Dark pond changes direction

The ‘best’ newt pond within the site was formerly perilously positioned at the upper end of one of the three large contaminated water bodies and was at risk of being overwelmed by contaminated leachate.  This newt pond, artfully named Dark Pond by ourselves because of its contrast to the Aqua Blue of the lagoons, underwent a change in the direction of flow. Before the newt hibernation season, works were carried out to the boundary with the leachate storage area to provide a new dam and lift the water level in the Dark Pond so that it now  flows in the opposite direction and is safe from leachate ingress.  This work has also reduced the volume of leachate being produced as the water of the Drak pond no longer enters the leachate system but instead now flows off site as clean runoff via new attenuation ditches. This work was done using “Reasonable Avoidance Measures” (RAMs) under our newt license supervised by our Ecologist.  The work was undertaken such that the banks were raised outside the pond with no disturbance to the original pond contents/life.