Bank rebuilding on millpond

Erosion control project

Client Private individual

2007

A 30m length of bank on this millpond in Painswick had been shored up with reclaimed sleepers by another company but these works had subsequently collapsed. The materials from this work had to be removed and a permanent strengthening solution installed. We recommended reusing the sleepers to create a solid base for the installation of willow faggots and pre-planted coir rolls to build up the bank. The areas was to be backfilled to recreate the original profile.

JPR Environmental cleared the affected area and dug out the bank to provide a solid base to lay down the sleepers. These were pinned in place using 2m long stakes driven in to about a metre. Dead willow faggots were laid over the sleepers to encourage siltation and pre-planted coir rolls laid and staked in on top.
Water was found to be seeping from the steep bank into the millpond causing erosion from behind. We dug a channel along half the affected length and down to the pond. This was filled with gravel to channel this water through and off the affected area.
The area behind the new bank was backfilled with 10 tonnes of topsoil and seeded with grass. The planted coir rolls were protected with netting to prevent excessive grazing by resident waterfowl.
The new bank survived the flooding of summer 2007 even rebuffing the attentions of a fridge freezer that was washed past and damaged the sluice mechanism just downstream.

Millpond bank showing the collapse of previous revetment works.