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The Wetlands Restoration Project

Southern Lake Restoration in Pictures

The following images give some impression of the colossal amount of work required to restore this important wildlife habitat.   Planning, surveying and construction skills were just one part.  Lots of physical manpower and machinery was needed for rhododendron clearance, silt clearance, sluice, spillway and safety fencing construction.  While the work was ongoing, the reserve resembled the foundations of a building site.  However, it was important to remember that following completion, natural freshwater habitat would occupy the worked areas where it could not have existed before the work.  The return of this habitat to the cleared areas was rapid and most of the disturbed soil greened up during the first summer season.  See 1991 surveys to see how fast the freshwater habitat returned to the reserve.

 

The Sluice
The introduction of the sluice enabled the depth and extent of the Southern Lake to be increased.  In times of flooding, excess water exits the lake by flowing over a spillway.

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Flood damage to original sluice gate allowing lake water to seep away at will

Repairs to sluice gate using gabion basket and shoring boards for safety

 

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Extent of encroachment and siltation

Finished sluice gate construction

 

 


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