Limb Brook NbS demonstrator locations

The first phase of the demonstrator has now been completed, with the creation of twelve storage ponds by bike-track.com

© James Hargreaves

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Lady Canning’s Plantation

The first phase of the demonstrator has now been completed, with the creation of twelve storage ponds by bike-track.com and a number of leaky dams at Lady Canning’s Plantation. The attenuation ponds capture run-off from the plantation and moorland. The dams are encouraging floods to flow into woodland and help the creation of a boggy area at the head of the Limb Brook. Now the area is helping to naturally store and slowly release water, rather than allow it to quickly surge through the valley.

Partners from the Environment Agency, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust at lady Cannings plantation, part of the Limb Brook MbD demonstrator project
James Hargreaves

Leo Ingvorsen, Nature Recovery Manager (Water) at Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust said:

“It’s been a great start to an exciting project. The ponds and dams at Lady Canning’s Plantation will help protect people and businesses downstream whilst also supporting local wildlife and encouraging a resilient river system.

“People have been getting really interested in the work we are doing and we’ve seen a lot of positive engagement from the public on site. With more interesting features yet to come, there are lots of opportunities for people to get involved in some of the practical tasks and take part in citizen science projects.

“I’m looking forward to the next phase of the project and seeing the nature-based solutions working to help prevent flooding in the area.”

Photo Monitoring

If you regularly walk through the area we’d love you to get involved. Take a quick picture at one of our monitoring posts (locations on map) and send it to us. Your pictures help us monitor how water bodies and associated habitats change over time (before, during and after interventions) and help quantify the benefits in terms of slowing and storing flows and supporting wildlife.

A map of the photo monitoring posts at Lady Cannings Plantation, part of the Limb Brook NbS demonstrator

Limb Valley and Ecclesall Woods

Around 40 leaky dams will be installed here to slow flows and provide a vital deadwood resource for wildlife.

Whirlow Fields

Planned Lmb Brook NbS demonstrator works at Whirlow Field

On the lower part of the field a series of ponds and swales (shallow, grassy channels) have been created to slow and store water from the sports pitches. These features along with tree, scrub and hedge planting will also support a range of wildlife including birds, insects and amphibians.

It works!

After recent heavy rainfall, it looks like all ponds have held and release a significant amount of water above the outlet control structure height. This has been released throughout the swale systems.
The water has moved via the swale systems into the bund at the bottom of the field where it is dissipating into the woodland (and making its way underground, popping up at the bridge).

The debris line marks how high the water was
Water collected at he bund is dissipated into the woodland


What needs more work :

The beauty of the demonstrator project is it allows us to see what works and what doesn’t, and make changes accordingly.

  • Some of the straw bales put in place to stop silt going into the control structure, floated and will need to be pinned down until there is vegetation in place to do the job naturally.
  • Unfortunately silt washed onsite has piled on swale crossings, causing them to overtop. We may need bigger stones, silt traps within the swales and/or culvert.
  • Around the top pond SuDS Basket there was a hollow point which has kept water. When installing manhole covers we will flatten this off this hollow so sediment does not wash in.

The Limb Brook Nature-based Solutions Demonstrator is funded by the Environment Agency and Movement for Good

© SRWT

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