Editing Trinity Broads (section)

==Water supply==
In 1995, most of the broads were bought by [[Essex and Suffolk Water]], as a means of supplying water to [[Great Yarmouth]]. The quality of the water is good, and has been further protected by the construction of a sluice where Muck Fleet meets the River Bure. In order to meet their statutory requirements for conservation and recreation, ESW have formed a partnership with the Broads Authority, the [[Environment Agency]] and [[English Nature]]. A joint management plan has ensured that recreational use is maintained at a low level and the value of the broads as a wildlife habitat is retained.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eswater.co.uk/TrinityBroads.aspx |publisher=Essex and Suffolk Water |title=Trinity Broads |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003104230/http://www.eswater.co.uk/TrinityBroads.aspx |archive-date=3 October 2010 |access-date=13 March 2010}}</ref> The level of water in Muck Fleet is lower than that of the River Bure, and water from the channel is pumped into the river by Stokesby pumping station, which is maintained by the [[internal drainage board]].{{sfn |Johnson |Gray |2006 |p=14}}

A project to rectify poor water quality in Ormesby Broad began in 2010. Costing £120,000 over three years, the project involves pumping mud from the bottom of the lake. The mud is rich in nutrients, as a result of agricultural runoff, and removing it increases the capacity of the lake to store water, which is extracted as drinking water, as well as providing better habitat for reedbeds at the edges of the lake. Twelve lagoons were prepared to hold the mud until it dried, but initial archaeological investigation of the site for the lagoons revealed the presence of a Middle Bronze Age field system, the first such system found to the east of the Cambridgeshire Fens. The start of pumping was delayed while the site was investigated. Pumping began in March 2010, but was delayed again when live ammunition was sucked up in the mud, and became trapped in the pumps.<ref name=esw-mud>{{cite web |url=http://www.eswater.co.uk/mudpumping.aspx |title=Mud pumping project at Ormesby Broad |publisher=Essex and Suffolk Water |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001225928/http://www.eswater.co.uk/mudpumping.aspx |archive-date=1 October 2011 |access-date=2011-08-31}}</ref>

By mid-May, pumping had to stop, due to the rapid growth of aquatic plants. It resumed in August, and by early 2011, around {{convert|20000|cuyd|m3}} had been removed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/broads/live/projects/trinity-broad/trinity-broads-news/Newsletter_2011A4.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710103415/https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/broads/live/projects/trinity-broad/trinity-broads-news/Newsletter_2011A4.pdf |archive-date=10 July 2011 |url-status=dead |title=Trinity Broads News |date=May 2011 |publisher=Trinity Broads Partnership}}</ref> Once the mud had dried, the nutrients in it make it good for fertilising poor-quality soil, and it was ploughed in. When completed, around twice this volume of mud had been removed from the bottom of the broad.<ref name=esw-mud/>