For the first time in over a decade the Essex & Suffolk Water Treatment Works at Ormesby Broad will be open to the public for a free, unique celebration day.
Join Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) and Essex & Suffolk Water (ESW)
11am to 4pm on Sunday 3 August, for activities such as bug hunting, moth trapping, bird box making and more. The Trinity Broads Singers Community Choir will perform at 12.30pm and again at 2pm. Light refreshments will be available or bring a picnic to enjoy by the Broad.
Take a self-guided tour of the water treatment process, where experts will be on hand and demonstrations taking place of some of the treatment processes. NWT and ESW will be showing how protecting the environment and water quality in the lakes both encourages the rich wildlife of this area and also ensures a good and reliable water supply for the villages around.
In the 1990s, Ormesby Broad, the northern most lake of Trinity Broads, was “biomanipulated”. This means that small fish were removed, which otherwise would have consumed great numbers of waterfleas. The waterfleas increased in numbers, devouring the murky algae, which resulted in clear water. Eventually water plants and other wildlife began to thrive, and now the Trinity Broads provide some of the richest aquatic habitat in the Broads and are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Trinity Broads Warden from Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Eilish Rothney said: “this promises to be a really special event with very different organisations coming together to show how protecting our beautiful natural environment directly helps us with one of the things we need most for healthy living – clean water. From the humblest of water shrimps to the graceful swan, we could not live without it. There will be fun activities, plenty to learn about and explore, with experts on wildlife and water on hand to answer your questions. I am really excited about the day!”
Senior conservation advisor from Essex & Suffolk Water, Helen Jacobs said: “we are very proud to welcome our customers and neighbours to visit our site and hopefully find out a bit about what we do.”
The Trinity Broads are owned by Essex & Suffolk Water, and managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust in partnership with Essex & Suffolk Water, Broads Authority, Natural England and Environment Agency. Trinity Broads lies within the
Bure Valley Living Landscape project area, a key area of conservation interest for NWT
Location: Essex & Suffolk Water, Water Treatment Works, Ormesby, Norfolk, NR29 3LR. There is free parking on or near the site.