New wet fenland plan for Bourne will be incorporated into design of South Lincolnshire reservoir
A new nature reserve will be incorporated into the design of a proposed south Lincolnshire reservoir.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust has secured a Biffa Award grant of £750,000 to create a new wet fenland at Bourne North Fen, which will link up to Willow Tree Fen at Baston.
As we have previously reported Water Resources East (WRE) is working with Anglia Water on plans to create a reservoir the size of Graffham Water in south Lincolnshire - which is one of the driest areas in the UK.
Anglia Water has provided match funding for the Bourne North Fen project with the aim to incorporate the wetlands into the design of the reservoir.
Alexa Sherry, strategic planning manager for Anglian Water, said: “Bourne North Fen is an exciting project which will bring many benefits to the area. We hope to replicate this design as part of the development of our new strategic reservoir and are therefore pleased to work in partnership with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to deliver this pilot for improved water management.”
The wildlife trust, which is leading on the project for South Lincolnshire Water Partnership (SLWP), will be restoring the 50 acre site - which will be part of plans for sustainable eco-tourism in the area.
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The site , which will help to regulate water supply during shortages, will incorporate a new system of reedbeds. These will improve the quality of the Bourne Eau river before it enters the River Glen and increasing amounts of carbon will be captured by the wetland soils and plant life.
Tammy Smalley, head of conservation at the trust said: “Bourne North Fen will demonstrate a pioneering way of managing water that could be replicated elsewhere and act as the key to unlock that door by providing an exemplar. Nature can provide many of the solutions facing us as a society, and Bourne North Fen will illustrate that.”
The trust will work with the University of Lincoln to establish an ecological and environmental baseline on site and design a monitoring programme.
Dr. Carl Soulsbury, College of Science, said: “The Bourne North Fen project is an exciting opportunity to enhance and protect an important habitat for endangered plants and animals.”
