An invasive plant called Floating Pennywort is at an all-time low on the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation thanks to a successful working partnership.
The Chelmer Canal Trust started work 23 years ago to remove the local waterways of this plant, which grows in mats and doubles in size on a weekly basis, blocking rivers and causing havoc to native wildlife, local river users and water infrastructure.
In 2017, Essex & Suffolk Water formed a local action group that still runs today, bringing together all stakeholders, including the Chelmer Canal Trust, Essex Waterways, and the Environment Agency, to tackle the plant.
As an invasive non-native species (INNS), Floating Pennywort is one of many plants and species highlighted during last month’s INNS Awareness week (12-16 May).
Ashely Pinnock, Conservation Specialist at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “Tackling INNS is important to us because of the relationship between the environment and water quality. We want to create the best habitats for our local wildlife and plant life, and to do that we have to protect them against non-native species, because that in turn protects the quality of the water, meaning fewer processes to get the clean, safe, tasty drinking water from your tap.
“When we started with the project in 2017, we quickly realised if we joined forces, we could better utilise our resources and tackle pennywort head on – we could never have achieved this level of success on our own. We’ve made tremendous progress and the river is so different now to what it was.”
Neil Frost, chairman of the Chelmer Canal Trust, added: “Some of the areas of this stretch of river have been a real challenge to us over the years, but I’m pleased we can really see a difference now. Essex Waterways have done some work on the bank and we’ve been working with volunteers and divers to clear the pennywort, and today is testament to all their efforts.”
Floating pennywort is native to North and South America but was introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant. It can grow up to 20cm a day and is recognised by its round leaves. It was banned from sale in 2014.
Essex Waterways is responsible for the upkeep of the River Chelmer, from Heybridge Basin to Chelmsford, and is part of the pennywort local action group, working to tackle the plant and keep the waterway free for leisure boaters, kayakers, paddle boarders, and those using the public footpath.
David Smart, from Essex Waterways, said: “Pennywort is an important plant on the navigation, because completely unmanaged it can take over, like it did 20-odd years ago. We work carefully and cleverly with the other agencies to keep on top of it.”
Ben Norrington, from The Environment Agency, explains: “Being an alien species of plant, floating Pennywort is very opportunistic; it covers in large mats and completely dominates water courses.
“Unlike other plants, rather than giving back to the environment by for example, hosting invertebrates, it takes almost all the oxygen and sunlight from the river and we were finding a decline in species because of the plant.
“Local groups like this are so important, to be able to work together and tackle this issue for the benefit of the whole community.”
Tackling Invasive Non-Native Species is one of the headline commitments made by Essex & Suffolk Water in the Environment Strategy to 2050. You can read more about the strategy here: Environment strategy