In a time of drought and hosepipe bans, one town council has come up with a way of reusing water and saving its plants.
Natural water sources are now being used to water Ventnor Park and Cascade gardens.
Pumps fitted to the stream
Ventnor Town Council (VTC) has recently fitted pumps into the stream at the two town beauty spots to solve the problems it faced following the introduction of the hosepipe ban.
Mayor of Ventnor, Cllr Steph Toogood, said two days before the ban, their contractors were told they could not water the locations in their usual way.
Instead, contractors had to rely on watering cans using tap water.
Now, sustainable solutions have been installed and have saved thousands of plants and shrubs from dying.
Water now collected and for usage
The Cascades is fuelled by a stream running off Ventnor Down and instead of the water being collected, it was being sent straight out to sea.
Cllr James Toogood said when they realised where the water went, they decided to install pumps — one which waters the lower level planting and a suction pump a hose can be plugged into to water the higher plants and surrounding greenery.
Cllr Toogood said the pump, which is also serving the park, was so powerful when it was used for the first time the hose fitting blew off.
No longer a need for tap water
He said the town council has been able to solve the problem on a small budget so they now don’t need to use tap water at the Cascades or the park to water the plants.
It would also save the town council a lot of money in the future, Cllr Toogood said.
Also regulating the flow
Mayor Toogood said the installation of the pumps seems to have helped regulate the flow of water coming down the Cascades and now with less trouble of water at the bottom.
She said the town council had really worked to make the Cascades “the jewel in the crown of the town,” with increased signage and games for children painted on the floor by the paddling pool.
Praise for workers
Mayor Toogood also thanked contractors John O’Connor and gardeners Stan Hayden and Dave Kalaker for their work and help in getting the pumps installed quickly.
South In Bloom judges visited the town in July and the results are expected in the coming weeks.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
