Test & Itchen Association Autumn Members Day 2024
Autumn Members’ Day Morning Session
The Association ran a Members’ Day on the 24 October 2024. The morning session took place at Longstock Village Hall where we heard from speakers from:
- Southern Water
- The Atlantic Salmon Trust
- Environment Agency
- Land Lore Consulting
Joff Edevane, Southern Water: The role of the water sector in protecting and restoring our rivers.
Amongst a general update, Joff outlined the nature based solutions that SW are working on with Farming Clusters to deliver practical solutions to the Water Industry National Environmental Programme (WINEP). If you need more insight into the WINEP process the link here takes to the official DEFRA site. Water industry national environment programme (WINEP) methodology – GOV.UK
Alison Bailey, Atlantic Salmon Trust – Core Rivers Programmes
Download Alison’s Presentation
Alison describes the Core Rivers Programme and the evidence led approach that lays the foundation for later solutions and catchment partnerships.
Dr Moragh Stirling, Environment Agency – River Restorations Projects
Presentation to follow
Rachel Remnant, Land Lore Consulting – Water Meadows
Download Rachel’s Presentation
More information about Rachel’s work can be found in this CaBA Floodplain Meadows webinar
Afternoon River Restoration Project Visit: Westover Farm Partnership
In the afternoon we visited the Westover Farm Partnership River Restoration project. This is one of the restoration sub-projects making up the Chalk Stream Restoration Implementation Plan’s Flagship restoration projects on the River Anton – one of eleven nationally. We were hosted by the Bob Wellard from the Piscatorial Society and Simon Cain from Cain-Bio Engineering.
There were many insights on all aspects of design, restoration and ongoing river management. I took away a couple that will stick with me:
Managing grazing on the water meadows
The first new thing to me, most probably because in a former life I studied and worked in agriculture, was Bob explained how the Farm is going to manage grazing on the water meadows without fencing. They will be using a virtual fence, with cattle fitted with GPS enabled collars which will warn the cattle not to approach boundaries including stopping the cattle entering the river; the result should be much less ground poaching and sedimentation in the river.
Role of water meadows in nutrient reduction and carbon sequestration
Simon Cain also explained that not only are water meadows important to reduce nutrients in the rivers, see Rachel Remnant’s presentation, but they also, when properly connected to the river systems, are a very valuable and substantial form of carbon sequestration system. This paper on Carbon in Floodplains by Professor Sear goes into more detail and is well worth a look.
Piscatorial Society Report
The Piscatorial Society have issued an excellent report on the Westover Farm River Restoration Project. It highlights the description and objectives of the project, some aspects of ongoing monitoring, the catch data and the dramatic recovery of Odonata; dragonflies and damselflies. The Piscatorial Society Report can also be downloaded here.
Paul Vignaux
Executive Director
