Drought order announced. West embankment almost all flattened. Part 1. 13th August 2022

As the government got around to announcing a drought order across most of England, I will repeat what I have said on a number of occasions over the past 6 years: why fill in the once mighty Finch pond and Cormorant lakes north and south? Plus, it has to be said, some other lakes on Manor farm part of Longwater road nature reserve. Cormorant lake (south) used to be about double its size prior to me starting this blog. Deepening the lakes could, in my naive estimation, have provided over 2 billion litres of water. If not for drinking then at least for agricultural use - like in the polytunnels of Manor farm.  Though if you have 2bn litres of water, building a mini purification plant can't be that difficult in this day and age of miniaturisation. Can't blame this one on Cemex. 

Oh well, back to our scheduled program.

Inert have really ploughed on with their restoration. They are doing in days what previously used to take them weeks or months.

I really should try and find a time to do a mid week visit when the plant operators aren't having a tea break. Recently, I've seen little activity when I arrive, and think that they aren't doing much. When in reality, they are steaming ahead.

Case in point is the northern West embankment. I hadn't twigged that Inert had flattened it, until I was on my return leg to my car, parked by the footpath near the Longwater road entrance. I was so surprised to see it flattened, as it wasn't on Saturday morning. Just as well I climbed up it for some shots of what was Finch pond.

The northern end of the West embankment is no more. Some of it has been bulldozed onto what was Finch pond, whilst some of it, I reckon, was shipped over to near the copse or onto what was Cormorant lake (north).

Work on flattening the western North embankment has slowed a bit, mainly due to Inert working on the west embankment. Even so, Inert have attacked the north embankment with zeal, nibbling away at its western edge.

Piles and piles of soil, dotted around the site, confirms my suspicion that heavy earth movers are loaded up with soil from the embankments. They then distribute it to where it is needed, even if it is only a few metres from the north embankment. Strange, I would have thought it would have been easier to bulldozed the soil into place.

My biggest surprise on Saturday morning, was to see that Inert have fashioned a wide channel from the near the Longwater road entrance, which heads eastward, quite straight, over half way to the copse. This channel should hold the reinstated Colebrook, taking its flow westward, under the Longwater road entrance, and thence into Fleet Hill farm. I haven't yet found where it exits Fleet Hill farm.