Pump for Dogsthorpe Star Pit

Dogsthorpe Star Pit was excavated for clay used to make bricks and is named after the Star Brick Company. When the clay ran out, the site developed naturally into a wildlife haven and in 1993 was notified as a SSSI. The excavated area now contains a variety of habitats including scrub, grassland, bare clay, sedge, reedbeds, small pools and open water. To preserve the mosaic of shallow pools, critical for water beetles and other invertebrates, excess water must be pumped out from a channel on the pit floor, up the embankment and over the road into Carr Dyke. After long term exposure to the salts from Jurassic clays the current pump has corroded and failed and is uneconomical to repair. This project will replace the pump, modify the pumphouse to increase water flow and prolong the life of the new pump and install a a pump control panel and float level regulator to make pumping more efficient. The project will also dig out pools and undertake a site survey to record the invertebrate species present.