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The damHow the flood defence dam works The nature reserve management group (password required)  Here are pictures of the flood relief dam and its reservoir, as it appears in its third season of growth (2006). A luxuriant flora has colonised the bare earth. The upstream face of the dam is rapidly disappearing from view from the road and the planted trees are rapidly outgrowing their protective sheaths.
 A little further up the valley is the entrance to the floodplain, planted with various native trees and enlivened by shallow lakes with croaking amphibians and an already abundant and varied wetland flora. The entrance is a locked gate and a side gate leads to a small enclosed viewing bench.
 Here is the view from the inside, showing the enclosure that is the limit of the taxpayers' access to this reserve.
 In high summer the waist high vegetation conceals an irregular ground with well hidden and abundant wet holes.
 The wetland flora is already diverse. Here the nearly dry pool has the exploding seed heads of Reed Mace in the centre, with purple Loosestrife on the drier edge.
Tim Padfield, 27-6-2006 |