Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Tow-Path Protection
Client: British Waterways
Background: Environmentally-friendly Coir Rolls have been installed along a 200-metre stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal at Gilwern in South Wales to counteract erosion of the canal bank and towpath and provide a natural boundary at the edge of the waterway. Once the new bank is established, the towpath, alongside this stretch of the canal, will be widened in places, and totally resurfaced with fine stone.
Design: Pre-planted with wetland species found along the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal, such as yellow iris (Iris psuedacorus), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and soft rushes (Juncus effusus), the 3-metre long Coir Rolls have already established foliage at the edge of the canal just two months after being put in place.
Results: British Waterways ecologist, Stuart Moodie, said “This sustainable form of bank protection is a cost-effective, organic alternative to ‘hard’ engineering methods such as concrete or steel sheet piling, and is the ideal solution for this stretch of the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal.”
“It will improve the ecological value of the waterway and the wider area by providing a home for canal wildlife, such as dragonflies and damselflies. Being relatively undisturbed, the margins of the canal offer sheltered spots in which fish can breed, and provide the sort of habitat that encourages water voles.”
Kevin Phillips, Waterway Supervisor, British Waterways, Wales and Border Counties, said “We’ve trailed this method of reinstating the canal bank on one or two short stretches before but this is the first time that we’ve used a bioengineering solution on this scale on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal. And we’re extremely pleased with the results.
“Apart from occasional replanting, little maintenance will be needed on this stretch of canal bank, and the Coir Rolls and chestnut stakes will eventually biodegrade into the landscape, over a period of 25 years or so.”
Materials used:
The Coir Rolls and chestnut stakes
are transported to the site of the
work by barge
Contractors install the chestnut
stakes and attach the Coir Rolls
British Waterways Supervisor,
Kevin Phillips, inspects the vegetation
growing on the Coir Rolls, two months
after installation, on a stretch that is
not yet backfilled with silt
Works 18 months after completion
