Now that’s cash f low! £100k just to make straight burn bendy again
TO the untrained eye it simply looks like an unremarkable burn running through the fields.
But conservationists say there is a problem with the Dundonald Burn – it’s too straight.
Now they are planning to reroute a half-mile stretch of the stream near Irvine, Ayrshire.
By digging it up and adding a series of twists and turns they aim to double its length, a process known as ‘re-meandering’.
The project, costing up to £100,000, is intended to create a better habitat for local wildlife including eels and water voles.
The unusual scheme is being undertaken by conservation charity the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT).
The charity works to conserve Scotland’s diminishing wildlife and last week it advertised for contractors to remeander the Dundonald Burn, which runs through the Shewalton Wood Wildlife Reserve.
Documents prepared by the SWT state: ‘The project is to realign approximately 675m of a straightened stream to create a meandering watercourse approximately twice the length.
‘The purpose is to enhance biodiversity, improve water quality and reduce flooding.’
SWT reserves manager Gill Smart explained that the stream had previously been artificially straightened by farmers.
She said the straightness of the burn was presenting problems, including an increased risk of localised flooding.
Remeandering the burn is a key part of a wider project to ‘rewild’ the wildlife reserve. The trust has already planted more native trees and erected fences to allow cattle to graze and break down overgrown grass.
Remeandering the water course will take three months, using diggers to create a flow that more closely matches the original route of the stream.
This will be achieved by digging a new route for the water to follow as well as piling up dirt and timber to create curves.
Extra meanders will slow the flow of water and reduce the risk of plant life being washed away, so animals and plants above the waterline will also benefit.
Other marine creatures will also be able to live in the burn. Among the expected new arrivals is the water vole, one of Scotland’s most endangered native animals. Eels are also expected to thrive.
Human visitors will also benefit, as Miss Smart explained: ‘It will look lovely as well as attract more wildlife.’
The project is expected to cost up to £100,000, paid for mostly from the charity’s funds, although the SWT is also intending to apply for a Lottery grant.