New work on the Clwyd

Last month on the Clwyd saw us working on a scheme to reduce erosion on the river bank by building a natural revetment made of local wood and brash. Brush was secured to the stream bank to slow excessive erosion by diverting the current away from the bank's edge.

The revetment material does not need to sprout. It is expected that the seeds of native trees will lodge in the brush revetment and sprout, producing more permanent protection for the stream bank.

Solar pump installed to provide drinking water to cattle.

As the brash reventment also excluded livestock from trampling the riverbank we installed a solar pump system to keep cattle out of the river. We used a sump abstraction system (pictured below) to increase the reliability of the pump during drought and in this small silted stream.

Solar pumps are an effective way of providing cattle with freshwater when they are excluded from the river. Excluding cattle from the river means that the river bank is protected and the spawning gravel beds.

The system easily fits with all standard water troughs, so there is no need to train animals to change their habits.

The water pump kits are simple 12 volt pumping systems, based on proven water-pumping technology.  Large volumes of water (up to 35 litres per hour) can be transferred, capable of supplying up to 90 cattle with all their water requirements, without any need to change batteries.  

This system is very economical when compared to the cost of mains water and far more flexible than the traditional pasture pump.

There is no need for balancing tanks or header tanks, just your standard water trough. The pump is connected to 30m of hose which feeds back from the water source to the trough. The trough is fitted with a float switch which controls the submersible pump as the water level drops. If you are a landowner get in touch for more information and advice.