Water
It only takes a few weeks of extreme heat, as we had in 2022, to make us realise that we need to look after and make better use of the water we have – whether it is mains supply, rainfall or groundwater.
Re-B has made a start on a Caring for Our Water project with two elements:
-
Wild Water - ponds, river and brooks and transient wetlands
-
Domestic Water
Wild Water: Re-Betchworth Trustee Norman Jackson has compiled a report and action plan focused on the wild water provided by nature through rainfall in rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, and drainage ditches and its importance for plant and animal life. Go to the RE-Betchworth Biodiversity Project's Wild Water Project: Report #1 Ponds & Lakes to see the full report in detail.
In summary the report:
-
Explores how we can protect, conserve, and expand these essential water resources and make more effective use of nature's water.
-
Begins to document the ponds and lakes in Betchworth and Buckland Parishes, using OS and historical maps and remote sensing imagery. It:
-
Includes an inventory of ponds and lakes along with their map locations.
-
Provides a photographic database that can be updated as new ponds are added or existing ones restored.
-
Clarifies the definitions used and
-
Re-iterates the immense value of ponds and lakes, and their multiple uses.
Water in your garden:
While it’s a ‘nice to have’ for us, water is a ‘must have’ for wildlife, so do try and include water somewhere in your garden even if it’s only a birdbath! Not sure where to start or how to provide and maintain the right water habitats in your garden? Help is at hand.
Do take a look at Claire Benn's comprehensive guide - Water: Providing it and Using it.
She offers excellent guidance, information and practical tips on the many aspects and joys of bringing water into your garden. Claire has also curated an extensive list of links and recommendations to further resources for you to explore.
There’s a host of websites on everything from small ‘container’ or ‘barrel’ ponds to larger endeavours and it can all be a bit overwhelming. One of the best, which we highly recommend is Joel Ashton's Wild Your Garden. Joel's enthusiasm and expert knowledge is catching and his videos are full of 'how to' practical advice. You could start with this one:
Domestic water: We’ve hosted two Zoom briefings on two aspects of this:
-
Understanding our local water resources and how we might play a more active role in reducing consumption and reusing our water in our homes and gardens. Watch SES’s Rob Baldry’s informative talk.
-
Learning how best to manage our increasingly erratic rainfall and water in gardens and allotments with Janet Manning, RHS Wisley’s first garden water scientist. Catch her excellent podcast here.
And you can get from Re-Betchworth Biodiversity Project’s Caring for Our Water page.