Over the last few weeks we have had a lot of rain and some stormy weather. In a previous post I described how we built some leaky dams to help control the stream flowing down the valley but when I was in the woods a couple of weeks ago I found that our dam construction techniques had not been very good. This is the sight that greeted me.
The poles forming the dams had not been secure enough to withstand the force of the stream after heavy rain so the dams pretty much fell apart. Having said that though, the lower dam was still doing a reasonable job holding back some water.
For the work party on Wednesday 22nd January a repair was the priority. I wasn't able to attend, but seven volunteers did and began the re-construction. As you can see in the following photos the dams were built up with poles and stakes followed by reinforcement with mud and large stones. Fortunately it was a dry day so there wasn't too much water flowing.
There was some heavy rainfall a few days later and I went down to see how the dams were getting on. Passing by the stream near the tool store I saw that the flow was considerable ...
... but when I reached the dams they were all intact and doing a good job of slowing down the water flow.This photo was the only one I got because the ground near the stream bank was very slippery and I found I was sliding down into the stream. I was wearing wellies so no problem apart from getting back up the slope!
The woods may be wet and slippery but there are signs that spring is on its way. These primroses are coming out in the grassy patch near post 10 down the valley path.
On her way to the work party Erika saw signs of spring too and took these photos -
The volunteers had worked hard all morning to repair the dams and they are holding back the stream. I expect we will have to do a similar job but hopefully not until next year.
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