Page 13 - link magazine

swindonlink.com • March 2009 13
Footpath closure to allow eco-water treatment plant to be built

Construction of a natural reed bed water treatment system in West Swindon over the next 9 months means that an informal footpath and
cycleway used by many residents has to be shut.
The route from Sparcells to the Sparcells Footpath "The last part of the project will
River Ray Parkway is not actually to close involve the community, where lo-
a designated footpath which means cal people will help create a new
statutory notices have not had to be clear water pond next to Sparcells
published, so the closure may come stream."
as a surprise to many. During the construction work
The reed bed, which will filter there is an alternative route through
surface water containing low level Shaw Forest park.
contaminants running off Shaw Shaw Forest Building the water treatment
Forest Park, has been designed Phase 3 ponds is going on at the same time
by Swindon Borough Council Park 1 & 2 as a £2 million project to create the
with assistance from the Wildfowl third phase of Shaw Forest park
and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge, on a recently closed landfill site
and approval of the Environment nearby.
Agency. Mead Way For more information about the
The £750,000 project includes work at Shaw Forest and the natural
digging a lined ditch around the filtration project, call Bob Fisher on
perimeter of the park so that water 07786 020886.
flows to the lowest point where • Bob and colleagues will be
reeds planted in shallow, gravel speaking about the project at the
bottomed ponds will filter out any West Swindon Forum on Monday
pollution. 9 March - see details page 4
At present the council is paying Deep level leachate from the is a long term cost saver as the reed • See more pictures at www.swin-
around £250,000 annually for up landfill is collected by a pipe system bed will filter out contaminants donlink.com
to 250 tons of surface water a day under the park and pumped to the without any intervention once it is
to be pumped from temporary Thames Water treatment works at established.
collecting ponds and removed by Barnfield. "We will reinstate the footpath
tanker for treatment. In Spring Bob Fisher, Swindon Commer- with the filter ponds on either side.
2008 Swindon Council was fined cial Services site manager, said In the long run people will see all
£8,000 by the Environment Agency the council had no choice about manner of bird and insect life; it's
because storm water from the tem- undertaking the works. "The En- going to be a very interesting and
porary ponds overflowed into the vironment Agency requires surface attractive environmental site.
Sparcells stream which feeds into water from former landfill sites to be Right, the Slimbridge pond on which the
the River Ray. free of contamination. Our project Sparcells project is modelled

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