Plan to rewet Norfolk marsh approved by Broads Authority
Recent downpours have led to extreme high water levels
A major landscaping project on a large area of marshland intended to help reduce flooding on the Norfolk Broads has been approved.
The Broads Authority’s plan to ‘rewet’ Buttle Marsh, near How Hill, has been given the green light by the authority.
The scheme will mean more water will be retained on the land, rather than running into the nearby River Ant.
It comes at a time when the Broads are struggling with a prolonged period of extreme high water levels, as a result of recent downpours.
A recent meeting of the authority approved a series of works on a 5.6 acre area of the marsh, almost the size of three football pitches.
These include creating a new sluice, a new ditch and a series of culverts, which will help the marsh store excess water in the winter months.
High river levels, particularly during this season, have become a growing problem on the Broads.
One of the areas where problems have been reported is at nearby Ludham Bridge.
Buttle Marsh, which is already a nature reserve, takes its name from a traditional local term for a bittern and the authority hopes the project will help create habitats for the rare bird.
Another major element of the scheme is to create conditions which will, over the course of many years, allow for the build-up of peat, which helps capture carbon.