Blackwater Catchment Officer Tom Woods has been developing and delivering Riparian and In-Stream works around the Ballygawley area of the Catchment, which suffers badly from silt deposition / runoff and excessive nutrient loading.
Tom has been working with local landowners and farmers to draw up agreements for accessing river sites on private land, as well as contacting statutory agencies such as DEARA for ensure a partnership approach is agreed for all works.
Phase 1 of the Ballygawley work entails a range of measures, including:
- Installing fencing along rivers to help decrease erosion of banks by cattle
- Installing livestock drinkers for local farmers
- Installing field gates and stiles to provide access for farmers and local user groups.
- Planting native species of trees and riverside vegetation to help stabilise riverbanks and create a buffer strip between the river and agricultural land.
- Installing bank revetments and other in-stream works such as rubble mats and flow deflectors (to create a more diverse flow and habitat in the river channel). This work will take in partnership with DEARA Fisheries.
It is expected that these actions will lead to an improvement of the water quality on that stretch of the main River Blackwater. Further phases of the work are being developed and will be delivered over the next year.
For more information on this and other Blackwater catchment works please contact Tom Woods on thomas.woods@armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk
River Works on the Blackwater Catchment
