The Council is closely monitoring Canvey Lake and we are of course concerned at the impact of the heatwave conditions on our wildlife. We have submitted a report to Defra’s wild bird reporting service in line with their guidance and we have been liaising with South Essex Wildlife Hospital for advice.
We understand that geese can suffer in the hot weather conditions and are susceptible to heatstroke and dehydration. We have removed a small number of dead fish, and we have arrangements in place with our maintenance contractor to inspect the lake by boat to help better identify if there are any further dead fish (or water birds) to be removed.
We have been working closely with an aquatic specialist over the past few months to better understand the challenges that are faced at the lake and to develop a programme of improvement works to reset the lake’s ecology. Monthly visits to sample and analyse water quality and apply organic treatments are taking place to help us better understand and manage the water quality.
We have discussed the addition of further aerators with our aquatic contractor and have been advised the depth of water is insufficient for these to have any impact. Going forwards as we develop our plans, we would anticipate that further permanent aeration will be an important aspect to better support a newly restored lake.
Please be assured we will be continuing to monitor the situation closely and we will be sharing updates with residents as we develop our scheme to undertake these much needed works to enhance the Lake.