Bristol Avon - By Brook

The river By Brook forms the heart of many communities in North Wiltshire as it carves its way through beautiful countryside and villages all the way from Burton down to Bathford. In terms of water quality and wildlife, the river is currently classed as being in ‘moderate’ condition by the Environment Agency, not achieving ‘good’ status for reasons including presence of invasive species, high phosphate levels and barriers to fish passage up the river.

With so many people involved with the river, from farmers and landowners to angling clubs and charities, a lot of work is already being carried out and there is a lot of willingness to work to protect the river and its local environment into the future.

Having so many different parties involved is fantastic but it does mean there is a need for everyone to work together. By its very nature, a river is one connected system and it’s important to understand what is happening up and downstream when planning work at a particular site. This is why we launched PEBBLE in 2019, a project working to Protect and Enhance the By Brook and its Local Environment. We are working with everyone involved with the river to create one unified plan. Rather than a lengthy report, we hope the plan will simply signpost to all existing reports and information available for the river, and include a portfolio of project ideas and management techniques to provide practical solutions that benefit not only the river, but also the wildlife, farmers and communities along it into the future.

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust also has a dedicated team of volunteers who have been working to remove Himalayan balsam from the river for the last 12 years. 

The PEBBLE report was kindly funded by the Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership
The Himalayan balsam control is kindly funded by Cotswolds National Landscape's Caring for the Cotswolds grant.