Property:Project summary
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G
This river enhancement project is working to reconnect the river once more with its floodplain and to create associated wetland features that have been removed or lost from the River Sherbourne.
The project has created multiple online backwater refuge pools to provide fish and water vole with areas of slack water and cover in times of high flow. Regrading of 4 inside meander banks has been undertaken to improve the hydromorphology of this over deepened and channelised river by increasing gravel deposition, light levels and ultimately macrophytic growth. These outcomes will provide: increased spawning area for fish, increased habitat for invertebrates e.g mayfly, increased cover for fish from predation and cover and food for water vole.
The pools aid in improving water quality by assisting in the drop out of pollutants which are washed from the busy A45 road in times of heavy rainfall.
The online pools provide some additional flood risk reduction downstream by holding back water in times of above average flows.
Lowland meadow will be created on excavated soil bunds and a 200m wetland meadow buffer strip is establishing alongside the brook after being stripped of topsoil and sown with a seed mix in Spring 2016.
Woody debris installed at multiple points with Wild Trout Trust during volunteer days. These deflectors will assist in creating deeper pools for fish to hold up in during average and below average flows. They also provide riffles downstream of deeper pools increasing spawning area for fish. +
M
This river restoration project was the UK's first climate change park. It transformed a 45ha park in Dagenham in east London to showcase how greenspace can help a community cope with the risk of climate change. The Mayes Brook, which formerly lay in a concrete channel, has been brought out into the park along its 1.6km length. The scheme involved river restoration, increased floodplain storage, numerous sustainable urban drainage areas and a backwater in the middle part of the park. These have contributed to an improvement in the wildlife and recreational value of the park. The landscaping in the middle part of the park has increased flood storage by 1ha to naturally and safely store the anticipated increase in floodwaters expected in future. Modelling shows flood risk has been reduced locally within the park and in neighbouring residential streets. The lifetime value of restoring the site across the 4 ecosystem service categories yields a total of calculated benefits of around £27 million. This is compared to the estimated £3.8 million cost of the whole Mayesbrook Park restoration scheme, including the river restoration works. This produces a lifetime benefit-to-cost ratio of £7 of benefits for every £1 invested. +
P
This river restoration scheme was designed to mitigate three major impacts from the redevelopment of part of Minworth Sewage Treatment Works for development of a business park, ProLogis Park Midpoint. It is an example of how an innovative approach can be taken to multiple problem-solving in development.
The site comprised abandoned sludge lagoons that provided habitat for over-wintering birds. It was directly adjacent to the River Tame and was almost entirely within its floodplain. There was thus a need to provide ecological mitigation; to pull back the development area to respect Birmingham City Council’s requirement for a 50m riparian buffer strip; and to provide flood compensation. A river restoration scheme was designed, in close consultation with the Environment Agency, to form a back channel and islands along the Tame (which was canalised and lacked ecological interest in that reach), with an attenuation pond to control runoff. With Birmingham City Council’s approval, this was located within the buffer area, and was sized to provide the required flood storage volume to compensate for that lost to the development. The scheme thus met all the mitigation requirements through a holistic and innovative approach, while minimising the loss of developable land.
Works include:
*Provision of riparian buffer area to support Local Authority aspiration for riverside walkway
*Retention of trees on islands and creation of deadwood piles for small mammals/invertebrates
*Erection of bird and bat boxes
*Wildflower seeding of back channel banks +
D
This river was badly damaged by dredging / drainage operations in 1995-6. Investigation work led to the discovery of a previously unknown population of Margaritifera margaritifera - the population was badly damaged by this work.
Work to restore some sections of the Afon Ddu has been carried out by legacy Environment Agency Wales and Countryside Council for Wales and partner organisation Snowdonia National Park Authority since 2005. The bulk of this work concentrated on fencing out the river to reduce livestock access, but a short section of the most damaged section was restored in 2006.
The river was designated as a pearl mussel Site of Special Scientific Interest in 2010/11.
Since the formation of Natural Resources Wales, further work has been carried out with the aim of restoring in channel geomorphology, through the replacement of boulders and gravel seeding with an objective of improving the habitat for salmonids and Margaritifera margaritifera.
The small catchment size means that close co-operation with landowners is likely to be more effective than in larger, dispersed, catchments in terms of achieving water quality objectives.
Approx. £90,000 has been spent on fencing and habitat works on this river since 2005 by the partner organisations.
This river is an UK Biodiversity Plan Priority River for Margaritifera margaritifera, along with two other Welsh rivers. +
R
This scheme is part of implementation of the River Wensum Restoration Strategy (RWRS). The River Wensum in Norfolk is nationally and internationally important for wildlife. The Attlebridge scheme (Unit 53, Reach 9 and part of Reach 8 from the feasibility studies) covers 1.3km of channel, from Marriott’s Way downstream to the A1067 Fakenham Road Bridge. The key existing conditions which influenced the restoration measures included bank erosion, lack of bankside tree cover, lack of in-channel woody material and limited off-channel refuge areas. The scheme includes the installation of woody material features to help stimulate variation in the flow regime and help restore the natural form and function of the channel. On areas of riverbank showing signs of erosion and cattle poaching we have re-profiled the riverbank to provide a gentler more natural bank angle encouraging wetland marginal vegetation to establish. ‘Reject’ and smaller gravel material has been used to reduce the impact of cattle poaching on sediment mobilisation. Backwater refuge areas have been created by re-connecting an existing field drain. Shallow fry refuge habitat was also achieved by re-excavating an existing shallow open area at the confluence of the drain and river such that it was able to be inundated by water from the river again. Additional fry refuge habitat was also created adjacent to an existing ford crossing. Aside from the very downstream end of the reach, the river corridor was largely devoid of trees. We have planted 130 native wetland species along the reach which will, in the long-term, improve bank stability, create a diversity of light and shade conditions and provide a potential source of woody material to the river, improving physical habitat and providing cover for fish. +
This section of the River Pool was featureless with very little marginal vegetation. The channel was overshadowed and habitat for fish and invertebrates was limited. In a built up borough of London, the river is flashy and the aim was to design works that would account for this, while improving the in-stream condition and the wider river corridor. This was achieved through the creation of berms on alternating banks, created using wood felled on-site. The berms were positioned in a manner to encourage the creation of pool and riffle sequences to further diversify flow conditions.
The works were built entirely by volunteers, organised through the Thames21 project. The empowerment of local volunteers fosters understanding, and long-term, there is a greater aspiration to re-visit and maintain the works. Additionally, the use of volunteers and on-site materials kept costs very low, with the whole project costing in the region of £500 (€625).
series of berms on alternating banks along a section of 300m constructed from site-won wood felled along this section +
T
This site is a 453 foot reach of perennial stream located adjacent to Felts Park. This park also receives a lot of local traffic and safety was an issue due to significant erosion and undercutting of the bank abutting the park. Flow in the channel was shallow and habitat virtually nonexistent. To alleviate these problems, the channel alignment was moved away from the bank of the outerbend and deepened. Two log j-hooks followed by brush toes were constructed for grade control and bank protection. Bank slopes were regraded and floodplain benches were added to alleviate the pressure on the banks during high flow events. A double step cross-vane was constructed at the downstream end of the project for grade control. Scour pools were added downstream of each instream structure. +
This site is a 574 foot reach of ephemeral stream channel located behind Kauffman Park and the local Senior Citizens’ center. As with the other sites, erosion and public safety were the major issues here. Also of note, the contractor brought in a second crew to be able to meet the project construction deadline by being able to work on sites simultaneously. However, both crews were active on this site due to the number of structures required. Seven constructed rock/log riffles were incorporated throughout the design for energy dissipation. Four were located at the upstream end of the project at various points along the meander bend of the channel. Two cross-vane structures followed for grade control and to ensure that flow was directed toward the center of the channel. A third cross-vane was located at the downstream boundary of the project. Between the second and third cross-vanes, were 3 log drop structures and 3 additional rock/log riffles. Streambanks were regraded with gentler slopes and floodplain grading was performed beginning just downstream of the first cross-vane structure to the end of the project site. +
M
This site is a part of New Forest LIFE project. The aim of the project at this site was to develop a restoration scheme for the river that would balance the Commoner’s aspirations for floodplain grazing with the conservation objections of the New Forest SAC. Works contained the excavation and reinstatement of former meandering channel, installation of a clay plug 20-30cm higher than the surrounding floodplain and removal of weed from a 350m length of channel. +
H
This site is a part of New Forest LIFE project. The bed levels were raised for approximately 500m of the existing Stony Moors stream between the enclosure boundary and the fords on the public road. Levels were raised to within 0.4m of the surrounding floodplain to restore winter flooding on the flood plain. This was achieved using clay plugs and backfilling with imported hoggin and available bank spoil. Due to the steep gradient additional support was given to the infill in the form of log weirs, oak boards and live willow. Alongside the river bed restoration 8.8 hectares of scrub management and vegetation clearance was made. +
R
This small site is part of Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains (SMURF) project. The adjustment consisted of few several operations: widening a section of river channel, within which the river was allowed to find its own course, reshaping of river-banks to allow easier public access to the water’s edge, creation of a low-level riverside terrace, planted with reeds. +
This small site is part of Sustainable Management of Urban Rivers and Floodplains (SMURF) project. Detailed consultation between the project partners about the site at Salford Park revealed some significant constraints that prevented any work to modify the river channel and surrounding land. As a result, the final scheme for this site involved the planting of marginal and riverside vegetation to improve riverside habitat for wildlife. +
W
This stream had to be rerouted because of the construction of highway A73. It was constructed in a wide sandy strip. The sand was kept in place with wooden boards until vegetation was sufficiently developed to keep the sediment fixated. A weir has been removed to promote higher flow velocities. A fish passage used to cause excessive sedimentation, which has been fixed by creating a preferential flowpath. +
S
This stretch of river has been subject to a previous project undertaken by the Environment Agency’s predecessors the National Rivers Authority in 1994. This installed 5 small weirs and a toe boarding along a significant length of the river. These structures would now be seen as inappropriate due to the their impact on the morphology of the stream and the requirements of the Thames River Basin Management Plan. The proposal therefore is to removal the silt traps, regrade banks, meander river and remove the check weirs and toe boarding.<br><br>
The Salmons Brook is an urban river running through Enfield, London. The river has large number of issues including water quality due to urban diffused pollution and physical modifications including weirs and hard banks. For this reason the catchment (water body) has been designated as Heavily Modified for urbanisation and flood protection in the Thames River Basin Management Plan with a target of getting the river into Good Ecological Potential by 2027. The section of river from the A10 (TQ3342994308) to Latymer Rd (TQ3389694053), has been identified as section which could be improved relatively significantly through relatively minor interventions. Once the river exists the A10 culvert it passes between 2 allotments with a small footpath running on top of the left bank. At the end of the allotments there’s a footbridge across the river where the left bank opens into a small recreation ground, with the right bank being a housing estate. The informal footpath follows the top of the left bank to Latymer Rd dividing the river from the a junior school.<br><br>
The investigation needed to be completed and costed by April 2011. The consultants (whoever wins the work) will be required to undertake a detailed level survey of this stretch of river and develop options to remove these structures and restore the river to a natural morphology. The consultants should look to develop only in channel options as its not feasible to meander the channel – although regrading might be viable in some areas. Its believed that there should be two options produced 1) Complete removal or notching of the weirs, 2) replacement of the weir’s by a series of fixed gravel riffles. However if the consultants believe that there would be another viable option then they should fully investigate and present this. The consultants will also be required to investigate if the toe boarding can be removed as well.<br><br>
Aspects to consider with the investigation include the reason for the installation (erosion control) of the structures and the future consequence of there removal on the surrounding areas. The consultants also need to consider cost of instillation as there is a limited budget available for installation and therefore a cost efficient solutions needs to be developed.
This stretch of river has been subject to a previous project undertaken by the Environment Agency’s predecessors the National Rivers Authority in 1994. This installed 5 small weirs and a toe boarding along a significant length of the river. These structures would now be seen as inappropriate due to the their impact on the morphology of the stream and the requirements of the Thames River Basin Management Plan. The proposal therefore is to removal the silt traps, regrade banks, meander river and remove the check weirs and toe boarding. The Salmons Brook is an urban river running through Enfield, London. The river has large number of issues including water quality due to urban diffused pollution and physical modifications including weirs and hard banks. For this reason the catchment (water body) has been designated as Heavily Modified for urbanisation and flood protection in the Thames River Basin Management Plan with a target of getting the river into Good Ecological Potential by 2027. The section of river from the A10 (TQ3342994308) to Latymer Rd (TQ3389694053), has been identified as section which could be improved relatively significantly through relatively minor interventions. Once the river exists the A10 culvert it passes between 2 allotments with a small footpath running on top of the left bank. At the end of the allotments there’s a footbridge across the river where the left bank opens into a small recreation ground, with the right bank being a housing estate. The informal footpath follows the top of the left bank to Latymer Rd dividing the river from the a junior school. +
B
This urban chalk stream project has realigned the course of the Broadwater Brook, removing it from underground pipes and setting a new route through agricultural fields. Previously degraded from pollution entering from industrial areas and the main road network we have installed sediment traps at the upstream extent and have ensured vegetation establishment in the channel to further filter pollutants. Allowing for low flows (as a ephemeral stream) the stream is narrow with marginal shelves to provide wetland habitat whilst being flooded during heavy rainfall. The surrounding land has been transformed from arable maize fields into 6.9ha of wildflower meadow with 2.2km of new hedgerow and 500 trees forming a shaw woodland. Additional habitat in the form of three ponds, a re-wilding zone and scrapes have been formed along the riparian zone. The project tackled land contamination from neighbouring landfill along with accumulations of arsenic from previous land use. A mains sewer was realigned and mitigation for a chemical effluent pipe and mains power cable were also needed to complete the project which also had to content with a 1:3000 gradient and artificially raised ground through the centre of the site.
The project has been co-designed and delivered with the local community with numerous activities and events inspiring and raising awareness of chalk streams and the impact of urban living which has inspired behavioural change. Over 1000 members of the local community have been involved in the project whether through volunteering on practical tasks, attending educational events or being involved in one of the citizen science monitoring programmes. The site is now open to the public for the first time along a newly created Sompting Brooks River Trail which includes interpretation and artworks depicting the areas historical association with water. +
M
This was a habitat creation scheme (Photo 1) which incorporated innovative, Natural Flood Management (NFM) techniques along 230m of Mill Brook, upstream of Tattenhall near Chester (Map 1). This partnership project with the Bolesworth Estate and Tattenhall Wildlife Group created 1.5ha of priority reedbed and wet grassland habitats within a new excavated floodplain area. The project helps attenuate flood peaks and reduces risk downstream in Tattenhall. The North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee allocated £13,500 of funding to this scheme from the North West 'Slowing the Flow' project. Key facts: 1.5ha of priority habitats created, wider and improved riparian zone and wildlife corridor: reduced diffuse agricultural pollution leading to reduced sediment input and improved water quality: helping to meet Water Framework Directive objectives; increased floodwater storage upstream and flood peak attenuation, which slows the flow of the brook, leading to some flood risk reduction benefits to the downstream village of Tattenhall +
R
This was a partnership project to create a fish refuge at Cossington Meadows, to boost the number of fish in the River Soar and thereby improve its ecological condition. Additional biodiversity benefits were achieved by the creation of a wetland scrape.
Significant modification of the River Soar by dredging and straightening to aid drainage and navigation has resulted in a loss of floodplain connectivity. This has lead to a loss of backwaters and other wetland habitats which in turn has impacted the species that rely on those habitats to survive.
WFD failures in the River Soar have been partially attributed to a lack of suitable fish habitat. Creation of a fish refuge area is expected to contribute towards improvements in the Fish element. Bank reprofiling of Hobley Lake to create an island.
The EA and LRWT plan to continue to deliver improvements in WFD and provide wider biodiversity benefits. +
T
Three properties in the village of Greta Bridge, south of Barnard Castle on Teesside (Map 1), are subject to flooding from Tutta Beck (Photo 1), a tributary of the River Greta which is itself a tributary of the River Tees. The last flood in 2012 resulted in allocation of Local Levy funding and design for a 'hard measure' to be installed. However, the village is in a building conservation area and has significant archaeological heritage, and the proposed flood fence was not supported by local residents.
The Tees Rivers Trust identified a Heritage Lottery funding opportunity to support a MSc research project at Durham University to model Natural Flood Management (NFM) measures in the catchment. This has now been completed and a business case to put NFM measures in place is being made by Durham County Council. Work to install measures is expected to begin in spring 2017. +
B
Through the Bow Brook Living Landscape project we are developing a coherent network linked by corridors that can provide benefits for people as well as for biodiversity.
The catchment is largely rural and is intensively farmed and drained. This combined with erosion from cattle and unfenced banks are loading pollutants into the brook. Since the 1960s the town at the headwaters of the brook and many of the villages have increased dramatically in size raising pressures from sewage outfalls.
Farmer meetings have been essential in drawing together the community on topics that are not only of interest to the Wildlife Trust but also those actually working on the land.
The EA approached WWT to work with them in 2011 to help to improve WFD status in Worcestershire.
The Bow Brook is classed as Poor for Phosphate and Moderate for fish. The EA provided funding and support throughout the project.
The capital works on the Bow Brook are split into two categories: firstly to reduce diffuse pollution and second to increase wildlife habitat, particularly for fish. Around 14,725m2 of open water wetland has been created, working on approximately 20% of the main channels length.
Rural diffuse pollution projects across 8 sites include cattle drinkers; fencing key sections and rural sustainable drainage pools.
We have reverted arable fields into wild flower meadows reducing nutrient inputs in the catchment and directly alongside the brook’s banks, channelling the surrounding arable field’s drainage into the pools.
Fish habitat projects are spread across 6 locations including hazel faggot woody debris as deflectors to flush silts from the gravel; reprofiling sections of the dredged banks, to increase bank diversity to the over deepened channel; and the creation of additional braids of channel with deeper resting pools, shallow fringes and online pools. +