Trinity Broads
Introduction
The Trinity Broads is a system of interconnecting shallow lakes, excavated during medieval peat diggings, covering an area of 161 hectares in Norfolk. The water bodies making up the Trinity Broads are Ormesby, Rollesby, Lily, Ormesby Little and Filby Broads; they are isolated from the River Bure system by a sluice gate so the water is of high quality and therefore used as a source of drinking water for Great Yarmouth. Essex and Suffolk Water’s primary objective is to maintain the role of the Trinity Broads as a potable water supply and to improve the water quality of this resource. As a private water company, ESW are also obliged to maintain the recreational use and conservation value of the area.
Site Management
Following the purchase of the majority of the Trinity Broads by Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW) in 1995, a partnership with the Broads Authority, Environment Agency and English Nature was formed to manage the area. This group, along with the local community and broad users, have worked together to develop an overall management plan of the area. The Trinity Broads area has remained an important site for wildlife due to its relatively undisturbed nature; it is important to employ sympathetic management in the area and ensure recreational activity remains at its current, relatively low, level. ESW provides funding for a Catchment Officer who is responsible for the management of conservation and recreational activities on the site and for working with neighbouring landowners to maintain good water quality in the broads. Regular meetings and communication with local parish councils and environmental groups keep local interested parties up-to-date with current issues in the Trinity Broads catchment area.
| Newsletter | |
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| Trinity Broads newsletter 2009 |
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| Trinity Broads newsletter 2008 |
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| Condition Assessment of Trinity Broads SSSI |
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Conservation
The site was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in August 1998 and is also a Special Area of Conservation and a Special Protected Area due to its range of habitat and species: open water, reed swamp, fen meadow, Carr woodland, wildfowl, and Bittern. The site is also home to a wide range of common waterfowl including swans, cormorants, grebes, mallards and herons. To ensure the site is managed sensitively, regular surveys are carried out for a number of different flora and fauna to build up a wealth of data for yearly comparisons and analysis:
- Bat tracking and surveys at Ormesby Broad
- Fish surveys
- Aquatic macrophytes surveyed throughout the summer
- Desmoulin’s Whorl snails surveyed
- WeBS bird counts throughout the area
Managing fish populations is vital in helping the recovery of aquatic plants in the broads. Water fleas can then graze on algae without as much danger of being eaten by fish; this keeps the water clearer and encourages the aquatic plants to thrive.
Eutrophication
Has been an increasing problem in rivers and lakes throughout England since the 1930s but as the Trinity Broads are isolated from the River Bure they remain free from the severe effects of this problem. However, surface run-off of nitrates from surrounding arable land and possible phosphate leaching from adjacent properties with septic tanks present sources of possible nutrient loading in the system. The Trinity Broads Project aims to address this issue by working more closely with local farmers and business owners throughout the catchment area.