Essex Rivers Hub

Description of Section

Natural banks with lots of vegetation, which consists of a mixture of herbs, trees and scrub. The bed is gravelly with some silt which builds up around obstacles such as trolleys so fly tipping is a problem here but the local group, The River Crouch Conservation Trust, works hard to keep this section of the channel free of debris. The banks are very shaded with lots of mature trees.

The area (land use)

The dominant land use for this stretch of river is suburban/urban.

No livestock were recorded.

Channel characteristics

The river channel consists of mainly gravel, and riffles are present.

At the time of recording the flow of water was medium and the channel was 5-10m wide and <0.5m in depth.

For most of this stretch the channel profile is steep.

Bankside trees were abundant, marginal plants and in-channel plants are abundant. Woody debris was noted to be rare.

Engineering

The channel has been straightened and man-made enhancements are present along this stretch of river.

Field drains were recorded as present and barriers / culverts are present.

Condition

Areas of trampling / poaching were absent and areas of erosion were absent at the time of the survey.

Additional Information

The most common vegetation seen at the time of the survey was stinging nettles, Cow Parsley, Garlic Mustard and Willow Herb.

Wildlife

During the survey Meadow Brown butterflies, Blue Tits and Mallards were seen and a Kingfisher was heard. A Bullhead/Millar's Thumb has been found in the channel recently.