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Pond renovation, upgrading and maintenance work on the gasworks site

Realized:

2019

performed by:

The Schlieren gasworks site was previously used to store coal, which was then gasified. After gasification was stopped, the site was recultivated and remained largely unused. Only the most necessary maintenance work was carried out to prevent the area from becoming completely overgrown with bushes.

The area now has a large ruderal area, forest, lightly wooded areas, ponds, hedges, disused railway lines and alternating meadows. The ecological value of this fenced and thus untouched area is considered to be very high, as there are few such completely untouched areas directly on the Limmat near the city. Among other things, we also came across inhabited fox dens. Over the years, however, several stands of goldenrod, fleabane, locust and butterfly bush have also established themselves in the area.

In 2018, the Nature Network was commissioned for the first time to weed the neophytes in certain areas of the area and to mow them only once in the densest areas to prevent their seeding.

In spring 2019, we were able to renovate a leaky concrete pond. For this purpose, the unused excavated material was properly disposed of and two pond liners were installed in the area of the existing, leaky concrete pond shell. The area was modeled with wall gravel, enhanced with small structures and made attractive for wild bees.

During the 2019 vegetation phase, we carried out the follow-up work, in particular the control of neophytes: Firstly, the large goldenrod fields were mown at the beginning of the flowering phase, as in the previous year, and professionally fermented using the Werdhölzli biogas plant. The splinter stocks and the fleabane stocks were weeded by hand. In an autumn operation, the young robinia growth and the buddleia stocks were trimmed and chemically treated where necessary and permitted. The subsequent autumn mowing was carried out by the area maintenance itself.

We are pleased to have once again created niches for our native flora and fauna, are looking forward to next year with motivation and would be happy to be able to carry out further maintenance and improvement measures in the area.

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