| Reconstruction & development


Whilst the main aim of the works is to remove as much silt as possible from the Forge Dam area, estimates suggest about 3500m3


will be removed,


none of the proposals will fully prevent future deposition without management of the surrounding area. One of the techniques for this will be the installation of leaky dams further up the catchment to slow the flow of the river during periods of high rainfall. Enhancing and reconnecting upstream storage through the formation of minor scrapes and pools within the wet woodland will provide controlled storage in spate conditions. Sanctus has had to overcome various obstacles


throughout the project. Forge Dam is in a narrow valley with extremely constrained access. The company had to work imaginatively and find a working methodology to allow continued public access whilst also operating safely - for the public, the wider river environment, and the local narrow but busy road network. The site is also confined by a species-rich wet woodland, a resource that is rare in Sheffield. This example is a particularly excellent sample of the habitat and is classified as a Section 41 irreplaceable habitat in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.


Project progress Claire Watts, Project Officer for the Parks and


Countryside Service at Sheffield City Council, gave an update on project progress. “Work has been underway since October 2021 and has included the unexpected and fantastic discovery of a breeding population of white claw cray fish; establishing a methodology that would work to provide effective access onto the frustratingly thixotropic silts; and battling the after-effects of heavy snow fall and rapid thaw brought about by Storm Arwen. We are also thanking our lucky stars for the driest January on record,” Watts said, “which has finally allowed us to make progress.” To date about 3000m3


of silt has been taken off


site to provide beneficial cover material for a closed landfill site being reclaimed in the southeast of the city. It is hoped that the project will be completed by mid- March, in time for the bird nesting season. Visitors have mostly enjoyed watching the works taking place at the dam. Watts says it has been a real


attraction as the proximity of footpaths has allowed a close-up view. Some people have expressed unhappiness about the disruption but, as many visitors have contributed to fundraising efforts to de-silt the dam, she says these have been in the minority. Le Sage reflects on the successful partnerships that


have finally enabled the work to get underway. “Collaboration with the various council departments has been, in Friends of the Porter Valley’s experience, excellent,” she said. “We have been consistently building up our group’s capacity over 27 years from foundation and this Forge Dam rejuvenation is not our first or only partnership. I am personally grateful to the hundreds of officers and local politicians who have helped us over the years, often in the face of staff and budget cuts - let alone Covid ramifications. There have been many helpful faces in ecology, parks, woodlands, rangers, events, infrastructure, waterways and many other specialist areas.”


Sheffield City Councillor Alison Teal, Executive Member for Sustainable Neighbourhoods, Wellbeing, Parks and Leisure, is looking forward to seeing the work completed. “Ponds provide some of our earliest and most iconic


nature experiences - feeding ducks or glimpsing a kingfisher - and yet are one of our most threatened habitats,” she said. “This project will deliver benefits for people and wildlife and show how access to our precious blue-green spaces can support both our physical and mental well-being.” ●


More information


IWP&DC would like to thank the Friends of Porter Valley and Sheffield City Council’s Parks and Countryside Service for providing information and illustrations for this article.


For more information about the Forge Dam Restoration Project, or to make a donation, see www.fopv.org.uk


Sanctus is an environmental consulting and contracting company that has worked for almost 20 years to “redefine what is possible in the environmental engineering sector”. Its portfolio includes challenging brownfield and blue-green infrastructure programmes and projects across the UK.


www.waterpowermagazine.com | March 2022 | 21


Above middle: As FoPV reported on 25 January 2022, silt diggers were working in synchronisation to scoop out the silt, which was then ferried by dumper trucks to the drying out area. More than 100 lorry loads of material were finally deposited at the Beighton landfill site


Above: The team hopes to finish the project by mid-March 2022


Below: Forge Dam is an historical and much-loved local amenity. Credit R Entwistle FD


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