During 2017 it became clear that the lake was becoming seriously choked with weed, as no effort had been made to clear it since the summer of 2008. The images below give an idea of just how clogged and overgrown the lake had become.
Google Earth even appeared to show an area of greenery rather than open water:
We obtained a quote from a national company for clearing the lake (but not removal of the dredged weed) which was in excess of £10,000 including VAT.
The committee felt that we could not afford anywhere near this amount, and decided to organise a working party of residents to undertake the task.
Before starting, we took advice from a local environmentalist who was able to advise that:
The Wildlife Trust advised as follows:
"The land contained in the Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve is legally protected under several designations
(Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and the Ramsar Convention international designation for wetlands)
and causing the growth of Crassula in the reserve would be considered an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981". We therefore decided to put
a filter across the outflow from our lake to prevent downstream dispersal of fragments of weed.
Most weekends in January and February, between 2 and 8 residents could be found in the lake area, dredging weed from the lake and piling it along the bank to drain.
Thereafter the dredged weed was transported to the "beach" area in the north-west "corner" of the upper lake. It has now been covered with plastic to speed up the composting process: the pallets covering the compost heap in the picture below will shortly be replaced by more permanent wind-proofing.
Other than wind-proofing the compost heap, all that remains to be done is to replace the temporary filter with a more substantial permanent one which is easier to clean. The materials for this have been sourced and the filter will be constructed and fitted shortly.
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