What we get up to

Below are some of the pond and lake projects we have worked on. For more pictures and a description in greater detail, please contact us or visit our facebook page.

New build wildlife pond created on a greensand site requiring the use of a synthetic clay liner. Bentomat is a very tough synthetic clay (bentonite) liner. Powdered bentonite is sandwiched between layers of geotextile. When the bentonite comes into contact with water it hydrates and forms a watertight seal. If punctured it will reseal itself.

The liner is laid in overlapped strips and then covered with 300mm of soil.

The liner was installed with a 14 tonne excavator. The overlapped joints are sealed with powdered bentonite 300mm of soil is used to cover the liner

Finished and filled with water


The pond is finished and filled with water. A floating island has been installed.

The pond was planted with native plants in the spring, by the summer the same year everthing had taken well and the pond had settled down nicely.

 

A garden pond that has had its marginal plants destroyed by carp and ducks. Without the plants holding the banks together, they erode and collapse. Along with holding the banks together, the plants also provide a habitat (both above and below water) for a multitude of animals and are a natural filter for the water. The Carp and the ducks were firstly moved to a more suitable home.


Before – extreme erosion by carp and ducks has produced this vertical bank

The banks are regraded with a small excavator.

 


The regraded banks are then stabilised by turf and finally a temporary fence is installed to protect the banks from any returning ducks.

Once the turf is well rooted the banks are planted with root trainer plants suitable to the local area

 

An old lake, 50% of which has become completely silted up and is now colonised by willow and alder, iris and reedmace. If left the lake will follow its natural destiny to completely silt up and turn back into land.

The inlet stream was diverted around the area to be desilted allowing the silt to dry out.

 


Silt was moved around the site with a 14tonne excavator.

The pond was desilted in October, these pictures were taken the following July.

 


A simple jetty was erected whilst the digger was available to push the posts in

 

A small garden pond with punctured plastic liner and rather congested with plants

The tiles around the edge were lifted and the old liner removed. A new underliner and liner were put in along with electrics to supply a fountain pump. The plants were split and some were put back into the pond, along with some different varieties.

 

A small lake next to a private drive.The banks had collapsed, caused by erosion from carp and ducks. The Margins were relatively shallow here, so coir rolls backfilled with soil was the chosen method to stabilise the banks. The coir rolls provide a growing medium for the plants, and a new edge to the pond. The rolls are installed on top of hazel faggots if the water is deeper than 150mm and held in place, front and back with chestnut stakes. Any void behind the coir roll is filled with soil. The plants will grow through the coir roll into the hazel faggots and the bank tying it all together.

 

Coir roll partway through a drained down installation on another site showing faggots under rolls.

The reinstatement works were carried out in January by June the plants were growing back into the bank

This Duck island previously held together with chestnut stakes was slowly eroding.

The stakes were cut down to water level, then coir mats were pinned to the island. The plants root system will go through the coir and into the existing island soil tying it all back together again.