EEL PROTECTION SCHEME

River Blackwater (Langford)

The Eel Regulation Compliance project at the River Blackwater in Langford is for installation of eel friendly screening equipment at our abstraction point on the river. The work is driven by the need for Essex & Suffolk Water to comply with the Eels Regulations (2009) and will improve the biodiversity value in the River Blackwater.

Start Date

January, 2021

Estimated End Date

March, 2025

Contractor

ESW, Stonbury

Further information

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Latest updates

By ESW Project Manager

21 February, 2024 at 4:01PM

FIsh & Eel Pass Progress Update Hi everyone, just a short update this week to let you know that works have slowed again due to the continuing heavy rainfall and the effects of high water in the river. Works had been going well and the concrete installation was almost complete with just one major concrete pour left to go. Unfortunately it’s just not possible to make progress in the current conditions and the portadam has been breached again (see photos). We’re monitoring river and rainfall data looking for the next opportunity to reset and pump out the dam so the remaining concreting can go ahead.

By ESW Project Manager

26 January, 2024 at 9:59AM

The site flooded again in December pushing progress back a little, but fantastic efforts again by the team in the new year have brought us to the point of completion of the steel framework, ready for a major concrete pour next week. Fingers crossed for good weather for the next few days!

By ESW Project Manager

13 December, 2023 at 4:11PM

7 Photos

The challenging weather has had few let ups in recent weeks which has pushed the lower portadam up to and beyond its limits on more than one occasion. The team on site have all worked so hard to achieve whatever progress they can through these very difficult conditions. It’s remarkable what has been accomplished already given the challenges, and we’re hoping to have another round of concreting completed at the lower end of the structure before the Christmas break. Let’s hope for some dry and stable weather into the New Year! The attached photographs show the various stages of progress from the last few weeks at each end of the installation, plus a snapshot of the flooded portadam this week.

By ESW Project Manager

27 October, 2023 at 5:11PM

5 Photos

Fish & Eel Pass Progress Update, October 23 All the excavation works have been completed under a watching brief with a professional archaeologist. The excavation zone adjacent to the weir would in all likelihood have been dug over during the creation of the structure in the mid-20th Century, so as expected, no artifacts of historical interest were discovered. The recent wet weather has provided challenging conditions for the portadam in the pond below the weir, so this week the team have focussed on installing sheet piling at the top end of the fish pass at the upper river where the ground is dry. Next week the lower portadam will be drained again with the aid of a larger pump (powered by a quiet electrical generator) which should enable the lower end piling to commence.

By ESW Project Manager

21 September, 2023 at 5:36PM

Fish & Eel Pass Progress Update, September 23 The fish pass team have been on site for about a month now and have achieved great progress. The site is all setup, the trackway for access has been installed, tree stumps removed and protective fencing has been placed around the trees that are remaining to make sure vehicles can’t encroach into their root protection zones. This week we have started to install a ‘portadam’ in the upper river and the lower pond which will provide a dry working area, enabling the team to start excavating to create the trench where the fish pass will be inserted. We’ll have an archaeologist on site next week observing the excavation works to see if there are any interesting historical artifacts uncovered. The attached photos show the trackway, tree protection fence and the installation process for the portadam.

By ESW Project Manager

16 August, 2023 at 3:06PM

Hi everyone, just a very quick update today to let you know that the construction works on the Fish Pass will be starting on site from next week, 21st August. Further updates will follow as the work progresses.

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