Conservation

Managing water levels on wetlands
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Managing water levels on wetlands

Flooded meadows at the RSPB West Sedgemoor nature reserve

It is usual to design some means of water level control/manipulation into new wetland creation projects, to allow precise control of water levels. Provision of sufficient water is often a case of retaining and managing rainfall and surface water on-site using dams and bunds, but may involve importing supplementary water from a nearby water course or from a bore hole. This may be unsustainable in the long-term, but can be used to initially prime sites after the installation of water control structures.

When designing water control systems it is important to calculate the water budget and to have undertaken a detailed topographical survey.

It is better to avoid over-engineering. Achieving target water regimes without elaborate structures will result in wetlands with better circulation and no barriers to the movement of plants and animals. All water management operations should be carried out with regard to relevant water resource legislation. The impact of raising site water levels on neighbouring land also needs to be mitigated against.

Further reading

Benstead, P, Drake, M, José, P, Mountford, O, Newbold, C and Treweek, J (1997) The wet grassland guide: managing floodplain and coastal wet grasslands for wildlife. RSPB, Sandy.

Brooks, A and Agate, E (1997) Waterways and wetlands: a practical conservation handbook. Third Edition. BTCV, Wallingford.

Hawke, C and José, P (1996) Reedbed management for commercial and wildlife interests. RSPB, Sandy.

Orford, R (1996) Reservoir design - for wildlife and landscape. Farming & Conservation July 1996: 20-24.