Making the pond 1998 (photos)
Making the pond 1998 (photos)
"The Hole" [Top]
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Here is the hole that would soon become our pond and wetland. We had this dug this in summer 1998. Discussion and design of it had begun more than a year earlier.
The picture above shows the site after the excavating had finished but before the various fittings had been installed. Here are some pictures of their construction.
Before the digging could begin [Top]
[Top]The architect of the pond and wetland was Michael Cedar, our chairman in 2000/2001, who also managed its construction. Michael runs his own garden design company, so was able to provide a professional's knowledge and insight at every stage of a complex process.
An undertaking of this size needed planning permission, which is a laborious and time-consuming process of its own. Our colleagues at Tandridge District Council were very helpful in getting this secured and with general advice.
We had already discussed our plans with the people whose houses backed on to the site. They were pleased to have been consulted and constructive in their comments. When the matter came up in the Council Planning Committee, therefore, there were no surprises awaiting either side.
Health and safety legislation required us to prepare a risk assessment and safety plan, which we did with the aid of Alan Osborne and Steve Rush of BTCV.
Preparatory work did not stop there. English Nature needed to be convinced that we were not going to drain or pollute any local water, steal any topsoil or set up a commercial fish nursery, so they needed details of our plans and came out to give us the once-over.
Additionally, for our own satisfaction, we had the water in the nearby stream tested, for a fee, by ADAS. They also gave us the all-clear.
We were given a great deal of helpful advice beforehand and throughout by Julia Wycherley, of the Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group, for which we are most grateful.
Also helpful were two articles on pond design and management, written by members of the Ponds Conservation Trust, that appeared in British Wildlife magazine. These have since been incorporated in The Pond Book (see here for details).
None of the design and construction work would have been possible without the generous grants we received from Barclays SiteSavers, BAA Gatwick and Rural Action for the Environment, and the hard work and cooperation of the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV). We are indebted to them and to all the volunteers who have helped with this exciting part of the project.
Shaping and making [Top]
[Top]Here is an outline drawing of the pond and wetland, derived from our planning application.
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When full, the water surface is roughly 45 yards (40 metres) long at its greatest and 28 yards (25 metres) wide.
The area of water is about 700 square metres.
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The whole site, including the surrounding bunds, measures 70 yards (65 metres) in length and 45 yards (40 metres) in breadth.
As you can see from the diagram above, there is a jetty projecting into the eastern part of the pond and a bridge over the neck between the two parts. The jetty is for viewing and pond-dipping, and will be accessible by wheelchair.
The bridge is to take people to a viewing and survey area on the opposite bank to the jetty. (See here for some photographs of the pond being constructed.)
Location [Top]
[Top]The clay soil and the slope of the land meant that the area we chose was wet nearly all year, and flooded during much of the winter. This meant that, with luck, we would be able to fill the pond through surface run-off.
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The picture on the left shows the area before we began digging. We checked beforehand to be sure there were no rare plants there.
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And, yes, the hedge on the right really was red. It's Spiraea.
Because the fields are not treated with any fertilizer or agricultural chemicals, we expected this water to be, for all practical purposes, uncontaminated. The ADAS tests confirmed this, since the stream is also fed mainly by run-off.
We had at one stage considered taking a water supply from the stream, but the cost and bureaucratic effort required would have taken us well over budget. In any event, it has turned out to be unnecessary.
Working in a clay soil meant, we hoped, that we would not have to line the pond. To our great relief, this turned out to be the case. Lining a pond this shape and size would be very expensive and hard to do properly.
Although the pond retains water well, some old land drains in the soil protrude through occasionally. As each appears, we dig it out and block off the hole. We will find and deal with all them eventually.
Bunds [Top]
[Top]Surrounding the pond and wetland on three sides are earth banks, about 6 feet (1.5 metres) high. These banks, or 'bunds' (from the Hindustani, band), were made from the earth removed to make the pond. They have also been fenced round.
In time, the bunds will become a safe area for pond-living wildlife to feed, sleep, nest or hibernate in (to "feed, breed, nest and rest", as the old formula has it). They will also increase the range of habitats around the pond. In addition, by helping to screen the Scout Hall from view, they improve the visual quality of an otherwise industrial-looking corner.
Water level [Top]
[Top]There is an undulating profile to the base of the pond. This creates varying depths of water, each suiting a different community of plants and organisms.
At its deepest point, the pond is just over 7 feet (2 metres) deep when full. It thus provides permanent water for those plant and animal species that require year-round immersion. Excess water goes through an overflow directly to the stream.
There is a wide, and planned for, seasonal variation in water level. To exploit these variations in level, we designed the pond with a wide draw-down, or evaporation, zone, containing a 'mosaic' of wetland habitat types. Mud is good for wildlife.
The shallow sides also provide greater safety for humans; steep-sided pools are easier to fall into and harder to get out of.
Many of Britain's ponds are, in fact, temporary or seasonal. The Ponds Conservation Trust defines a pond simply as "a small body of water, between 1 square metre and 2 hectares in area, which usually holds water for at least four months of the year". (The supposed need for constant water and other myths about ponds are listed here by the Trust.)
Construction [Top]
[Top]We split the work into phases. The first stage, in summer 1998, consisted of levelling the site, excavating the pond and shaping the bunds. We put that part of the work out to a local contractor, experienced in digging and shaping the local clay soil.
Also in that first summer, we built the bridge, jetty and other related structures. Volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) did the bulk of this work. (See here for pictures of them at work.)
Outstanding at the moment, but planned for this year (2002) or next, is the completion of the paths to the jetty and the bridge. They are not yet suitable to be traversed by wheelchair.
Plants and other life forms [Top]
[Top]In November 1998, as part of that year's National Tree Week, we planted out the bunds with more than 200 native shrubs and trees. These are unlikely to shade the pond or create problems with leaf litter, but we will keep an eye on both possibilities. As well as our usual species, we put in some Alder, Rowan, Burnet Rose and Spindle. (Pictures here.)
Subsequently, we have planted a double thickness of hedge between the bund and the Scout Hall. See here for pictures. We also terraced the steepest side of the pond, to make it safer (for people who shouldn't be there anyway, but that's another debate). We planted more Brambles and Roses there, to bind the soil together better and to make human access even harder.
In spring 2000, we decided to give nature a boost by putting in some suitable marginal and submersive plants. These included Floating Sweet-Grass, Brooklime, Pond Weed, Water Mint, Marsh Marigold, Water Figwort, Meadowsweet, Water Plantain and Yellow Iris. We gathered all these plants from local wildlife ponds (with permission, of course). You can see some of the results here.
Although it no longer looks like thin custard, the water is still turbid. In the absence of marginal and submerged vegetation, there is a continual circulation of clay particles into and around it. Consequently, the pond has been slow in stabilizing. All the same, in what passed for a summer in 2000, there were baby Frogs, Water Boatmen, an unspecified Dragonfly and Water Snails to be seen.
Two years later, they had been joined by Newts (type presently unknown), Pond Skaters and Diving Beetles. With the exception of the Water Snails, all these creatures are carnivores, which means there is plenty of other life in and around for them to be feeding on.