Water, water everywhere

[Debra Westlake]

Our meadow, which is a steep funnel shape, inevitably channels water from the higher fields around us down to the lane. This year for the first time we have sitting water and can hear water bubbling up under the lower area from surrounding springs, we think. The adjacent farmers run pipes from a higher spring through our meadow for stock troughs as well! It's a complicated picture and we wonder if anyone knows of who might survey or advise us on water management in a field that we are trying to manage well for biodiversity. Thanks all

[sarah jameson]

I would embrace your water! We have a not dissimilar situation (Shropshire) with a triangular shaped field. At the bottom is a naturally wet area (I think a very old path of our river, an old meander perhaps - now very wet). Rather than try and dry this out, we embraced it and made it wetter. We got a grant via the local AONB/Environment Agency to deculvert the land drain and re-wet the ground. We've create overland streams now and ponds. We also planted wetland trees like Alder and Willow. There is nothing like water to entice biodiversity on to your land! I would think about a water holding structure - may be a pond of some kind? In terms of who to advise you, here in Shropshire we have a county pond scheme being run by the Wildlife Trust so yours may also be doing the same thing ? They will come out and assess the site and let you know if it's suitable. More about what we did can be found here - I keep a blog on the field and our learning curve! https://sarahnewinvention.wixsite.com/w ... low-yellow - there may also be a way of creating a wet or floodplain sort of meadow. Again your Wildlife Trust may have a contact who'd advise. Interested to hear how you get on!

[Donna Cox]

Hi Debs
We have some fields that become waterlogged in certain places in winter, due to springs that pop up after heavy rainfall. They generally dry completely out again by spring/summer. Some of them are hay meadows. Your site may dry up again too, unless there's a permanent leak from a pipe supplying the water troughs. You could ask the farmer to help test if it's coming from a water pipe by turning the supply off temporarily (not for long if livestock are currently using it) to see if the gurgling noise stops!

I have a permanently wet valley meadow that's managed by light grazing in late summer. If your field does end up remaining permanently damp in the valley bottom, you can add wildflowers there that will love those conditions - flag iris, water forget me not, marsh marigold and lots more - and ultimately increase the biodiversity of the site.

[Steve Pollard]

Generally speaking there is positive correlation between wetness in meadows and species diversity, however, we've had an extraordinary amount of rain over the last few weeks, even by Devon standards - I've also had springs come up in places I don't remember seeing before - so I'd be hesitant in implementing any particular management based on this.

[Victoria]

I had a lesser problem in that road water and spring water runoff came into my sloping paddock at the bank side. First thing I did was to cut a trench and dig a pond as there is little standing water in the area. I had to line the pond as drainage was so good. Within a year I had a breeding pond for amphibians, I have no idea where they bred before. The paddock filled with frog and toadlings i literally danced around the field. After 3 years I had increasing numbers of dragonflies. If you chose to do this it took a day with a small digger a deeper area (1 metre+) through to a beach so it is a safe drinking area. In the heat of last year it retained water in the deep end. I have a love affiar with my pond, it is the best thing I did for the paddock and biodiversity.

[Debra Westlake]

Dear all, many thanks for your thoughtful and helpful advice. We have noticed in the past week the gurgling and burbling have stopped and the pool has dried out considerably so are waiting to see what happens before making any decisions about changing our management. It's interesting to know others have springs where there previously were none so it may just be a product of intensity of rainfall recently. We will keep a watch on it!