Winter Storage Reservoirs - Eyesores or new ponds for wildlife

New water reservoirs have been appearing at a number of locations in the countryside and there is growing concern regarding the siting of these in the Island's landscape.

Today's consumer expects produce of the highest quality and, therefore, crops such as potatoes and sweetcorn and horticultural crops can demand a very high price if they are of a high enough standard. Often, the most critical factor affecting the quality of a crop is the amount of water it receives and, of course, after our recent dry summers, this means that irrigation is often essential. However, because of these dry summers, it is often not possible to use boreholes or water from streams and rivers for this irrigation so the only solution in many cases is for farmers to consider the installation of a winter storage reservoir. These are not filled using ground water but by abstracting water from rivers and streams in the winter months when flows are highest and when water would otherwise be lost to the sea.

There has been a large increase in the number of applications for reservoirs recently and it is vital that the opportunity is grasped to ensure that they are designed to have maximum potential for wildlife and to blend in to the landscape around them. The AONB Project have been working closely with the Environment Agency, Arreton Valley Water Group, the Ecology Officer, Wight Wildlife and the Isle of Wight Council Planners to ensure that new reservoirs are designed as sympathetically as possible. Possible measures to enhance the landscape and wildlife value of new reservoirs include tree and shrub planting to link with existing landscape features, creation of shallow shelves to encourage marginal vegetation such as reeds and rushes, building a floating island and digging a small, deep hole or "fish swim", which can act as a refuge for aquatic life when the reservoir levels are very low in late summer. These recommendations are to be backed up by a policy in the new Unitary Development Plan relating to reservoirs, as well as a booklet containing guidelines for farmers who may be planning to dig a reservoir, which will be published shortly by the Isle of Wight Council.

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