Wiltshire Wildlife Trust case study
Supporting river and wetland restoration across Wiltshire
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (WWT) has spent more than 20 years restoring rivers and wetlands across the region — from small‑scale habitat enhancements to large river realignments and floodplain reconnection. The team’s long-standing objective is to restore natural processes, improve water quality, and enhance biodiversity across Wiltshire's watercourses.
Rising phosphate levels in the Hampshire Avon
WWT launched the West Chisenbury project after detecting increased phosphate loading in the Hampshire Avon, driven in part by the rebasing of army personnel around Salisbury Plain. The Hampshire Avon is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) - meaning it requires a highly sensitive, low‑impact approach.
Traditional engineered reedbed solutions were unsuitable due to their reliance on concrete and other built infrastructure. Instead, WWT designed an online phosphate‑stripping wetland system integrated with river restoration, and this innovative approach depended on accurate, reliable laboratory analysis from the outset.
Our role: analytical evidence to validate a natural wetland solution
Normec DETS provided the data WWT needed to monitor and validate the effectiveness of their wetland design. Our contribution included:
12 months of complimentary water and sediment testing, enabling immediate project start‑up.
Rapid, reliable analysis of key parameters including phosphorus and total organic carbon.
Clear communication and responsive technical support to the WWT water team.
Consistent, high‑quality data suitable for modelling long‑term phosphorus storage.
This early analytical baseline was essential to understand how the wetland system was functioning from day one.
Early results: strong evidence of phosphate trapping
Ongoing monitoring supported by Normec DETS is already showing encouraging results:
Increasing concentrations of phosphorus and total organic carbon in wetland sediments, indicating successful trapping of phosphate‑rich suspended material.
Data trends that confirm the wetland is functioning as intended while avoiding any engineered structures inappropriate for the protected Avon landscape.
Inputs for a developing hydrological model that will estimate total phosphorus storage over a five‑year period.
Our consistent, accurate testing ensures WWT can quantify the environmental benefits of this nature‑based approach with confidence.
Client feedback
“We really appreciate the year’s worth of free testing Normec DETS donated at the beginning of our monitoring programme. They are also incredibly responsive to enquiries, and results are turned around very quickly.”
Alice Eley, Head of Freshwater, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust
Outcome
Normec DETS’ fast, high‑quality analysis has enabled WWT to accurately measure improvements in water quality and the restoration of natural river processes. Our data continues to underpin the project’s long‑term modelling and will help quantify the environmental gains delivered by this innovative phosphate‑reduction approach.
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