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Sanquhar pond de-silted to slow reduction of water level





AN improvement project has been completed at a local beauty spot.

The Sanquhar Dam (Pond) Restoration Group (SDRG) invested just under £19,000 in de-silting Sanquhar pond, an effort started three years ago but postponed due to the covid pandemic as well as environmental factors such as bird nesting and fish spawning.

Scooping silt from Sanquhar pond.
Scooping silt from Sanquhar pond.

Spokesman Brian McDonald confirmed the job was not without its complications but should prove well worth it.

He said: “For several decades there have been many abortive attempts to dredge the pond.

“If no action was taken, the pond would probably have returned to simply being a burn that flows through a valley.”

The aim was to pump the silt out to the wetland part of the pond or into specially designed containers that allow water to drain back while retaining the silt for extraction.

SDRG installed silt traps and hired a contractor with a floating, de-silting machine. However, the silt was so compacted that it kept blocking the machine’s pipe so grab buckets were used to lift the sediment out of the water instead.

Sanquhar Dam Restoration Group installing silt traps.
Sanquhar Dam Restoration Group installing silt traps.

“The grab buckets were much slower,” explained Brian, “meaning that the silt had to be dumped nearer the jetty.

“The deposited silt will eventually be landscaped and Moray Council Council will provide an appropriate mix of grasses to ensure the bank will be stabilised.

“There is little chance of the silt being washed away when the water level rises in times of spate.”

Having previously cleared invasive plant species and planted native kinds, created and resurfaced paths, installed new revenments and bird boxes, SDRG have now also installed silt barriers at tributaries feeding the pond.

Brian finished: “The actions we’ve taken should ensure that total saltation has been delayed for several years, preserving the habitat for people, plants, and other species to enjoy.”

Some of the discarded silt that is to be landscaped by Moray Council.
Some of the discarded silt that is to be landscaped by Moray Council.


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