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mplementationchallenges
Some of the NWRM features implemented at Belford (e.g. ditch blocking) themselves do not directly result in a loss of the
land available for farming, due to being sited within the river channel. Others, such as ponds, do involve a possible loss of
productivity due to land loss, but individual features are very small and total coverage of all measures in the catchment was
a very small proportion of the total area.
Lossof land
was able to be minimized at Belford, particularly by working closely
with farmers. For example, measures can be located in the corner of fields, integrated in to buffer strips, or can make use
of low-lying areas that may have had lower productivity historically anyway due to becoming waterlogged.
Fishpassage
requirements can pose a constraint to the type of NWRM applied, since passage can be restricted by online
structures (e.g. in stream dams). As a result, they are more suited to small watercourses and ditches where fish passage is
not important or the watercourse runs dry during the summer months. On all watercourses, in-stream channel structures (e.g.
online flow storage) that interrupt normal flow required a consent from the Environment Agency for works in a watercourse.
All measures are under
continuous review
and a number of them are undergoing varying degrees of modification and
optimization (for example to increase their storage capacity). The project has allowed preferred construction approaches to
be identified, that can be applied in future projects (for example, a general preference for use of treated timber rather
than earth bunds, particularly where livestock are present). Ultimately the measures are designed to be maintenance free,
with the exception of the online ponds, for which an agreement is in place with the farmer. This type of maintenance in
itself may provide an opportunity to re-use nutrient-rich sediments. Some ongoing inspection and management is, however,
preferable, for example after large events.
Ruralrunoffattenuation
intheBelfordcatchment
© Environment Agency
An offline storage pond under construction in the corner of a field
