On Thursday 8 July 2010
Environment Agency staff will roll up their
sleeves and get their hands dirty to help
partners improve the environment when they
spend the day planting
reeds in the lake at Tameside Nature Reserve,
Tamworth.
Thursday’s work, by
Environment Agency staff from our Fradley
Park office, near Lichfield, follows on
from an official project carried out by
the Environment Agency last November when
our Operations Delivery Team worked in all
weathers to link the river to the lake,
a former gravel pit.
We also made the lake
more shallow around the edges, making it
safer for visitors and enabling it to be
planted with reeds this Thursday. The whole
project cost around £38,500 of which
£20,000 came from the Environment
Agency.
Once the area has been
planted with reeds it will develop into
reedbed habitat, designed to provide homes
and food for a wide range of wildlife including
birds such as reed warblers and reed buntings,
and give fish somewhere safe to spawn and
hide from predators. The reedbed will also
improve the quality of the lake and add
to the interest of the nature reserve for
visitors.
The reeds are being
provided by our partners, Tamworth Council,
and the Nature Reserve’s own volunteer group,
the Tameside Wildlife Conservation Group.
Our staff will be joining the Nature Reserve
volunteers on Thursday to provide extra
pairs of hands to carry out the planting.
Environment Agency Biodiversity
Officer, Chris Farmer, says “Planting thousands
of reeds is a major task, so some of our
own staff offered to give the Nature Reserve
volunteers a helping hand. This is partnership
with the local community in action.
“Improvements to the
environment at Tameside are part of our
long-term plan to improve biodiversity by
linking wildlife sites and improving river
habitat for the fish.”
Environment Agency urges public to help
wildlife during drought
Environment Agency officers have stepped
up river monitoring to quickly identify
pollution incidents, as slow flowing or
lower rivers struggle to dilute contaminants.
The Agency is also readying
its specialist pumping equipment to respond
to falling oxygen levels in watercourses,
which can kill fish and other aquatic wildlife.
Additionally, it is
urging anglers, dog walkers and ramblers
to report suspected pollution incidents
or fish kills to enable its staff to respond
quickly where wildlife is threatened. It’s
24 hour incident hotline is 0800 807060.
Evidence from previous droughts has shown
the serious impacts on the natural environment
and wildlife, as river flows decrease, silt
builds up and shallow ponds and lakes dry
up. In the most severe droughts, it can
take up to five years for some species to
return to lakes and rivers.
The change in the normal conditions of rivers
and streams can lead to serious consequences
for many species, including birds, fish
and insects.
Common impacts include:
Reduced breeding and
feeding land for wading birds, such as snipe,
redshank, lapwing and curlew, as wetlands
dry up.
Hot weather and low river levels can lead
to reduced oxygen levels in rivers and ponds,
which can lead to fish and invertebrate
deaths.
Low river levels can also prevent fish from
migrating downstream, eventually killing
them as the remaining shallow pools dry
up.
Aquatic invertebrates such as crayfish are
also at risk as they become stranded in
pooled sections which then subsequently
dry up.
The dry conditions together
with the recent hot weather have already
had an impact on the environment in parts
of England and Wales as river levels remain
low. The Environment Agency has deployed
its fish rescue teams to several rivers
in Wales and the North West after levels
dropped so low that fish became trapped.
The Environment Agency will continue to
monitor and respond to the situation as
below average rainfall and hot, dry conditions
continue.
Trevor Bishop, the Environment Agency’s
Head of Water Resources said:
“We have increased our monitoring of rivers,
lakes and ponds to help us respond quickly
and protect wildlife from the impacts of
drought.
”Our challenge during drought is to balance
the needs of people, business and the environment,
making sure there is enough water for everyone.
We will continue working closely with water
companies and the public to ensure this
is the case”
Media enquiries: 020 7863 8710. Outside
normal office hours, please contact the
National Duty Media Officer on 07798 882
092.
Notes to editors:
What can we all do to save water?
Try to conserve water
at home and in the garden.
Turn off taps when you brush your teeth,
shave or wash your hands, as this can waste
up to 5 litres of water per minute.
Take a shower instead of a bath.
Install a water saving device in your toilet
cistern.
In the garden, use a watering can instead
of a hosepipe and install a water butt if
you can to capture rain.
Watering the lawn with mains water is wasteful.Grass
is hardy and will grow back, even if it
turns brown.
There are lots of tips and information ways
to save water on our website – www.environment-agency.gov.uk/drought.
