Full drainage of reservoir begins

This week Canal and River Trust (CRT) began the full dewatering of Brent Reservoir in order to undertake dam repairs this winter. The reservoir will be empty for three months with only the River Brent flowing along the reservoir bed; it will be refilled at the end of February 2024 in time for the new breeding season.

Fish will be rescued and native species returned next year. While the work goes on at the dam, specialist contractors will spend several days removing rubbish and debris from the reservoir around fragile marshes. Volunteers will be invited to join shoreline litterpicking events.

Cool Oak is concerned that the debris clearance, while welcome, will still only scratch the surface of what is needed on the marshes where large amounts of small- and medium-sized plastics still threaten the habitats. Removing large items manually by boat is commendable, but a different methodology is needed to tackle the wider problems long-term. The public has also been invited to donate £15,000 towards reservoir rubbish clearance costs, but CRT have not make it clear volunteers won’t be allowed near the reservoir bed due to treacherous silt.

Cool Oak also worries about the level of fish restocking next February. CRT admit a full restock won’t take place until next winter. Larger fish are central to the diet of little egret and grey heron - both recent success stories at the reservoir. Smaller fish species will return via the river inflow but how this all affects critical species like common tern and great crested grebe next spring is yet to be seen.

In the meantime we anticipate a slow exodus of winter birds and the gradual reveal of a plastic-strewn, oily reservoir bed.

We continue to engage with CRT for best outcomes.