Detectronic sponsors Lea Brook Valley CIO Project

We’re delighted to announce that we are working with the Lea Brook Valley Green Team in Dronfield and Yorkshire Water to better understand the Net Present Value (NPV) of a balancing pond located in the heart of the Gosforth Valley.

The Gosforth Valley wetland area is owned and managed by Yorkshire Water with the support of Dronfield Town Council and the Lea Brook Valley Volunteers who have aptly named it the Lea Brook Valley Project. The project, which has been in operation for over ten years, was recently voted a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in recognition of all the hard work put in and is the ideal step towards its future growth for the benefit of the local community.

The pond and wetland area acts as a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) to store and treat excess water following prolonged rainfall events. The water level in the pond is controlled via a balancing dam that gradually releases water into the Lea Brook.

Originally constructed in the early 70s, the pond acts as a surface water attenuation device to protect Dronfield Town Centre from huge amounts of surface water being transported from the west side of the catchment area and flooding the high street.

Many native trees and plants, which help to improve the amenity and biodiversity of the site, can be found in the area and it is very important for the conservation of wildlife within Dronfield and North East Derbyshire.

As the wider global climates evolve and our micro-weather patterns change, countries which have in the past been sheltered from adverse weather conditions are beginning to experience more intense rainfall and tropical storms. Where we used to talk about a 1:50 or a 1:100 year storm event, the frequency of these mega storms is becoming ever more common. This can obviously have a devastating impact on both local drainage systems and wildlife but that’s where Detectronic can help.

By agreeing to carry out such a large scale data-harvesting project, we will all be in a position to fully understand and appreciate the hydrology of this particular wetland and how this interacts with the Low Land Biodiversity plan for the area.

The site is a prime example of how drainage systems, wildlife, water companies, Councils and local communities can work together in harmony to protect and encourage biodiversity on a small scale but yet have huge benefits downstream.
Everyone here at Detectronic is very proud to be a part of something created over 40 years ago with such passion and vision and that is still around to serve and protect the local community today.