Property:Project summary
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O
By lowering dykes and moving dykes land inward, larger parts of the Noordwaard will be subject to flooding, thereby allowing more water from the Nieuwe Merwede river to flow to sea during high water events. When the works on the dykes have been completed the area will flood at least several times per year, particularly in winter. A number of building in the area will therefore be placed on terps. Land outside the new flood areas will stil be arable.
This results in 30 cm. lower water levels at the town of Gorinchem. Nature benefits as well,
also this area borders on the Biesbosch, thus expanding the surface of this natural estuarine area.
As the area will be open for public there are also new opportunities for walking, cycling, canooing. +
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Bypass channel in Forsa hydro power station was built in 2008-2009 by the power plant owners VEGAB Vatten Energi AB. Restoration was financed by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and costs were approximately 80 000 euros. +
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Bømlo municipality has impacted Hollund creek in the past and initiated this project to improve the habitat conditions for fish by re-establishing spawning areas for trout. This is done in cooperation with the Bømlo hunting and fishing association. Concrete restoration measures are: +
C
Cardiff Rivers Group (CRG) was formed as a result of Keep Wales Tidy
organised events around the River Taff as part of the Tidy Towns initiative.
A small number (6) volunteers formed the group to primarily tackle the build up of rubbish and litter in and around the Taff running from the Cardiff boundary down to Cardiff Bay. This was chosen initially because of the amount of rubbish that needed removing but also because it is such an important river and amenity running through the centre of the capital city of Wales, with the Taff Trail running alongside it and includes Bute Park. What should be an icon was in danger of being an eyesore. Following the success of our group and increasing numbers of volunteers – we carry out projects at least every 3 weeks on watercourses in Cardiff and surrounding areas. The events are individually risk-assessed and since 2009, we have undertaken over 120 events.
We have a fully formed committee which is totally independent with limited financially self-sufficiency.
We have a strong partnership with Cardiff parks Services, and it is a true partnership. They often identify a site for us in desperate need of attention where they don’t have the resources to cover.
We tackle it and then Parks collect the bags and whatever we drag out of the water for disposal. They supply bags and other bits and pieces for us, as well as saving scrap metal which we collect and sell.
As well as Cardiff parks we have a number of partners, some of whom support us, and some we support. Examples include KWT, Welsh Government, BT, Arriva, Associated British Ports and Waitrose who have provided us with some funding. Others have given funding and assistance in kind such as European Metal Recycling, Pontcanna Allotment Society, Porthkerry Park in Barry to name a few.
Our core clean-up events are organised every 3 weeks. The weather and time of year dictates where we go and the scope of the activity. We generally target an area that has water –perhaps along the River Taff, Rhymney or Ely, or a park with a pond or lake such as Hendre Lake in St Mellons, or streams that flow throughout Cardiff such as at the back of the sorting office in Llanishen.
The activities we do then are tailored to meet volunteer’s abilities and appetite.
Many people will litter pick the areas, others will don a pair of waders and get into the water removing trolleys, motor bikes, road barriers etc. We also now undertake regular habitat management in Forest Farm and Grangemoor Park, such as reed clearing in the ponds, Himalayan Balsam pulling, and building dead hedges.
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Chalk streams are a globally rare and threatened habitat. The Nar is 42 km long, the second longest chalk stream in Norfolk and designated a SSSI. This river catchment is in a rural area with intensive arable farming being the main land use. The upper half of the river flows over chalk, whilst the lower half descends into drained fenland, making the river catchment particularly diverse in form. The river fails to meet the standards of the Water Framework Directive for fish abundance, quantity and dynamics of flow. Poor morphology and poor water quality underpin this failure and require addressing. This project aims to deliver three large-scale reach restorations, improving morphology, water quality, biodiversity and hence ecosystem function.
Community Involvement:<br>
- Some maintenance of completed restored sections is carried out by local fisherman. This allows them to contribute to the health of the catchment. A sense of wider public ownership is fostered by river walks, talks and consultations. A River Nar Conservation Group has also been organised to encourage community involvement in the River Nar restoration project, where we have discussed ideas such as getting school children involved with monitoring fresh water invertebrates <br>
- The Project Officer is working with farmers to help them put in place measures to retain soils and prevent run-off of nutrients and pesticides +
Channel enhancements, including low flow meanders; marginal planting; restore pools and riffles; remove concrete bank; re-meandering. A potential focus of this project is the creation of a linear riverside park. This could bring together and connect both existing and new green spaces and incorporate a restored river channel and continuous footpath and cycle network. In addition, it would also provide multi-purpose flood alleviation, recreation, ecological and educational benefits. Channel uniform with concrete bed and bank. Parts of this section run through public open space but some section have development at the river edge. +
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Channel enhancements, including low flow meanders; marginal planting; restore pools and riffles; remove concrete bank; re-meandering; establish waterway link footpath. Channel uniform with concrete bed and bank. Parts of this section run through public open space but some section have development at the river edge. +
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Channel narrowing and flow deflection to create flow variation and beneficial bed scour using a variety of techniques: log flow deflectors (vanes), open and enclosed log/faggot and brushwood mattresses (silt-traps); increasing in-stream woody habitat by securing existing deadwood and hinging and pinning (layering) live riverside trees; creation of sections of 2-stage channel and enhancing marginal wetland habitat by excavating of bays/berms; and the reduction of sediment inputs by ford refurbishment and riverside fencing. The final phase involved major works to restore a section of the river to a more natural planform.
Project Objectives
The initial downstream phases were primarily designed to
Stabilise eroding river banks to reduce sediment inputs caused by fluvial processes and livestock.
Trap mobile fine sediments already in the river.
Improve conveyance during higher flows and reduce flood risk.
Improve in-stream habitats for fish and invertebrates, including white-clawed crayfish.
The final phase, at Grange Farm, set out to restore a degraded section of the river to its original course, such that the naturalised section of river would function in an ecologically and geomorphologically improved form. +
D
Channel restoration of a blocked and heavily silt laden channel on the Hampshire Avon +
M
Clear the scrub and some canopy to improve light penetration to the river. Flow & width adjustments for wider areas to create viable pool-riffle system. Despite trout spawning in the area, some habitat is degraded and silt covers gravel.<br>
Planned and in discussion for funding and delivery <br>
Funding - Environment Agency Or Wild Trout Trust (Cinderella Project) +
C
Colne Water Restoration is a partnership project that will use CRF funds to improve watercourses in an area of the Ribble Catchment that is intensely farmed and urbanised. Some river channels have been heavily modified during the Industrial Revolution.
Diffuse pollution, a lack of riparian habitat, unnatural flow regimes attributable to upland drainage and obstructions to fish passage are causing certain watercourses in the Colne Water Catchment to fail to meet the required standards under the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Fish populations, particularly salmonids, have been found to be greatly diminished.
To ensure that the failing waterbodies achieve Good Ecological Status under the WFD, the Ribble Rivers Trust aims to improve the habitat and connectivity in order to generate sustainable fish populations. The creation of riparian buffer zones will reduce diffuse pollution from farmland and roads, and some upland drainage grips are to be blocked to encourage a sustainable return to natural flow regimes.
Community Involvement - Practical volunteering activities like river clean-ups, wildlife surveys and tree planting, and awareness raising through walkover surveys and appraisal tours, Public consultation, survey work. +
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Commissioned by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and funded through a successful Catchment Restoration Fund bid, Cain Bioengineering submitted a very professional interpretation for the 750m stretch of river, incorporating a mixture of geotextile and earth back-fill berms, brushwood sediment traps, gravel riffles, large woody debris and live tree hinging. The general theme of the works was remeandering, channel narrowing and bank regrading. The creation of off-line ponds provided fill for the geotextile berms and created valuable riparian habitat. Due to the nature of the site and the partners involved (being part of the MoD training estate, with fishing rights given to theServicesDry Fly Fishing Association (SDFFA)), stakeholder consultation was crucial in the on-going development of the project. As a result of this consultation and mitigation for Water vole (Arvicola terrestris), designs had to be adapted several times during the project, leading to a bespoke, dynamic restoration which should be readily able to withstand the variety of pressures faced by the river. +
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Community groups to undertake removal of overshading trees. EA to sensitively dredge the over silted channel and remove impounding Penstock weir to return to a natural geomorphological features. The area has significant community interest with a number of open spaces and footpaths by the river. The river is broadly natural but is in relatively poor state. River is overshaded in places and a weir with penstock sluice impounds the bottom section of the river as it goes under the A10. +
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Community-based conservation empowers local people in the management process through partnerships in planning and implementation of conservation projects in the hopes of creating accountability and ownership of conservation objectives. We have taken this concept a step further, using the principles of community-based conservation in the planning, implementation and monitoring of a wetland restoration project in Camargue (southern France). The Tour du Valat (scientists and landowner), with active collaboration from a local community, has recovered 120 ha of natural wetlands that had been converted into fish farming. The conservation objective was to recover the principle habitats traditional to the Camargue with a move from artificial marsh exploitation with high, continual water levels to a more “natural management” with seasonal fluctuations in water levels. The results of the participatory monitoring have shown a return of traditional flora and fauna, with the recovery of permanent and temporary marshes, reed beds stands, pastoral vegetation and bush lands. The project evaluation showed that stakeholders appreciated their involvement in a co-learning process where habitat management, plant ecology, local uses of plants and game birds were discussed in depth with scientists and villagers. The recovered land now hosts a variety of multi-use activities for the villagers including grazing, hunting, fishing, hiking, bird watching and educational visits. Now, six years after the initiation of the project, we have shifted from a community based restoration project to a joint community managed project. +
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Construction of Kuuskoski fishway was part of the Koskenkylänjoki River restoration project. In 20th century Koskenkylänjoki River was known for its sea trout population. Dams made it impossible for the migrants to rise up in the stream and population density of sea trout decreased radically. In 2008 the regional ELY-centre (environmental authority) launched a project during which a bypass for the migrants was built. The aim of the restoration was to promote the natural breeding of migratory whitefish, salmon and sea trout. The project was managed by The Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Uusimaa (regional environmental authority) and financed by The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and the state of Finland. +
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Construction of small wooden weir to prevent uncontrolled deepening.
Renaturation of former riverbeds was carried out at specific sections of the Goriški Brežiček and Tresenec streams. Both brooks were rerouted to their former meanders in the length
of more than 500 m each. +
M
Construction of the fishway in the Merikoski brook was the first step restoring the Oulujoki river for migrating fish. Merikoski water power plant was the lowest obstacle for fish migration before the fishway was constructed in 2003. The constructed fishway now enables salmon and other migtating fish to rise up 40 km to the lower reaches of the Oulujoki river.
Migratory fishes are planted into the Merikoski every year. Also the fish migration, the amount and types of the fishes are monitored with the help of underwater videocamera and fish counter. +
Context
The Camargue wetlands are used in many ways which correspond to different types of water management. Such anthropic practices have transformed the natural habitats in many ways. Among these, traditional gaming water management, which targets the waterfowl, consists in the introduction of fresh water during summer, a period that is usually dry in the Mediterranean climate. This change in the natural cycle of water (i.e. a shorter dry period of temporary water bodies) leads to the loss of several Mediterranean species and to the eutrophication of the habitats as the organic matter has a shorter period to mineralize.
The management plan of the natural habitats of the Euromediterranean port of Marseille-Fos (GPMM) has the following objectives: (1) insure a favourable conservation status to the natural habitats and wild species, and (2) maintain traditional activities that are environmentally sustainable.
Objectives and implementation
Three types of water management, corresponding to 3 hydraulic calendars, will be tested: (1) the gaming calendar (July – January), (2) the Mediterranean calendar (November – April) and (3) the intermediate calendar (October – May).
To that end, we will create 9 ponds within the “Relai” (one of the GPMM natural estates), and implement the 3 calendars. At the “Grand Clos” (another GPMM’s natural estates), the traditional gaming water management will be maintained but we will test the intermediate calendar at 3 ponds which will be chosen by the local hunting society (SCPAM). +
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Cornwall Wildlife Trust works on behalf of the Looe Bathing Water Quality Partnership, which aims to protect Looe’s bathing waters from pollution. Partner organisations, farmers and the local community have committed over £300,000 to protect the rivers and bathing waters. +
C
Craigton Farm sits inside a large meander of the Allan Water between the villages of Ashfield and Kinbuck. The Allan Water has two large areas downstream of Craigton classified as Potentially Vulnerable Areas to flooding, which include the townships of Dunblane and Bridge of Allan. During flood events, out of channel flow passes across the Craigton Farm fields where little rugosity exists to attenuate the flood water.
Click the link to see video footage of flood water flowing back into the Allan Water at the downstream side of the meander encompassing Craigton Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk-AUS_9r60
Objectives of the project were: to reduce the speed of the out of channel flow across the farm fields; restore and increase natural riparian habitat that will benefit terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity; increase the opportunity for woody debris interaction in the river system that will benefit fisheries and habitat diversity; create an area of enhanced natural beauty for local communities to enjoy; provide an opportunity for local people to be able to learn, manage and harvest a locally sustainable food resource through the Craigton Community Orchard Group; and an opportunity to engage with local residents about Natural Flood Management by obtaining local volunteers to carry out the tree planting.
Work carried out: 420 riparian tree species including downy birch, goat willow, osier, hawthorn, rowan and hazel were planted on the banks of the Allan Water at Craigton Farm inline with breaches in the embankment at the upstream end of the meander, and where flood water flows back into the river at the downstream end. 300 trees were planted on the upstream side of the site and the remaining 120 trees were planted on the downstream side. Trees were planted by volunteers with emphasis given to plant trees at random spacing and in dense clumps inline with out of channel flow pathways. The width of the tree planting is around 5m for the majority of the two sections, however there is a fenced area on the upstream side of the meander that has been planted up to 30m width at points, bringing the planted area to around 0.5ha.
In addition, willow cuttings/whips 6-9inches long were collected from local willows and planted in parts of the river bank that would have a lot of flow interaction such as at the water's edge, eroded bank faces or inline with out of channel flow pathways to increase rugosity without risking more valuable tree species.
23 orchard trees were planted in an old disused horse field in the flood pathway on the upstream side of the farm. The orchard was designed so that no distinct channels or rows existed facing the direction of flow flood water would come from. This resulted in a ping-pong table planting design that is aimed to dissipate energy from flood water passing through the orchard. Mound planting was used to elevate the root ball of the orchard trees above the ground level to help protect the roots from being submerged for long periods in flood water, and therefore affecting the orchard trees survival. Orchard trees were planted 10m apart to allow room for growth, and ease of access, maintenance and harvest in the future.
In addition, 105 wild harvest shrub species were planted in a similar ping-pong table style design, behind the orchard trees. The wild harvest trees create another obstacle for flowing flood water to pass through dissipating more energy. The field that comprises the orchard and wild harvest trees covers 1ha.
Challenges included managing volunteers in a fun manner whilst also ensuring they plant trees correctly, and continual maintenance and care of trees over the long term.
Funding:
*420 wet woodland trees obtained through the Woodland Trust's Free Trees Grant;
*23 orchard trees obtained from the Central Scotland Green Network's Orchard Grant Scheme;
*and 120 wild harvest obtained through the Woodland Trust's Free Trees Grant.