The Stream

We have a small stream that runs the length of our land originating from a number of springs at the top of the field. As we get our water solely from a well and everybody that walks past the house always asks if the well has dried up, I am keen to see how the flow in the stream varies. I have therefore installed a small v-notch weir that we measure most days.

We also have a Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station so we have been recording rainfall to compare with stream flow. One thing I want to explore in the future is small-scale hydropower and so the data will be useful for that too. I have put the weather station's anemometer as high as I can to evaluate the potential for a wind turbine.

The concern about our water supply stems from the construction of the new gas pipeline from Milford Haven that passed just south of our land. Apparently the de-watering of the excavation caused the well to dry up and the tenants at the time had to rely on a temporary water supply. However, once the gas pipe was finished, the well recovered, but it does leave you wondering what would happen in a period of prolonged drought.

The stream is culverted beneath what will be the vegetable patch, the 'yard' and the road and emerges next to the mobile home. We discovered wild watercress growing in the stream at this point which is a sign of the quality of the water. I have started damming and widening the stream to encourage it to grow. This could be a potential cash crop in the future particularly if I make a couple of purpose-made beds in the field below the mobile home.

The field is low lying and very boggy. It was apparently land drained in the past by these are clearly not working now. There is a spring at the base of the bank up to a bridleway that is very active a present and has flooded most of the bottom of the field. I have therefore excavated a small channel and where there are obvious hollows created a couple of small ponds. I will also excavate a much larger pond at the very bottom of the field at some time in the future.

As we will be using wood to heat the house and our water we have planted a fast growing hybrid willow in the field. This reputedly grows at 6 - 8ft per year and can be harvested for wood on a 4 to 5 year rotation. The willows were supplied as 30cm unrooted setts (cuttings) by Bowhayes Trees and planted last week. We have planted them into a up turned sod based on the method of planting trees used by our neighbours at West Atherton Farm. According to Tim, who plants his trees into the top of a turned furrow, it gives the trees an extra depth of topsoil and suppresses the weed growth to start with. It also lifts them above the saturated soil. It will be interesting to see how they do.