Nature Reserve · North England · 15th July, 2025
Restoring Depth to a Small Watercourse
Silt removal from a small watercourse to increase water depth and maintain open water using a permeable membrane bund.
Preparing the Watercourse
At a nature reserve in northern England, our team was asked to remove accumulated silt from a small watercourse to increase water depth and maintain an open channel.
Following an earlier programme of reed clearance, the newly opened section provided access for the silt removal works. A wood and soil bund was prepared alongside a permeable Teram membrane to contain the pumped material while allowing excess water to drain away.
This provided a practical way to manage the removed silt on site without requiring large de-silting bags or extensive additional infrastructure.
Removing Accumulated Silt
Once the bund was prepared, the silt pump was used to transfer material from the watercourse into the contained area. As the bund filled, it was left to drain through the permeable membrane before the process was repeated.
The pumping operation continued over several days, allowing many tonnes of accumulated silt to be removed from the watercourse while keeping the work contained within the reserve.
Following completion, the area was left to dry and naturally green over during the summer months, leaving the surrounding site to recover while the increased water depth helped maintain the open waterway.
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