Yearl Weir

AquaRockBags going in river bank restoration works

As an ecologically sensitive site the use of traditional hard engineered bank protection was not an option and Salix’s bioengineered designs were favoured.

Flashy Floods in Car Park Solved

Coir Rolls pre-established with native plants providing erosion control at Porter Brook

Rock Rolls and pre-planted Coir Rolls & Pallets were used to prevent erosion whilst creating a lovely habitat in Sheffield City centre where a culverted stream had been flash flooding

The Avenue, Erosion Control & Habitat Creation Within SuDS on Old Contaminated Land

Eronet c125 will ensure that the soil behind the Coir Rolls and Pallets does not get washed away whilst plants establish

Salix have been appointed as specialist contractors to deal with the erosion control and habitat creation within a SuDS for a mix of housing and business parks at The Avenue

Naturalising a Stream at Bedlinog

Bedlinog post works with riffles and more natural flows

Constant flooding and erosion had been causing some serious problems for Merthyr Tydfil Council who manage an old reclaimed tip site, close to the village of Bedlinog in the Taff Bargoed Valley.

Conwy Spillway Success

Conwy overtopping winter 2015

In 2009 Team Van Oord installed 9000m2 of Salix’s VMax Shear Stress Turf as part of the Conwy Flood Alleviation Scheme, seven years and many major overtopping events on and it has stood the test well.

River Washburn Restoration

Spider Menzi Muck Excavator moving large woody debris below Swinsty Reservoir

Salix were approached as river restoration experts and because of the innovative Menzi Muck Spider machine which is capable of climbing in and out of a river causing little disturbance.

Coir Rolls Aid Biodiversity Boom

Selection Of Unplanted and Pre-Established 200mm and 300mm Coir Rolls

Our Coir Rolls are superb at erosion control and they are also brilliant for wildlife. Wildlife such as Water Voles benefit enormously from the immediate cover that the mature plants provide and also from the carefully thought out planting.

Silent Valley Erosion Control

Spraying HydraCX at Silent Valley

HydraCX™ was applied to 125,000m2 of poor, erosion prone soil at a large landfill site in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. HydraCX is a hydraulically applied erosion control product that protects slopes against soil and seed loss from heavy rain and wind from day one of application.

Cwmparc River Restoration

Spider machine at Cwmparc

Salix worked with Natural Resources Wales at Cwmparc in the Rhondda Valley to renaturalise the water courses in order to reduce flood risk and increase biodiversity.

River Dulais, Rhosmaen Llandeilo

Salix’s River Dulais project demonstrating the use of large woody debris (LWD) is now ten years old and has been is included in the manual of River Restoration Techniques.

Water works at Walthamstow Wetlands

walthamstow by Steve Ayers

The latest stage of the transformation of Walthamstow Wetlands into the largest wetland nature reserve in London will see the creation of new reedbeds to help preserve water quality and improve wildlife habitats.

Green Swales on Roadside

A11 SuDS green swales on roadside zero carbon

Soft engineered ‘Green Swale Grass Channel’ attenuates road run-off water, filters suspended solids, and traps hydro carbons and heavy metals, significantly improving water quality.

Bridging the Ecological and Engineering Gap

Pre-established coir rolls and pallets

Bridging the ecological and engineering gap with our effective bio-engineering solutions

Turf Reinforcement Erosion Mats in CIWEM

VMax-C350-and-P550-erosion-control-in-CIWEM

Our Technical Director, David Holland, has been in the most recent edition of CIWEM’sThe Environment Magazine talking about the value of our 3D reinforced turf mats in erosion control.

Woodberry Wetlands

Woodberry reedbeds vegetating

Desilting a large reservoir in the heart of London and creating a new wetland habitat. Dredging silts enabled us to create 13,000 square metres of new reed bed

The Spider on the River Washburn

Machine in action at Swinsty

Innovative spider machine helps restore wildlife habitats on the River Washburn. Yorkshire Water’s trial works to improve the quality of the river environment downstream of Swinsty reservoir is now well underway.

Rock Rolls – Effective Erosion Control

Rock rolls arrive in bundles with certified lifting straps

Rock Rolls offer flexibility and the fact they arrive on site pre-filled with stone greatly reduces installation time and therefore cost, compared to in-situ filled gabions. Rock rolls and mattresses can also be installed during live flow situations, which is not possible with standard gabions.

Erosion Control on Loch Garry Spillway

VMax P550 turf reinforcement mat showing good vegetation growth

Tensar VMax P550 is designed for use as erosion control on steep slopes, high-flow channels, spillways, and shorelines.

Slowing the flow at Cwmparc

Cwmparc and the spider in action

With funding from the Welsh Government’s Nature Fund, we supported Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in taking steps to naturalise one of the concrete channels which brings water down from the mountains at Cwmparc,

Woodberry in the Guardian

Woodberry Wetlands desilting work

Wildlife gardening on a colossal scale, The Guardian admires our Woodberry Wetlands work. Desilting large areas of the old reservoirs to create new reedbeds.

Restoring East Tullos Burn

Native plants, reed beds and pond at East Tullos

East Tullos Burn project transformed a waterway from a straight, hard-engineered channel, into a natural stream, functional floodplain and wetland habitat.

Naturalising Norfolk’s Chalk Rivers

Babingley river restoration work using woody debris

Salix has helped the Norfolk Rivers Trust to improve wildlife habitats on the chalk River Babingley, Hillington Estate near Flitcham, and River Nar at Pentney, near Kings Lynn.

Silent Valley Landfill

HydraCX being applied at Silent Valley site

HydraCX has been applied to a landfill site in Ebbw Vale. The liner system isolates the landfill contents from the environment therefore protecting the soil and ground water from pollution.

Wetland Creation for New Wildlife Reserve

New reedbed and wetland area being created

We have started pump dredging/desilting at Woodberry Wetlands in East London, creating new reed beds and islands. Our desilting work uses an amphibious machine…

Salix helps naturalise the chalk River Nar

Long Reach Excavators

Working with the Norfolk Rivers Trust and cbec, Salix has just completed a project to help to improve wildlife habitats on a section of the chalk River Nar in west Norfolk.

Sandwich Flood Alleviation and Spillway Scheme

Rock mattress tie in detail at hydraulic jump zone with Vmax C350

The £21.7 million flood defence scheme involved works on 16 individual reaches of the river and it reduced the risk of tidal flooding to 488 homes and 94 commercial properties in Sandwich. Client – Jackson Civil Engineering working on behalf of the Environment Agency.

Scour Protection at Lhanbryde Spillway

Llanbryde spillway with VMax P550

Following the 2005 £2million Lhanbryde Flood Alleviation Scheme, near Elgin in Moray, in Summer 2014, Salix worked with Royal HaskoningDHV engineers to improve erosion control on the dam’s spillway.

Improving wildlife habitats on the Royal chalk River Babingley

Babingley chalk river restoration

With the help of Salix, the Norfolk Rivers Trust is improving fish and other river wildlife habitats on the River Babingley near Flitcham, one of only two hundred chalk rivers left in the world.

Creating a new nature reserve in East London

Woodberry Wetlands from the air

Salix is helping the London Wildlife Trust to create a new nature reserve on the site of Thames Water’s East Reservoir in Stoke Newington.

Salix installs new green channel to reduce A11 pollution

Fully biodegradeable HydraCX being sprayed onto the green drainage channel to aid erosion control.

Salix has installed a revolutionary green drainage channel along an 18km stretch of the A11 in Norfolk, between Fiveways and Thetford.

Salix to showcase innovative phosphorus removal techniques

Phosphorus is one of the most common parameters causing a watercourse to fail water quality standards set out under the Water Framework Directive. 

Naturalising a Stream: Bedlinog

Bedlinog coir roll application

Salix reviewed the options for improving water control and biodiversity at Nant Llwynog stream – an old reclaimed tip site close to the village of Bedlinog in the Taff Bargoed Valley.

Lake Desilting & Environment Improved at Ifield Mill Pond

Installing Ifield boardwalk piles


Salix is working with Crawley Borough Council and Jacksons Civil Engineering to help improve Ifield Mill Pond & Water Gardens,

Salix Rock Rolls Protect Titchwell Marsh

Titchwell Marshes Rock Rolls close up

As part of a series of measures to protect the freshwater habitats at Titchwell Marsh Nature Reserve on the north Norfolk coast,

Lake Desilting & Biodiversity Improvements at Midhurst’s South Pond

Revetments at Midhurst

The South Downs National Park Authority has commissioned Salix to help create a wildlife haven on the South Pond, at the edge of Midhurst town centre in West Sussex. The large 800-year old pond, which has a 270-metre perimeter and two small islands, had been suffering from pollution and heavy siltation.

New wetland habitats at East Tullos Burn

East Tullos map

Salix has worked with Aberdeen City Council, cbec and Walking-the-Talk to restore the East Tullos Burn in St Fittick’s Park, Torry,

Salix is now Europe’s largest producer of coir fibre rolls

coconut husks

Working directly with ethical, organic and sustainable suppliers in Sri Lanka, each year Salix imports hundreds of tonnes of compressed coir fibres and turns them into Coir Rolls and Pallets at its Thetford nursery in Norfolk.

CocoNet 800

Coconet

Coconet800 is a robust and biodegradable erosion control system which is designed to provide immediate erosion protection to soils whilst allowing vegetation to grow. Coconet800 provides an excellent, cost-effective solution to limit erosion, increasing surface cover and roughness.

Darwen Bank Stabilisation

One Year Later. Note the Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea)

A 120 metre reach of river had been subject to ongoing bank instability issues. A gas pipeline set in the bank was dangerously close to being exposed and bank revetment options were considered.

River Rhiw Bank Protection

River Rhiw Bank Protection

Salix were awarded the contract and began works to carry out 300 metres of riverbank protection to protect this existing exposed high pressure gas pipe in March 2013.

Olympic Park Wetlands

Olympic Park

Salix were involved in making the Olympic Park a reality, when we were awarded the prestigious Tier 2 Contract in 2009 to grow all the wetland and wet wildflower plants…

M25 Road Widening

M25 45 degree slope consisting of 6F2 fill material zero soil

Salix were tasked with greening up a 45 degree slope consisting of 6F2 fill. The initial design was a covering of 150mm of topsoil over an area of about 8,000m2 using a geocell product attached to the surface of the slope to contain the soil and prevent it from slipping.

Kingsbury Tamworth Rail Line

Salix applied HydraCX in September 2009 to slopes consisting of 6I/J fill material with no imported topsoil covering the surface. The project was monitored each year to see how the vegetation established.

Coir Pallets

Purple Loosestrife flowering within pre-established coir pallets at Salix nursery

Salix produce a wide range of pre-established coir pallets planted with high quality native plant species. Coir pallets are composed from coir fibre which is a sustainable waste product from the husk of the coconut shell.

Coir Rolls

Selection Of Unplanted and Pre-Established 200mm and 300mm Coir Rolls

Coir Rolls are an organic living revetment that provide erosion control and rapid vegetation establishment. Salix have developed a range of specific species mixes for use in all types of water bodies.

Bionet C125BN

Bionet C125BN 100% Biodegradable blanket

Bionet biodegradable erosion control blankets are designed to provide immediate erosion protection and vegetation establishment assistance, then degrade after the root and stem systems of the vegetation are mature enough to permanently stabilise the underlying soil.

HydraCX™

HydraCX high performance spray on erosion control

HydraCX is a hydraulically applied erosion control product that protects slopes against soil and seed loss from heavy rain and wind from day one of application. It is 100% natural, consisting of reclaimed cotton and straw fibres.

VMax³ Shear Stress Turf

Salix have the facilities to contract grow turf using the VMax3 range of  Turf Reinforcement Mats

Salix have the facilities to contract grow turf using the VMax range of Turf Reinforcement Mats (TRMs). VMax C350 or P550 is used as the reinforcement element within the turf giving unprecedented scour protection performance.

VMax³ P550

VMax P550 On Reinforced River Bank

VMax³ P550 is composed of a permanent, ultra-high-strength, three-dimensional matting structure incorporated with a permanent 100% polypropylene fibre matrix.

VMax³ C350

VmaxC350

VmaxC350 is a permanent Turf Reinforcement for reinforcing soils. The VmaxC350 incorporates a coir fibre layer to provide instant erosion protection, whilst the three-dimensional grid provides significant long-term protection.

Sandwich Flood Alleviation Scheme

Rock mattress tie in detail at hydraulic jump zone with Vmax C350


The £21.7 million flood defence scheme involves works on 16 individual reaches of the River Stour and will reduce the risk of tidal flooding to 488 homes and 94 commercial properties in Sandwich.

Balfour Beatty endorse Salix’s erosion control solutions

Vmax image

We are delighted to report that Balfour Beatty have included our Eronet C125 and VMax C350 erosion control solutions and our Rock Mattresses in their Innovation Sheets.

Royal Parks, Serpentine Lake

Floating Islands on the Serpentine

As part of a programme of wildlife habitat improvements in the Royal Parks, Salix have been awarded a contract to create large floating wetland islands on the Serpentine Lake in London’s Hyde Park.

Roadwater Erosion Protection

rock rolls lifted into place

The River Washford runs through the village of Roadwater near Minehead, Somerset. The catchment creates a flashy river which floods parts of the village in large flood events.

Medmerry Realignment Scheme

Water vole works EA photo

Medmerry is one of the stretches of coastline most at risk of flooding in southern England. The overall scheme involves building major new sea defences inland and allowing a new intertidal area to form between Selsey and Bracklesham in West Sussex.

BioHaven Innovation

floating island wetlands

Wetlands are an incredibly valuable environment, both to nature and wider society; BioHaven can offer all of the ecosystem services of a healthy functioning wetland but can be placed in an area where it would be impossible to put a constructed or conventional wetland.

10th Anniversary River Dulais Project

Living-Root-Wad-Revetment

Tenth Anniversary of Salix’s Project on The River Dulais, Rhosmaen, Llandeilo.

Salix’s River Dulais project demonstrating the use of large woody debris (LWD) is now ten years old and we are delighted to announce that this ground breaking project has been included in the River Restoration Centre (RRC) Manual of Techniques.

Rock’n’Roll!

Rock rolls arrive in bundles with certified lifting straps

Rock Rolls are a robust, flexible and permanent revetment for use around reservoirs, shorelines, lake edges,

Salix appointed Sole UK Distributor for VMax Soil Erosion Range

Installing-VMax-P550-Turf-on-the-Teme

Salix are pleased to announce that We have been appointed as the sole distributors of the VMax® range of soil erosion control products formerly known as North American Green.

Tough Test on The Teme

River Teme 4 machines placing fill

The River Teme is a sensitive SSSI and SAC river and over 150 metres of severe bank erosion was threatening a National Grid pipeline.

Under The Boardwalk

Wetland plants in pots

Richmond Royal Parks is a walkover for Salix and Sir David Attenborough’s Volunteers.

In our last newsletter and in the piece On Her Majesty’s Service we featured the start of our works at Richmond Royal Parks,

Better Banks!

Lewes in Aug 2015

The Environment Agency are responsible for the river bank stability at Railway Lane, Lewes and recognising the integrity of the existing blockwork facing was deteriorating began to look into solutions to this challenge.

On Her Majesty’s Service…

Plants grown in cells to order

Work has commenced at one of our most prestigious locations to date The Royal Parks.

We have been appointed as a result of being able to demonstrate our experience in working in environmentally sensitive areas whilst employing our own specialist staff and machinery to minimise the impact of our works.

Wilderness Lake

Wilderness Lake

The Wilderness Lake is an important coarse fishery and recreational resource on the edge of Porthcawl in South Wales. It also functions as a flood storage area for the surrounding urban areas.

Gloucester Business Park

Gloucester Business Park

A new warehouse complex required a large balancing pond to take surface runoff water. The pond had steep sides which required some form of ground stabilisation.

Cwmbran Boating Lake

Cwmbran Boating Lake

The boating lake was a popular local attraction and fishing lake. The lake edges were in bad repair with little or no marginal vegetation. Floating islands were also required to add further habitat for fish and wildfowl.

Longham Lakes

Longham lakes

Working for Bournemouth & West Hants Water, Salix were appointed as Main Contractor to undertake 2km of bioengineering works to stabilise the shoreline of a new reservoir.

Ramsden Bellhouse

Ramsden Bellhouse Embankment

A series of potentially dangerous deep seated failures on a railway embankment required treatment to prevent further slips. The geotechnical issues of ground stability were resolved using soil nailing.

Chipping Campden Rail

Chipping Campden Rail Cuttings

HydraCX was sprayed onto 5,500m2 of re graded rail embankments to prevent erosion and establish vegetation rapidly without importing expensive topsoil. HydraCX also replaces erosion control geotextiles.

Foss Dyke Bank Stabilisation

Bank Stabilisation

A rise in pleasure boating on the Foss resulted in severe boat wash. Monitoring revealed that the rate of bank erosion was up to 2.5 metres in a year over a 2km stretch.

Pewsey Rail Embankment

Soil Nailed 45 Degree Slope With Cellular Soil System

A rail embankment had slipped and was reinstated with soil nails providing geotechnical stability. Birse created working platforms with imported stone and then used a soil cell system to retain about 150mm depth of soil on slopes up to 43 degrees.