Another Wissey Milestone

Nick Carter, Conservation Officer (Fens)

Monday 3 November saw the turning on of the abstraction from the River Wissey into the storage lagoon on the Hilgay Wetland Creation site. 

Water is being abstracted at 150m³/h, 24hours a day, until a level 50cm above sea level is achieved; at the start of abstraction the level was about 15cm below sea level. Once this level is achieved abstraction has to stop and the lagoon banks checked for one month for any leaks or slippages, before the next 50cm of water can be abstracted and the checking process repeated. 

Reservoir abstraction

While the checking is going on, water will be abstracted into the perimeter ditch which will enable the wetting up of the whole site through the network of ditches and water control structures. By the end of the winter abstraction period (end of March) it is hoped that the lagoon will be close to its maximum level of 159cm above sea level. Once this level is reached and the lagoon bank is given the all clear, the lagoon will receive full certification and water can be released to keep the whole site wet. 

Later on next year some of this water will be let onto the neighbouring Methwold site, as long as construction is finished, to start to wet that site up too.