As part of the works to get the drainage working better from the water wheel pit, we had a contractor come in with his 7 ton JCB to restore the tail race to its original depth and width. So now there is actually a slight drop from the end of the culvert pipe as opposed to 2 foot of silt and it is running clear and free, whereas the water just used to sit there and back up in heavy rain. As can be seen from the accumulated muck sat by the side, there was a fair bit of accumulated soil/silt that had either been washed down or fell in over the years, especially as it looks like it hasn’t been done properly for a good many years.
What is amazing to watch though is the speed and skill in how Gareth dug it out and carefully levelled out the top bank from previous hand digging attempts at keeping the tail race clear.
We have re-seeded the sides and banks with appropiate grass seed from GSS Direct to stabilise the ground as quickly as we can. Who were a great find on the internet as will be a future place to go for meadow grasses etc…
