After receiving initial approval in August 2016, the Foundation finally got the go-ahead for the “Delivering the Nutrient Management Plan” (DNMP) partnership project in January 2018.
Supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Environment Agency and Welsh Water, the project is rather less to do with nutrients than originally planned*. After 23 revisions to the project bid, DNMP now has three main areas of action:
- The Foundation would improve upstream and downstream fish access for salmon, trout and eels at 14 Lugg and Arrow weirs.
- Herefordshire Wildlife Trust would improve the structure and biodiversity of Bodenham lake by re-profiling the bank in three areas and establishing reedbeds.
- Welsh Water would stop clean water flowing into Rotherwas Sewage works from the Yazor aquifer to improve their ability to strip phosphate at the works, decreasing the levels of it in the Lower Wye by 3-7%.
Project objectives for the Foundation
For the Foundation, the major element of this project was a “Larinier” fish pass at Ballsgate weir on the middle reaches of the Lugg, the first pass of this style that the Foundation has built.
Although some fish species could use the existing baulk pass, they could only do so in certain water heights. This might not have been such a problem if Ballsgate was the only weir in the Lugg system. However, there are so many that the river is often likened to Grand National for migrating fish species. Also included in the project are smaller easements on the Lugg and one on the Arrow too.
While the fish passes will help migrating salmon, trout and grayling (Lugg passes), we will also be helping upstream migration of the endangered European eel. The project will enable us to install 100 metres of eel brushes on 8 Lugg and Arrow weirs.
Ballsgate Fish Pass
After a crayfish rescue at the construction site, physical work on the fish pass began in July 2019. The first job was to install a coffer dam above the weir and an inflatable bladder below. This is to ensure a dry area in which we can build the new concrete structure.
Work Starts on New Lugg Fish Pass
Work then began on the first phase with extra foundations needing to be built for the sluice that the pass was to be built off. We had originally planned to finish the pass for the 2019 salmon and trout migration and by early September we had completed this first phase. Then it started to rain, bringing fish pass work across the region to a halt.
Fish Pass Construction Hampered by Floods
After a winter of record floods, we resumed work at Ballsgate in the summer of 2020, completing phases two and three by August in time for the 2020 autumn migration.
