LAND OFF GREEN ACRES, DURKAR LOW
LANE, DURKAR
WATERCOURSE and DRAINAGE MANAGEMENT
WORKS 07/04/09
The site is situated off Greenacres,
Durkar Low Lane, Durkar and is in
private ownership. The new landowner
has only owned the site since autumn
2008. Input from local residents has
significantly helped to secure the
above works.
Over the winter Wakefield MDC
Drainage Section liaised with the new
landowner, undertook ecological and
engineering surveys and liaised with
Natural England. The site is a known
Great Crested Newt site.
Runoff from the surrounding land and
the Greenacres public highway drains
into the watercourse crossing the
land. The watercourse had become
silted up and the outlet blocked, with
capacity to accommodate floodwater
reduced. In periods of wet weather
local properties and the Greenacres
highway regularly flooded as the water
level in the watercourse and
surrounding land rose.
In February 2009 permission was
granted by the landowner to Wakefield
MDC to enter the land to undertake
watercourse and drainage management
works. The landowner has continued to
liaise with and work positively with
the Council during the works to secure
a permanent solution.
The works were project managed by
Wakefield MDC Drainage Section and
undertaken over about 7 days by the
Wetland and Flood Management Company of
North Featherstone in March 2009.
The management works comprised the
removal of silt from the watercourse,
re-establishment of the blocked
watercourse outlet, lowering of the
existing water level to its historical
level, recreation of historical flood
capacity, keeping the area attractive
to wildlife, retention of waterside
habitat and ensuring the watercourse
continued to drain as intended.
Trees on the line of the channel
were worked around wherever possible.
Where this was infeasible trees were
coppiced and the toppings used to build
hibernaculars on site. All surplus
silt was employed on site.
The works were undertaken to
minimise disturbance to wildlife and
habitats prior to the beginning of the
breeding season.
The site is well used by the public
largely for informal walking and dog
walking and remained open to the public
during the works. Notices informing
local members of the public of the
proposed works were posted in and
around the site prior to works taking
place. Health and safety signs were
also erected and maintained alerting
the local public to machines working in
the area and to keep clear of areas of
soft or disturbed ground resulting from
the works while they reestablish. An
attending banksman was employed to
prevent access to the works area by the
general public. Tracks and footpaths
were kept as clear of mud and ruts as
possible during the works.
Wakefield MDC Drainage Section is to
provide a watercourse and drainage
management programme to the landowner
for regular maintenance.
Flooding can never be completely
solved. There is always a storm event
larger than can be accommodated, but
the above management works represent a
significant improvement to the recent
Greenacres drainage situation.
