Green Gunge Going ...

Canal covered in green gunge

After many months of the Basingstoke Canal being covered in green gunge it is finally being cleared.

Since last summer the canal has been covered in a green carpet.  I highlighted the issues in a Council meeting last year, asking Woking Council to write to the Basingstoke Canal Authority to get clearing work done.

Some of the weed required a new weedcutter as the small size of the weed meant it was not picked up by usual equipment.

Post-storm work on the canal, picking up many fallen trees, delayed the clearing of the gunge but staff and volunteers are now hard at work clearing the canal.

Gunge free canal

In discussion with the canal authority I learnt that there are two types of weed afflicting the canal.  The good news is that neither type is damaging to wildlife.

Lesser duckweed does not generally affect animals or the plant life of the canal. However oxygen levels for fish can be affected if there is a large quantity of this weed.

Floating pennywort is a fast growing plant. It can grow by 20cm a day.  The new weedcutter is now tackling this plant. Floating pennywort is particularly difficult to control because it can re-grown from the tiniest fragment.  The canal authority is asking boat users to check their weed boxes to help clear out this invasive species.

Some of the area of the canal between Sheerwater and St Johns has already been cleared and the rest should soon be cleared.