Two weeks on from our previous update and Stony Stratford Bypass Channel is almost complete. The contractors removed the cofferdam yesterday and allowed flow into the re-established paleo channel for the first time and it is already looking great! Over time the channel will be colonised by terrestrial and aquatic macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fish and it will become increasingly naturalised. The channel vastly improves fish passage and habitat connectivity at the site and will significantly contribute to meeting objectives of the Water Framework Directive. The before and after images below illustrate the great success of the works, which are a marvelous example of how an existing feature can be utilised to generate significant environmental benefits.
Above: Images of the bank (which was to become the location of the off-take structure) and old paleo channel prior to the works.
Below: Images of the off-take structure and re-established paleo channel upon completion.
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