To carryout works to improve the habitat of the rivers and streams within the river Monnow catchment to reduce the amount of silt entering the rivers and reduce subsequent siltation of the rivers.

 

 

Where bank side trees have shaded out the native perennial plants and when combined with stock access the river banks are left of native vegetation and a loss of species diversity and prone to erosion resulting in over widened streams in that locality and silt deposition downstream from the problematic site. Where streams become over widened they are no longer self cleaning because the flow is reduced and silt from upstream can drop out onto the river bed. This results in poor spawning success and a loss of habitat for juvenile trout, brook lampreys, crayfish, water voles, bullheads and stone loaches.

Where the riparian vegetation is denuded the natural buffer strip to run off from fields alongside the river is also lost so silt from them can enter the stream more easily.

Silt is recognised as a pollutant in its own right causing gravels and stones on the bed of the river to become compacted and smothering the bed of the river reducing the aquatic insect populations. Silt also holds and brings into the river with it phosphates and nitrates that cause eutrophication.

 

 

• Coppice and canopy lift a proportion of the riparian trees, principally multi stool alders and hazel to increase the light penetration to the banks.
• Lay in shrub and timber like trees to create living revetments to protect actively eroding areas of river bank.
• Fence livestock out to protect the coppice re-growth and remove grazing pressure from the river banks to allow the regeneration of grasses and native perennial species.
• In areas of actively eroding river banks to install coarse woody debris to create living and dead soft revetments

 

 

• Identify high priority sites within the Monnow catchment. Done

• Obtain farmer and landowner approval for proposed works. Indicative approvals obtained.

• Obtain all necessary legal consents for coppicing and river work.

• Carrying out Coppicing, fencing along the chosen sites and installation of water gates for drinking points and access.

• Install soft revetments to stabilise river banks.

• Obtain landowners’ written agreement to maintain the fences and watergates for a reasonable period.

 

 

• Stabilisation of the eroding river banks so reducing siltation.

• Increased marginal vegetation that will hold the river bank and trap further silt during floods and slow and trap field and track run off.

• Increased coarse woody debris that will stabilise eroding banks and trap further silt.

• Over time the narrowing of the river, increasing flows and so reduces silt deposition.

• Improved fish spawning success

• Improved habitat for juvenile fish and other BAP Species

• Allowing light onto the river bed will increase in stream plant populations, trapping further silt and providing a richer habitat for aquatic insects and cover for trout and other species

• All of the above will improve the habitat of the river, increasing the food available to and providing additional habitat for the benefit of trout and grayling so increasing the amount of trout available to the visiting angler.

 

 

The Monnow Fisheries Association is an organisation committed to the improvement and maintenance of the Monnow catchment and one of its core objectives is to ensure that the habitat improvement work within the catchment, both future and already completed, will be maintained in a sustainable way.

This is being done by:

• encouraging visiting anglers, so increasing the income and capital values to farmers and fishery owners so that they are better able to and more prone to maintaining their own improved rivers.

• Carrying out and leading volunteers in maintenance works such as re-coppicing of alder re-growth particularly on small streams where there is little or no fishing interest but are of high importance for trout recruitment.

• Investigation of harvesting and sustainable use of coppice re-growth for woodfuel.

• Overseeing and inspections of work carried out to ensure that fences and water gates are being maintained and encouraging farmers to do this work and, where necessary providing funds and volunteer effort to carry this work out.

 

 

1. River Dore, Peterchurch

This is subject to high stocking rates of cattle with free access to the banks and a cattle crossing place combined with shading causing significant erosion.
 
The overall length is 750M and much of it is unfenced on both banks and the budgeted cost is £7865 to include stone of the banks on the crossing point shown in the right hand picture, above.

 

2. River Escley, Michealchurch Escley

This site is on the river Escley, above the Michealchurch Escley Estate, which was extensively coppiced and fenced in 1996 as part of CSS and downstream of a farm that where the river was coppiced and fenced as part of the River Monnow Project in 2004. This work will link these two improved sites.

The work will be on the river and a significant side stream, which is suitable for spawning, which is heavily silted due to stock access. The river is heavily shaded and unfenced and banks are badly eroded in places.

   

Length 700M, expected costs £10,570

 

 

The landowner liaison, obtaining all necessary permissions and over seeing of the proposed works will involve a considerable additional management role that at my current charge out rate would cost in the region of £4500, including out of pocket expenses. However I am prepared to carryout the necessary work on the above project at no charge, as an in kind contribution.