Silt happens
This week saw an exciting arrival on site: the amphibious excavator is here, ready to start the Hilsea Moat improvement work!
As you can see in the photo, this specialist machine has wide pontoons (or floating tracks) so it can work safely on soft, wet ground and in shallow water. It can perform dredging and sediment recovery where conventional excavators would sink or be unable to reach.
Having completed the initial vegetation tidy around Hilsea Moat, we are now ready to begin the next phase: from next week we will be dredging the moat to restore water depth and reduce temperature swings by removing old silt. Some of that silt has been here a very long time, so you may notice a temporary odour as it is disturbed; this will pass and is short‑term pain for long‑term gain.
Once dredging is finished we will add marginal edging and reed beds, using some of the material recovered during clearance to help stabilise the banks and improve habitat.
A splash of green
After the recent heavy rainfalls we now had the dry spell we needed to start hydroseeding our embankment – you may have spotted the bright green cover from the motorway. Hydroseeding sprays a water‑based mix of seed, mulch and fertiliser onto the soil, giving faster, more even coverage than traditional sowing; the green dye simply helps the team see which areas have been treated. We’ve now covered around one third of the new embankment and look forward to the next spring when grass and wildflowers will be in full bloom along the creek.
Here come the flood gates
At our previous phase 4 at Eastern Road the team are now fitting the final finishing touches: new floodgates.
These will sit across the two slipways we built at the Andrew Simpson Watersports Centre and the Tudor Sailing Club, and will normally remain open and only close during high tides or storm events. The photo shows the first step – pouring the concrete posts that will hold the floodgates.
News from Hilsea Lido
Become a founder member
Over at Hilsea Lido the team have released their winter opening times, as well as prices and membership options. They are inviting you to be part of their Founder Membership – limited opportunity for just 500 people to make history before the lido officially opens.
What you’ll receive as a Founder Member:
- Unlimited swimming and sauna access
- Our best-value 12-month contract, with no joining fee
- An exclusive 90th Anniversary welcome pack
Even better, you won’t pay a penny until the lido opens (in February), your direct debit will only begin once we’re ready to dive in together.
