Silt & Surveys : What’s occurring in the River Idle?

The biggest challenge faced by the survey team was the size of the area to be surveyed.  Luckily Storm are well versed at such projects and logistical planning is paramount with a project such as this.  Having a streamlined method outlined before deployment meant the teams could hit the ground running when they arrived on site.  The 45 sections per day target, was achieved through mobilising two separate teams of surveyors.

Carrying out this survey at the height of summer brought the additional challenge of tree cover. Using the Trimble R12i GNSS Receiver kept the project on it’s critical path. This piece of kit allowed surveyors to work efficiently  without having to worry about getting the pole vertical as the tilt compensator executed that. However, this method was challenging at times due to overhanging tree cover on the channel, making survey difficult owing to the lack of clear sky visibility and it was also dangerous when trying to navigate through tree branches. Decisions had to be made on site as to what was achievable. Either moving sections away from trees or stopping some short of tree cover. In areas where long sections of the banks were covered in trees, one team redeployed the following week  to utilise a total station setup and fill in data gaps left from the original attempt.

One section of the survey (750m) was in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This was due to the diversity of waterfowl  it attracts. Lead Surveyor Tom Isaac and the team carried out a below the water level survey – to mitigate the risk of disturbing any nests –  using the ePropulsion electric outboard motor. In doing so, the surveyors made sure to leave the SSSI exactly as they found it, and created minimal disturbance during the survey operation.