Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2015 | Page 84

COUNTRY LIFE

Improving Wroxall strea m
T

he Wroxall Stream is a tributary to
the Eastern Yar. The stream flows
from its source, North West of
Ventnor, for over 7km through the village
of Wroxall, and farmland until it joins the
Eastern Yar at Budbridge, near Arreton. A
narrow watercourse, it is largely shaded
by trees and scrub.
Although a very pretty stream in places,
it suffers from a number of pressures
which affect the water quality. Run-off
from farms can cause pollution and
increased siltation within the stream.
There are also four sewage discharge
consents along the stream, including
Wroxall Sewage Treatment Works.
Misconnections in the sewage network
and septic tanks may also be causing a
problem. The stream is also infested by
Himalayan Balsam and has a number of
stands of Japanese Knotweed.
The Island River Partnership are

84

www.visitilife.com

By Carol Flux,
Natural Enterprise
working on a number of small projects to
reduce the impact of rural land use and
reduce the occurrence of invasive nonnative species.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife
Trust will be working with local land
owners to help farm scale treatment
of phosphate and slow down the
rate of siltation into the stream. This
complements the work that they are
already doing with farmers.
The Isle of Wight is still a stronghold
for water voles. However recent surveys
have shown the numbers on the Wroxall
Stream to be in decline and research
has indicated that the decline is linked
to excessive balsam growth. Recent

reports have concluded that the Wroxall
Stream is one of the priority sites for
management for water voles. The
proliferation of vegetation is causing
excessive shading and bankside erosion.
Natural Enterprise have a team of
volunteers who have been hand-pulling
the plant throughout the summer. This
was a process started two years ago, and
areas tackled previously are showing
signs of improvement. This year the
volunteers have been delighted to see
kingfishers, water voles and trout whilst
they have been working.
Natural Enterprise are also working
with riverside householders in Wroxall to
promote best practice and minimise the
risks of pollution or flooding.
For further information on the project
please contact Carol Flux at Natural
Enterprise on 01983 201563 or email
carol.flux@naturalentepri se.co.uk .