The channel flows through Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park which is found on the south side of the channel and arable fields border the north side. The banks on both sides were seen to be eroding during the survey and this has been exaserbated on the south side by dogs entering and leaving the channel.
The area (land use)
The dominant land use for this stretch of river is arable and recreational grassland.
No livestock were recorded.
Channel characteristics
The river channel consists of mainly unknown, and riffles are absent.
At the time of recording the flow of water was medium and the channel was 1-2m wide and 0.5-1m in depth.
For most of this stretch the channel profile is steep and vertically undercut in places.
Bankside trees were frequent, marginal plants and in-channel plants are occasional. Woody debris was noted to be rare.
Engineering
The channel has not 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 present and areas of erosion were present at the time of the survey.
Wildlife
None seen during the survey
Additional Information
The buffer strips between the arable land and the channel were not particularly wide so runoff from the arable land into the channel is possibly impacting on the water quality
