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Latest News 18th February
The valve has been fully open for over
two weeks and water levels have dropped to 3.3m below maximum (or 148.7m
AOD ie. average sea-level). A new island has appeared off the West Shore
and the extensive shoreline has already attracted good numbers of
Lapwings, a Curlew and a Ringed Plover.
Check
LDC's
Dam Blog
- Here are a few quotes from it:
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50,000 fish!
Last August, a
company called Salveson Fox Hydrosurveys carried out a fish survey
at Chasewater.
Using a combination
of an echo-sounder and a specialist net (seine net), the team worked
out how many fish are currently living in the reservoir.
From their findings,
the team estimates that over 50,000 adult fish live in the
reservoir, including roach, perch, pike, ruffe and tench. They also
estimate that between 300-400 premium quality fish live in
Chasewater
The majority of fish
live in the north east and eastern parts of the reservoir. A healthy
number of young fish was also seen during the survey.
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| Of course the final comment has a
touch of irony since up to 100 000 young fish have just been allowed
to die. |
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How are
we going to look after the fish?
Together with
our partners at the Environment Agency and British Waterways,
we’re putting the finishing touches to our plans for catching
and moving the fish in Chasewater.
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If there are any left! |
- How we’re
protecting Chasewater’s wildlife and their habitats
- To prepare for the works on the dam, an
ecology group was set up.
- Made up of wildlife experts, the group has
been meeting every month for over a year.
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| The Chasewater Wildlife Group has
never been invited to these meetings. |
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- 16th January
Mass death of fish in Anglesey
Basin
 - © G Evans
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An estimated 100 000 small
fish have died at the outlet of the reservoir and the head of the canal.
The Environment Agency must investigate the cause but until we hear their
verdict let's assume it is an innocent but very sad natural result of the
freezing weather, although lots of us have lived through colder spells of
winter than this but have never seen such an event.
See Diary for more
information
- 24th January
| In the above article the Environment
Agency’s gave the possible explanation for the mass death of fish
to be the result of large numbers of feeding Cormorants and
Goosanders. This could certainly be the case since many Cormorants
and Goosanders were regularly feeding around where we imagine the
‘plug-hole’ to be. Both species are known to hunt
collaboratively and can gather together large shoals of fish which
then become easy prey, resulting in a feeding frenzy and mass panic.
However, the sluice had only been slightly open so just how so many
fish managed to get into the initial outlet pool, then into the
canal before dying has yet to be explained. Stress, low oxygen
levels and sudden temperature changes are all possible contributory
factors. There was a report of huge numbers alive but gasping at the
surface but nothing was done and they were then found to be dead
under the ice by 13th January. |
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25th January
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- © N Stych
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| These photos show that the fish
were trapped in the outlet pool and gasping for air as long ago as
24th December. |
- 21st January
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Dam about to burst
!
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- Local TV News and Newspaper reports as Michael
Fabricant's plea to Parliament for regional funding for dam repairs
receives little support from Gordon Brown. Apparently the dam has
suddenly
begun to leak and is threatening the lives of scores of people and
the welfare of the whole region!
- Click below on the LDC site for
their version of the details and here for the discussion on
The
Lichfield Blog.
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| From the
Central News report for 27th January:
'It's 200 years old and steeped
in history but now investigations show that Chasewater reservoir
in Staffordshire may be a disaster waiting to happen.
Engineers say that more then
three million pounds is needed to prevent a catastrophic
collapse, which could mean the loss of houses and even lives.' |
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