Yellow vehicle bridge returns. Copse to be razed? Part 2. 3rd September 2022

With the return of the rains, we see the return of standing water on the site. Ground conditions over much of the area remain surprising firm. Only recently worked soil (either by bulldozer or digger) exhibit softness - though of no concern to the wide tracks of the heavy plant currently on site.

As I said in part 1, the western North embankment has almost totally been flattened. Only a small remnant remains, close to the ridge. The area around this remnant is pretty torn up, for some obscure reason.

Although I did climb up the ridge (after sloshing through a lot of water) I did not make my way to its south end. It had rained, last night, and the tall vegetation covering the ridge was soaking wet. I did not want drenched trousers.

Of great surprise and delight to me was the use of the yellow vehicle bridge. Inert have repurposed this bridge as a means to cross the Colebrook channel (as I shall now call it) which will take water from Moor Green Lakes and the north part of the reserve, across the site, around the copse and onward to the culvert under the Longwater road. In fact, the whole site is now plumbed into this channel, draining water to Fleet Hill farm. Theoretically, this means the pump will never need to be used again.

I did have to make a long detour to this bridge. The channel along the banking on the west side of the Main reed bed now makes it virtually impossible to traverse east-west. The bed of the channel may firm up over time, allowing people to walk on it.  However, I am not convinced this will be the case, having had to cross many a brook, channel or drainage ditch. I hope the sluice gate will function as bridges, allowing people to cross from one area of the site to another.

Inert have neatly profiled the western shore of the Colebrook channel where it runs along the west side of the banking around the main reed bed. I still can't make head or tail of this construction as it diverges so much from the plans I have. The channel should be between two banks where the Higher reed bed and Main reed bed run along each other. There is currently only one bank.  Also, the channel is supposed to run alongside the whole length of the west side of the bank around the Main reed bed. Currently, the bank veers away from the bank about half way south to its south west tip. All very strange.

Most of this banking along the western edge of the Main reed bed has been capped with a layer of topsoil. Only the southern most end hasn't.

Inert have done nothing to extend the banking that separates Manor lake from the Main reed bed. It remains as it was one Tuesday.