Waterways and wellbeing charity, Canal & River Trust, working together with the European Regional Development Fund, Highways England and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, have secured £3.1 million to improve the water quality and encourage wildlife back to the Titford Pools in Oldbury.
Hidden away under the M5 motorway Titford Pools is located along the Titford Canal and is part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations – which this year is celebrating its 250th birthday.
The Pools were originally constructed as a small reservoir in the 1770’s to feed the Titford Canal and today feeds water to both the canal and to Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham.
Over the years, they have become silted up which is affecting the water quality and impacting on the amount and variety of wildlife visiting the pools.
According to the officials, the two-year project will involve dredging the pools to remove the build-up of silt and a redesign of the drainage channels from the M5 motorway to stop road debris from entering the pools.
Work will also include cutting back the trees, bushes and shrubs to open up the pools to encourage more plants and wildlife to the area as well as clearing pathways and updating the visitor signage.