[3][4] It was formerly a flood pound for the Stort Navigation, which was decommissioned in 2004 and converted to a more natural state.

It was purchased by the Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust from the Environment Agency in 2011.

It has a wide variety of plant species, including reed sweet-grass and meadowsweet.

[3] The site also has the endangered Desmoulin's whorl snail, which is in the Red Date Book, together with diverse dragonflies, damselflies, birds, bats, small mammals and reptiles.

Access is restricted to footpaths due to the dangerous deep silt on the site.