BANKSIDE STABILIZATION THROUGH REED TRANSPLANTATION IN A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED IRISH CANAL HABITAT

In January 1989 a major breach in an embanked section of the Grand Can al occurred. As a result, a 2.5-km long section required complete reco nstruction. This work was completed in approximatley 12 months, at a c ost of IR1.5 million. The canal was rewatered in March 1990. The banks ides, above normal water level, were dressed with a layer of moss peat and seeded with a mixture of grasses. The grass roots failed to bind the peat to the sub-layer of Puddle Clay and significant erosion resul ted in the season of treatment. In order to halt the harmful erosion a nd to expedite the natural reed colonisation process, roots and rhizom es from established monocotyledonous plant colonies, external to the c anal, were acquired. This paper presents the findings from transplanta tion trials using Schoenoplectus lacustris, Glyceria maxima and Phragm ites australis from river and lake habitats and comments on the effici ency and cost-effectiveness of this operation. The value of reeds in a menity watercourses is discussed.