An attempt to restore life back into the Swanage river the Swan Brook, is to be made with the help of local residents and organisations.
Such forlorn and forgotten rivers like the Swan Brook in Dorset are sometimes referred to as Cinderella streams and now the river that flows through the centre of Swanage is in need of a Prince Charming!
Monitoring stream flow will be one way to help improve water and habitat quality
Swan Brook could sustain otters
Swan Brook has been relatively neglected for many years, compared to larger rivers such as the Frome through Wareham, and needs tackling with some urgency making it a significant community project.
The stream and its catchment area, which stretches to Langton Matravers, Harman’s Cross and Ulwell, is officially classified as poor quality by the Environment Agency and considered a failing watercourse in need of improvement, with a notable risk of flooding.
Issues include drainage, pollution, nutrient levels and struggling natural habitat.
However with a concerted effort, the waterway could become capable of supporting a thriving ecosystem of dragonflies, kingfishers and even otters within a relatively short space of time, so the Swanage Streams Partnership has been formed to tackle the issue.
This is a partnership between the National Trust, Dorset National Landscape, Planet Purbeck and Swanage Town Council, and it will be launched at The Swanage School at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 26th November 2024.
Organisers are hopeful that local residents will attend, whether as individuals, land owners or members of action groups, to help save Swan Brook and reduce the flooding risk it poses.
Otters already live wild in Dorset and could be sustained by Swan Brook if it was cleaner
“It will be a ground breaking project”
Ian Rees, countryside projects manager of Dorset National Landscape, said:
“We are particularly interested in small streams like Swan Brook that aren’t designated, have no spotlight on them and often aren’t on anyone’s agenda to look after them – so if no one else is doing it, it’s up to us.
“The project offers Purbeck residents a chance to improve the health of your back garden, joining a group of like minded people to tackle an issue close to your heart.
“It will be a ground breaking river restoration and flood protection project where you can make a real difference by improving the environment for people and for wildlife. It’s good for the soul.”
The rare water loving southern damselfly could soon be a regular inhabitant of the Swan Brook
Benefits for residents and wildlife
As part of its community engagement programme for Sustainable Swanage, community group Planet Purbeck has been tasked to engage local people in the Swanage Streams project and raise awareness through various events such as talks, tours of existing flood defence systems and demonstrations of helpful activities.
The evening will spell out how rejuvenating the Swan Brook and Purbeck’s other failing streams will benefit local residents, wildlife and the environment by tackling local flood risks, improving water quality and boosting biodiversity.
In recent years, volunteers from Planet Purbeck have built leaky dams on Corfe Common to slow the flow of water on the way to the sea, to reduce flooding risks, improve water quality and create new habitats for water creatures.
The dire state of Swan Brook and its tributaries has been described as a ‘failing watercourse’
“Their current state is pretty shocking”
Luke M Luke, Planet Purbeck’s co-leader, said:
“We’re proud to unite with such top-tier partners to help transform Swan Brook and surrounding streams.
“Their current state is pretty shocking, but with the help of the Purbeck community we hope to foster a legacy of fun and sustainable practices to rejuvenate these precious habitats.
“We envisage tackling litter and pollution in Swan Brook, helping wildlife habitats to improve the water quality and clearing invasive species like the Himalyan balsam, which can choke our waterways.
“Clearance work will help to oxygenate the water, let more light in which will help more species to thrive and some slow flow work which will help the land cope better both in times of flood and drought.”
Luke M Luke hopes that the community will come together to rescue its failing streams
“It is not fanciful stuff”
Luke added:
“We will encourage locals to monitor their own stretch of the river each month, to check it for invertebrates and wildlife, so that people build up a feeling of ownership of ‘their’ part of the stream.
“The Environment Agency places a lot of focus on larger rivers like the Frome and the Piddle in this area and smaller streams are just forgotten about, so it falls to the community to come together and pick up the pieces.
“There will be some pretty big wins quickly, whereas other benefits may take a few years to arrive, but the best time to start a scheme is yesterday.
“A recent audit of the habitat at King George’s Field showed it could be capable of sustaining otters – it is not fanciful stuff to think about the stream being clean enough to have some trout in the water, or to see dragonflies, kingfishers and otters.”
The catchment area of Swan Brook and tributaries. Crown copyright and database rights
Ripples of good work will spread
As work continues on the project, water flow and water quality will be monitored regularly and benefits to one part of the stream are expected to be replicated almost instantly in other parts.
It’s hoped that the ripples of good work from one section will spread quickly to the rest of the catchment area and that the scheme will also be picked up in other parts of Purbeck, such as along the Corfe River.
Purbeck National Trust ranger Ben Cooke demonstrated how building a leaky dam could improve a local stream within days
Watch Planet Purbeck bring life back to a stream
Further information
- Swanage Streams meeting starts at 7.30 pm on Tuesday 26th November 2024 at The Swanage School, High Street
- To book a place and for more details about the Swanage Streams project
