Reducing sedimentation at Baconsthorpe Castle
De-silting at Baconsthorpe Castle
Following discussions with English Heritage and the owners at Baconsthorpe Castle, Norfolk Rivers Trust (NRT) de-silted the pond to preserve the habitat for the rare and wonderous crucian carp. The work will also protect the Glaven river from siltation.
In the headwaters, around Baconsthorpe and Bodham, NRT also worked with several farms to reduce the amount of silt that was getting into the river.
A variety of mitigation measures were subsequently implemented including: emptying existing silt traps and ponds, supporting farms in the re-location of beet storage to keep soil off roads, fencing off bits of vulnerable fields and land where appropriate, and creating wetlands in drainage ditches to trap silt and nutrients.
Early monitoring suggests that these measures are working well, and there will be ongoing investigation.
This work formed part of the ‘Nine Chalk Rivers‘ project.
