Specialists in Water Management for Landscapes, Fisheries, Leisure and Conservation
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Aquatic Weed Control |
Our Maintenance Division are specialists in aquatic weed control. From plant identification to treatment, we have the technology and experience to tackle all sizes of weed control projects. Our staff are trained to B.A.S.I.S level and regularly attend relevant courses and meetings to ensure that their knowledge remains up to date.
Our aquatic weed control approach can be defined into four sections. These are:
Manual
Sometimes the best course of action is to hand cut excess weed growth. An example of this would be when strip cutting water crowfoot (Ranunculus spp) on a narrow chalk stream. Using the latest equipment we are able to attend on site, with large teams if required, and manually pull or cut weed as necessary.
Mechanical
Kingcombe Aquacare own and operate a
highly effective aquatic weed harvester. Towed behind a Land Rover, our
experienced operator is able to launch this boat into lakes, wetlands or
sections of river well off the beaten track. The AquaTractor, as it is known,
has the capacity and efficiency to remove a huge amount of weed each day. The
high number of bookings we deal with each season is testament to its
effectiveness. If you would like to learn more about the AquaTractor, please
follow this link. The
website, www.aquatractor.com
provides detailed information on the weed harvester
including bespoke attachments for other water based operations. If you have an enquiry regarding
the purchase of your own machine, the information you need is also
there.
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The weed harvester in action |
Another load! |
Biological and Environmental
In the correct environment, Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella ) are a particularly effective means of controlling aquatic weed. In ponds where the temperature rises high enough for them to feed effectively, they will eat a broad range of plants. They tend to demonstrate a species hierachy however and prefer soft, submerged plant varieties as opposed to emergent marginals. They certainly will eat the latter but normally when they have consumed their prefered diet.
The downside is that Grass Carp do not eat vegetation in the colder months, nor do they reproduce naturally in the UK. Being non indigenous to this country, there are strict controls imposed by the Environment Agency governing their stocking. The basic requirements are that your body of water should be fully enclosed with no inlet from a river or stream and no direct outlet to a river or stream. We can supply Grass Carp and are used to dealing with applications to stock them.
Another way of controlling soft, submerged weed such as Canadian Pond Weed (Elodea spp) is by introducing bottom feeding fish such as carp (Cyprinus carpio), tench (Tinca tinca) and bream (Abramis brama ) to your water. These fish, especially carp, demonstrate particularly vigorous feeding habits and uproot young plants in their search for food. This feeding also sends a lot of solids into suspension, colouring the water in the process. This has the effect of suppressing the growth of species such as Elodea because light is unable to penetrate so far into the water.
Chemical
Our fully trained herbicide application team are able to advise on the most appropriate chemical to use in each situation. We are regularly advised on updates with regard to herbicide availability and legislation governing its use. Whether your problem is large or small, we have the means to apply herbicides from boat or bank safely.
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| Spot treating with Midstream |
Treating excess growth of bur reed (Sparganium) |
Case Study
Client: Southampton Institute of Higher Education.
Location: Manned Model Facility, Marchwood Lake.
Description of Contract:
The old cooling lake on the site of Marchwood Power Station extends to about 6 hectares. It is used by Southampton Institute to train the masters of large vessels such as bulk carriers and supertankers. The models they navigate on the water as part of their training are all computer controlled, and the facility is one of only two such training areas in the World. The lake used to be closed for several periods of two weeks at a time in the summer for excessive growths of weed and filamentous algae to be removed, at great expense and with even more serious loss of income.
Kingcombe Aquacare was contracted for the first time in 1992 to manage the water quality for the Institute. Using a combination of techniques, including herbicides, weed harvesting and barley straw control of algae, we were able to maintain clear water throughout the season, with not a single day of training being lost. We have been retained to manage the water quality and weed control regime on an annual basis ever since.