Property:Project summary
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K
Divert existing Pyl Brook channel near culvert entrance through Hamilton Avenue recreation ground and reconnect it into the existing watercourse 113m downstream. The total length of the diversion channel is 164m which effectively increases the watercourse length by 51m. The new channel will incorporate a sinuous channel with riffles, pools and berms. The old channel will be partially infilled and will form an undisturbed island of habitat between the new and old channels. Some of the toe boarding will be removed and used in habitat elsewhere on site. New and upgraded footpaths, wildlife flower grass areas and bridge across Pyl Brook will be provided. The site is situated within the Kimpton Industrial Area and forms part of a wider proposal to create a Linear Park around the Industrial Estate. This forms part of the UDP objectives for the Industrial area and associated environmental and recreational enhancements in the area. The works are being carried out by the London Borough of Sutton. The Environment Agency have been consulted regarding the diversion and re-routing of a section of the Pyl Brook as part of the Planning Application and the Consenting process. +
M
Divert through pasture from concrete channel and introduce meander. River has been straightened with soft banks and bed and straight concrete channel.<br>
02.08.11 - Funding and commitment to delivery: Project will start on site end April/beginning May +
S
Diverting the culvert and opening it up (including canal feeder). Landscaping and widening the channel where possible to provide green belt buffer zone. Propose to re-divert the canal through the development to make it a feature of the site. +
W
Dog bathing and signal crayfish activity had significantly weakened a 30-metre section of bank on the Ouzel in Milton Keynes. Significant amounts of bank material were collapsing in to the river, contributing to deterioration of river habitats. Furthermore, there was concern that a well used footpath, adjacent to this section, was at risk of failure in the future if nothing were done to stabilize the bank.
Works were jointly undertaken by the Environment Agency, Park's Trust and Volunteers to improve public safety and to prevent further deterioration of habitats.
Willow logs and brash, were collected by the Park's Trust who were undertaking scheduled tree works in the area. These were secured in the channel using fence posts and steel fencing wire (see photos). +
T
Drainage, habitat loss, agricultural intensification, development, and invasive species are just some of the issues that have taken their toll on the condition of the river over the years. The goal, as set out in the CMP, is ‘to conserve, enhance and, where appropriate restore the total river environment through effective land and resources planning across the Tweed catchment’. For this reason, our work covers source to sea and focuses as much on managing land as the river itself, as rivers are very much a function of the land they flow through.
Whilst we have carried out restoration work in all areas of the catchment, we tend to focus our work in sub catchments which have specific issues - such as diffuse pollution, poor morphology, flood risk, degraded habitats etc. Working with local farmers and land managers, we use the following prescriptions, often in combination:
• Wetland restoration – restoration of peatlands through ditch blocking, tree removal and stock reduction; creation of ponds and scrapes
• Riparian enhancement through fencing and planting.
• Channel planform restoration – through re-meandering and placement of large wood debris.
• Innovative bank protection using logs, filtrexx and willow,
• Access – improving access to the river is a key deliverable
• Education – with schools, colleges, local interest groups etc
• Training – with Training colleges (Scotland’s Rural College), SNH, RRC, etc on-site best practice
• Awareness raising – Agricultural shows, newsletters, press, conferences, talks etc
• Research – strong portfolio of co-operative research partnerships delivering innovative solutions and impact across a range of topics, and ecosystem services
• Piloting the national Land Use Strategy using an Ecosystem Approach
• Science in to Policy – we work with statutory agencies and policy makers to improve the legislation, providing the evidence and test-bed for the acceptability and applicability of new initiatives environmentally, economically and socially.
• Partnership building – working with individuals and organisations (NFU, Scottish Land and Estates, Country Landowners Association, EA, SEPA, SNH, NE, etc) to build trust and deliver their agendas for the Tweed, alongside ours.
In the last 5 years (not including the large achievements of the Tweed Rivers Heritage Project – see brochure attached) we have restored and enhanced over 60km of river through fencing off and planting, remeandering (2km), installation of over 100 engineered woody debris features; planting of 230ha of riparian woodland; 30 ponds/wetlands; 125ha of raised bog enhanced.
The Tweed Rivers Heritage Project – a complex, multi-disciplinary project aiming to conserve and enhance the natural, built and cultural heritage of the Tweed. This £9 million scheme involved 50 separate projects and over 60 different funding partners – see attached brochure for details.
Tweed Invasives Project (ongoing) – a catchment wide project controlling invasive non native plant species across 300 miles of river. Now in its 13th year the project has successfully reduced Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam. Total cost - £1milion to date and includes a great deal of in kind and voluntary support. Detailed botanical monitoring has shown 100% eradication on some of the worst sites that were dense monocultures when we started.
Eye Water Diffuse Pollution control project (ongoing) – a targeted project to buffer livestock from water courses on a priority waterbody. Fencing carried out on 11 farms amounting to £100k. The designated bathing water at the mouth of the Eye has gone from a fail to good quality.
Eddleston Water Project (ongoing) – a project aiming to restore a channelised river to achieve good ecological status under the WFD and also attenuate flood flows through slowing down flow and increasing storage. To date 1.8km of river have been re-meandered; 66ha of woodland planted; 16,000m of riparian fencing; 54 woody debris dams; 13 wetlands/ponds created; 70,000 trees planted. Whilst we have not had a big flood event to test the flood attenuation impact, there are very clear habitat/biodiversity improvements including aquatic invertebrates, salmon (through increased channel length and diversity; visual redd counts) and designated species such as otter (visual sightings and spraint density). WFD has gone from ‘poor’ to ‘bad’ and will shortly be at ‘moderate’.
Bowmont Project (ongoing) – a project aiming to restore the river after a series of devastating floods and rebuild the resilience of the catchment to withstand such events in the future. 50ha of riparian planting, 64 engineered log structures; 365m of innovative bank protection demonstrating many differing techniques. Some stabilisation of gravel already recorded by JHI.
Till Wetland Restoration Project – a £300k scheme aiming to reconnect the river with its floodplain – 7km of flood bank removed, 130ha of floodplain enhanced, 80ha of wetland created/enhanced. Large increase in wading bird and wildfowl populations registered.
Gala Water – (ongoing) over 50ha of riparian planting and fencing in the headwaters aiming to attenuate floods and improve biodiversity.
Craik project – 0.5 km remeandering (400% increase in channel length) and floodplain woodland (8000 trees) on the upper Borthwick Water. The local fishery biologist said that increasing channel length would likely give a corresponding increase in fish numbers.
Other - Peatland restoration (ditch blocking, stock reduction, tree removal) at numerous sites across the catchment. Working with Scottish Water to improve water quality in the catchment surrounding their reservoir assets.
The majority of these sites are open to viewing/visits at any time through the Forum and we spend a good deal of time showing people the work on the ground and sharing best practice/lessons learnt.
A
Due to colonization and agricultural development, the river has been modified from its layout in plan and construction of longitudinal dykes. As a result of the loss of space, floods are quite common but not extraordinary floods. Riparian vegetation has disappeared. The river is restricted laterally and lost lateral connectivity, flood plain disappearing.
The main objectives of the project are: improvement of the composition and structure of vegetation; improvement of longitudinal continuity of the river system; recovery of river morphology; and rehabilitation of degraded sections (urban). Removal of 7800m3 of sediments.
This project counts with the support of national institutions. The financing comes from the Ministry of Environment. The total budget for carry out the rehabilitation is 4.382.861,36€. +
R
Due to the proximity to populated areas, the stream of Can Sunyer is highly anthropized, being able to observe various species in the exotic gardens, among other pressures. Despite that, the stream preserved in some sections a remarkable environmental and scenic quality that deserves to be preserved and enhanced.
The main objectives in this project are: to preserve natural systems typical of wetland and fluvial ecosystems, especially the riparian forests; to prevent and eliminate existing impacts on banks of the stream; facilitating access of visitors to the area, reporting the ecological and social landscape of the place; to provide an area of natural interest for environmental education.
The project has a total budget of 42.980,61 € and is financed by Natura Foundation, Municipality of Martorelles and Laboratorios Esteve S.A. +
P
Due to the recent restoration of the pond of Sils, the canal is highly transited. Despite that, the landscape quality of the space is so limited and the administration wants to dignify and manage the space. It is important to regulate the flow of visitors to avoid the impact on the environment.
The mains objectives of this project are: ecological and landscape improvement of the area; removal of the old bridge and construction of a new; assist natural recovery using engineering techniques.
This project of restoration and recovery of the area was carried out between March 2008 and April 2008. The total budget was 29.899, 93€. The financing came from the Municipality of Sils. +
B
Due to their loss of spawning and nursery sites, rheophilic fish populations (especially barbel, chub and dace) the river Evenlode faced significant recruitment problems. These problems originate in the widening and dredging of the channel leaving it over-sized, with few features to provide habitat or refuge for juvenile fish. With local angling club membership dwindling, the project aimed to increase fish populations in the river through the introduction of a more diverse flow and the allowance of more frequent flooding. +
D
Dumbreck Marsh is a ‘brownfield’ wetland area which developed naturally on post-industrial land in the mid/late 20th Century. The area was once heavily used for colliery activities and mineral railways. After the decline of the colliery industries the land was left fallow and gradually accommodated wetland habitats and associated species – eventually including the endangered lapwing? – it also became a valued area for greenspace, public access, and wildlife for the local Kilsyth community and was designated as a Local Nature Reserve by North Lanarkshire Council in…19…. Recently the marsh has suffered drying out and loss of wildlife, with access routes becoming eroded and therefore limiting public access.
Historical mapping shows the Garrel Burn was straightened into an entrenched channel over 250 years during either 17th or 18th century creating simplified channel lacking in morphological diversity and subsequently habitat complexity while also disconnecting it from its floodplain at Dumbreck. Continually dredging of the channel and embankment construction resulted in greater levels of incision and floodplain disconnection. Further to this, two weirs located within the river at Kilsyth prevented access to over 1.5 km of quality upstream habitat to migrating fish (eel, trout, salmon, lamprey).
By restoring around 600m of the burn to a more natural lowland meandering planform, with a wider and shallower channel displaying gravel bars and pool features, the river will be able to accommodate a greater variety of wildlife and provide more attractive fish habitat. The channel also now allows the Garrel Burn to naturally flood into the wetland zone to help recharge the marsh with water.
Two weirs have had “pre-weir” fish ladders built below them to allow migrating fish to, once again, reach the upstream habitat available to them in Kilsyth.
Public access has been substantially improved with new pathways and resurfacing of existing popular routes. Three new attractive footbridges also enhance the experience of the riverside for the public. The paths at Dumbreck contain a variety of options for public enjoyment including short circular walks, and connectivity with other networks including the John Muir Way. Further community and visitor engagement and improved interpretation of the sites industrial and natural heritage is an ongoing part of the strategy for the Council.
The Dumbreck Marsh where enhancements have taken place covers an area of around 70 hectares.
The length of Garrel Burn enhanced by the work is 1 km. Around 600 m of a new meandering channel has been created through Dumbreck Marsh. The whole length of the river (1km) has had INNS (Japanese knotweed and Himalayan Balsam) eradicated, with existing banks re-profiled and seeded.
Fish (salmon, trout, eel and lamprey) have access to the improved river (1km), and also with new fish ladders built on the two weirs at the upstream end of the works, fish now have access to 1.5km of river habitat within Kilsyth.
*Over 2km of footpaths have been restore, along with 3 new footbridges and a board walk for public access.
*Habitat enhancements – scrapes, bird boxes, sand martin wall, woody structures placed in channel for habitat and channel form.
*Disabled car parking improved.
*Further tree planting planned with community volunteers in 2022.
*Ongoing engagement with local communities will be led by North Lanarkshire Council for greenspace access and local heritage.
Dunston beck is a small pilot project that the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust (LRT) has recently completed on a short section of the Dunston Beck downstream of Dunston village. Dunston Beck has been historically straightened, deepened and widened for the purposes of land drainage and flood protection, these activities have removed many of the natural features. The work involved improving the river habitat by creating berms with brushwood, creating pools by installing log deflectors and managing trees.
In 2014, the Wild Trout Trust (WTT) carried out an advisory visit for Dunston Parish Council and a report was produced identifying a number of opportunities for Dunston Beck. Since the report was produced the LRT & the WTT have collaborated with local land owners, Dunston Parish Council and the Environment Agency (EA) to work together and deliver remedial habitat improvement works with the help of local volunteers.
Since the initial habitat improvement works were carried out in 2014, local people have begun their own monitoring of the becks and a small fishing club has been established. The LRT has worked with Dunston primary school, providing equipment to enable pupils to sample and investigate the invertebrate life within Dunston Beck. The LRT, WTT and the EA attended the medieval festival, which was a fun engagement event to be a part of in Dunston Village.
The success of this project has inspired the LRT to develop this project further and bid for funding to improve other sections of Dunston Beck and other limestone becks found in Lincolnshire.
Further habitat improvement works are being carried out on Dunston Beck in 2016 & 2017 with the help of the Tesco’s Bags of Help Funding.
This important work will help to improve the aesthetic value of the stream for local people and protect the wild trout populations that live here. +
C
During late 2005 as part of the CASS EU LIFE Project, the Clugston Burn was cleared of various debris dams which were blocking adult salmon form entering the burn to spawn. +
I
During the creation of a bypass by the river, the burn was engineered by encasing it in gabion baskets to provide structural protection for the roadway piers. Reno mattresses were also used to prevent down-cutting by the burn. In the high-energy environment of the burn, the reno mattresses' protective PVC layer was eroded and the galvanised coating of the mattresses exposed, causing them to split open and the withheld material released. The remaining wire became a hazard for fish, snaring many. Additionally, the downstream gabions would often block surface water in low-flow conditions, with water simply flowing 'through' them in the gaps in between. Accordingly, fish migration was often blocked.
The restoration saw the removal of the reno mattresses and the introduction of boulders to create pools, diversify flow and collect sediment. These boulders were set in concrete to prevent their movement in high flows. Timber extraction of non-native conifer plantation. Planting of native broadleaf tree species. Local school children helped to plant the native broadleaf tree species. +
T
The Manzanares River Restoration: Demolition of an obsolete dam and riverine ecosystem rehabilitation +
During the decade of the 40s, a small dam (9 meters high, 23 meters width) was built in the Manzanares River, in a site placed inside the Regional Park, in order to supply water to the village –Manzanares del Real- located few kilometers downstream. Year by year the dam has accumulated such a big quantity of sediments coming from the granite banks and slopes that at the end of the century it was completely full of sand, in such a way that it became useless.
The main target was to give back to the river the natural features it had before the dam construction and to recover the longitudinal and transversal continuity.
The river basin authority, that belongs to the Spanish Ministry of Environment -Confederación Hidrográfica del Tajo- in collaboration with other authorities (the local Council and the Madrid Autonomous Community), stated as an achievement this dam removal, in order to solve the problems the structure was inducing in the riverine ecosystem. The project has a total budget of 450.000€. +
A
During the winter of 2013/14 there was flooding in Aston Clinton Park, partly as a result of a collapsed culvert. The opportunity was taken to create a new stretch of open watercourse which would bypass the collapsed culvert and was set to benefit the environment, reduce flood risk and be more cost efficient than replacing the very old culvert. The project involved many different stakeholders at different levels of community and council involvement including: the Environment Agency; the tenant farmer; Buckinghamshire County Council, Aylesbury Vale District Council and Aston Clinton Parish Council. The stakeholders worked together by sharing and reducing costs, making use of and blending the skills available within the different organisations and community. The project would have been much more expensive and difficult to achieve without the excellent partnership working demonstrated by all stakeholders. All stakeholders were happy with and proud of the project. The newly cut channel will continue to develop and mature and be a source of pleasure to the community and landowners and benefit to the environment.
Works included: 185m stretch of open river installed to bypass the collapsed culvert. +
E
Dwyrain Cymru Salar 2009
Axis 3, Article 38 of the EU fisheries fund in Wales includes the measure "The rehabilitation of inland waters, including spawning grounds and migration routes for migratory species", which is tailor made for the restoration of salmon, sea trout and eels in the Wye and Usk.
Wales is divided into two economic zones: Convergence and non Convergence with the line roughly north south. Eastern counties such as Powys and Monmouthshire are in the non Convergence zone. Our successful bid of £523,000 in 2009 also included some funding for our neighbouring trust on the Severn.
What is the project doing?
Fish Passage
The fund will enable new fish passes and easements to be built as well as the removal of further barriers. At last we have some funding for the lower Usk where barriers on a number of tributaries have excluded salmon (and trout) for a number of years. These include the Gavenny, Ffrwd and Bethin. On the Wye we have replaced the temporary fish pass on the Sgithwen and upgraded one on the Clettwr. In 2011 will make the Trothy passable once again. Building on a series of fish access projects in Herefordshire, completed with the aid of the Leader+ and WFD projects, this fund will also restore fish passage throughout the upper Lugg.
On the Severn we have surveyed the upper river including the tributaries Vyrnwy and Banwy.
This project could allow the completion of all fish passage requirements in the Welsh sections of our catchments.
Improving Habitat
Another 13km of habitat restoration is planned though we are confident of comfortably exceeding this target. Sites completed already include the Cilieni on the upper Usk and the Tarell, just outside Brecon. On the Wye, sections of the Camddwr, Nantmel Dulas and Ithon have been coppiced and fenced with instream cover being added. Other sites will be prioritised according to how badly damaged their habitat is.
Acid Waters
Sand liming of first and second order forest streams on the upper Wye and Severn will take place during the spring, continuing and extending the work done in pHish.
Progress
2009
Aug- Sept
• Fish pass constructed on Nant Menasgin – opening up 3.9km of salmon nursery habitat (Usk).
• Obstructing debris dam removed from Nant Glas –opening up 5.8km of salmon nursery habitat (Wye).
• Consenting of habitat works commences. Upper Severn survey commences.
Oct- Dec
• 0.6km of Nant Tarell through Brecon coppiced to improve productivity and salmon habitat (Usk).
• Coppicing starts on Cilieni (Usk) and Cammddwr Ithon (Wye).
• 184km of Severn tributaries surveyed for obstructions, habitat quality and issues.
2010
Jan- Mar 2010
• 4.1km of Cilieni, 2.8km of Cammddwr Ithon, 1km of Ithon and 0.9km of Nantmel Dulas (Wye) improved by selective felling and introduction of woody debris to increase in channel cover.
• Severn survey has now extended to over 900km of river. We start uploading it onto GIS for analysis.
Apr- Jun 2010
• Consents sought for extensive fish pass programme.
• 30 streams in upper Wye and Irfon treated with sand lime to ameliorate problems with acid waters.
• Uploading and analysis of Severn survey.
• Stock excluded from 960m of Nantmel Dulas and alternative water supply provided.
Jul- Sept 2010
• Permanent easement constructed on Afon Honddu – improving access to 23.5km of salmon nursery habitat (work carried out by EAW).
• Fish pass constructed on Afon Cynrig (Usk) – opening up 2.45km.
• Fish pass rebuilt on Nant Clettwr (Wye) – improving access to 6.5km.
• Fish pass replacing temporary structure on Nant Sgithwen – opening up 1.2km.
• 3 Easements completed on Afon Tarennig (Wye) – opening up 1.1km.
• Easement constructed and another modified on Afon Crawnon (Usk) – opening up 7.0km.
• Obstructing debris dam removed from Nant Cleisfer (Usk) – opening up 2.8km.
• Obstructing debris dam removed from Gilwern brook (Wye) – opening up 1.5km.
• Obstructing debris dams removed from Ochram brook (Usk) – opening up 0.8km.
• Atkins instructed to construct feasibility study and design a fish pass for Mill Weir on the Gavenny for construction in 2011 (Usk).
• Stock excluded from 4.46km of Nant Cilieni (Usk).
• Stock excluded from 2.9km of Cammddwr Ithon.
• Summer electro-fishing completed with encouraging results.
Eldbäcken is a more diverse version of a nature-like bypass channel, a fishway type that we call “biocanal”. The name derives from the fact that the fishway is constructed not only to facilitates passage, but also to contain additional habitats and thereby compensate for the loss of biodiversity which often is the result in regulated rivers.
The biocanal was constructed in 2009 in the Västerdalälven river system, in the province of Dalarna in central Sweden, diverting water around the Eldforsen hydroelectric power plant and into the old river bed. The biocanal has a head of 5 m and a length of 500 m, resulting in a gradient of 1%. To make the flow as nature-like as possible, the intake of the biocanal is constructed to allow a variable flow regime.
To increase the potential for a high biodiversity, four different habitat types, each replicated three times, were created within the biocanal:
1) Pools, with a low water velocity and gravel substrate to compensate for lost freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) habitat and spawning areas for brown trout (Salmo trutta).
2) Floodplains, with winding channels and shallow ponds and
3) Braided habitats, where the canal has been diverted into narrow channels with islands in-between. These two habitat types were created to accommodate young individuals of brown trout.
4) Riffles, with a straight watercourse and higher water velocity, providing habitat for rheophilic taxa in general. +
A
En 2010, le SIVOA a abaissé les trois clapets des ouvrages
de Guiperreux, Souchard et Vaucluse (situés
l’un derrière l’autre d’amont en aval). En juillet
2012, ceux de Guiperreux et Vaucluse ont été définitivement
démantelés. Ces travaux ayant conduit à
l’abaissement de la ligne d’eau au niveau des prises
d’eau alimentant des bassins privés, des mesures
d’accompagnement ont été mises en place : les côtes
des canaux d’amenée d’eau ont été abaissées. +
H
Enhance a section of the Hogsmill through the STW by creating marginal and wetland area berms, backwaters and scrapes. This is within a wider wildlife area within the STW, encompassing wildflower grassland, tree planting and visitor interpretation trail and enhancement works to Surbiton Lagoon. Section 106 development gain from planning permission. Original scheme no longer valid so work proposed to the Hogsmill to enhance the channel edge habitat. +
L
Enhance piled structure with hanging basket style gabions specifically designed to fit within the piled recess. Install 20 sandmartin nesting tubes in the wall through bespoke design for the project. The waterway wall needed replacing and there was no option for break out. +