.
AIMS
During lockdown, I decided to take on the project of speeding up the flow of stream. The aim of this was to:
Remove some of the heavy silt build up
Bring back some more wildlife and fish to the stream
Make it a more pleasant area to enjoy at the bottom of the property
Give me something to do!
ACTIVITY
I took the man central stretch and `reclaimed` part of the stream for a 30 metre stretch. This involved building a barrier in the stream of rocks, logs and some breeze blocks, then infilling with silt from the stream alongside some aggregate and any other earth I could find!
This took about 6 months to do on and off. The ground is still soft given it was part of the stream, so we have put in reed matting with plants that enjoy wet earth to strengthen the ground with new roots.
Recently, the remainder of the upstream stretch has been narrowed with natural vegetation which has been overgrowing or is dead. Where it was over growing, we have been careful to leave the roots of the shrubs or trees to keep the bank intact and allow new growth.
OUTCOME
The results of the work are mixed… but mainly positive!
There has been a return of brown trout to this area of the stream, probably about 3 or 4 maybe more.
More wildlife, moorhens, ducks etc, are living there
It has become a nice area to relax in the wuiet of the river area and just listen to the nature and watch the fish.
Have taken to a spot of meditation down there, especially after a day’s work wading through the stream.
We also have a rope swing, hammock and gin and tonic area (still under construction!)
A couple of negatives
Although the speed of water has increased with the narrowing, the silt levels have not really changed
Another noticeable element is the sudden arrival of Himalayan balsam on the banks at the upper end. I have taken some out where I can but losing battle, especially with no refuse collection to put it in!