Property:Project summary
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This is a property of type Text.
M
Restrict stock access to watercourse +
L
Retreating flood defence to create a natural bank; installing in channel gravels; creation of marginal habitat including reedbed; installation of coir rolls; educational signage; buffer zone planting. To enhance the river as part of the redevelopment of the site and comply with current policy and legislation to improve the environment as part of the planning process. This is also in line with long term aims to improve the River Quaggy which is currently channelised and heavily engineered. +
R
Ribble Life Together (RLT) brought together a range of stakeholders, interest groups and the communities through the Ribble Life Partnership. Using a prioritised ecosystem service approach, the project aimed to improve the natural river heritage of the Ribble Catchment for people and wildlife in an inclusive and integrated way. RLT brought many organisations together who all have a common goal of improving water quality, reducing the risk of flooding and droughts and increasing river connectivity and biodiversity.
A key driver of the project was to make significant improvements to our river system by delivering an ambitious programme of river channel improvement projects and habitat creation projects. This would include 14 fish pass or weir removal projects, 30 new woodlands and delivering 14 wetland projects. These would vary in size and scope, designing bespoke projects for each location that would reflect and enhance local conditions and needs, and provide multiple benefits for the river and local community. For example, partial weir removals, rock ramp fish pass projects, technical fish pass projects, bypass channels, leaky dams, peat restoration, wildlife ponds and riparian woodlands that create wildlife corridors and strengthen habitat networks.
Alongside the improvements to our rivers, Ribble Life Together aimed to connect people to their rivers and our work on a scale never achieved before, it aimed to reach new audiences and grow awareness throughout the catchment about the issues our rivers face. This included a catchment wide farm advice programme, working with farmers and landowners to increase knowledge about soil and water resource management, build trust and develop new environment friendly farm improvement and habitat creation projects. We would increase engagement with rivers through our education programme, volunteering, apprenticeships, public events. And we would make our rivers more accessible through art projects, guided walks and by creating digital, online content such as short films that would allow people, who otherwise would not be able to visit their local river, to experience and learn about the riverscapes around them. We wanted people to explore and celebrate the rich heritage of the river and encouraging more people to discover the wonder of the river for themselves.
The result would be a healthier river system and a catchment that would be a better place to work, live and visit, whilst also engaging people in their local rivers and encouraging them to take positive action to conserve and improve them.
Ritobäcken brook is a small tributary of River Sipoonjoki which is located near to Helsinki partly in a Sipoonkorpi National Park. Brook serves as a drainage channel for the surrounding agricultural fields which constitute 13% of the 10 km2 catchment area. The brook is also a reproduction area for the vulnerable sea run brown trout (Salmo trutta) of the Baltic Sea. Because of the significant bank and bed erosion in the upstream reaches and reduced conveyance in the downstream reaches fields were inundated during high flows. Brook was restored as the aim of maintaining and enhancing the habitat diversity of the brook for migratory fish while decreasing flooding of the fields. The two-stage cross-section was constructed on excavating a floodplain on one side of the channel and leaving the opposite side and bottom intact to prevent the digging of the stream bed. The flood terrace has so far been large enough to prevent flooding to the arable areas. Spawning brown trout have been monitored downstream in autumn 2010 and 2011, showing that no harm for fish was done by the excavation. The increase of trout habitat to the excavated section upstream can also be expected, with help of further restoration. +
Ritobäcken brook is a small tributary of River Sipoonjoki which is located near to Helsinki partly in a Sipoonkorpi National Park. Brook serves as a drainage channel for the surrounding agricultural fields which constitute 13% of the 10 km2 catchment area. The brook is also a reproduction area for the vulnerable sea run brown trout (Salmo trutta) of the Baltic Sea. Brook has been restored twice. First time was 2006 when 230 meters of dredged and straightened brook was restored as the aim of improving the habitat for the existing brown trout stock. The object was to support the natural development of the brook by adding sinousity, width and depth variation. Also stones and gravel were added and replaced to create habitats for the brown trout.
In 2010 brook was restored as the aim of maintaining and enhancing the habitat diversity of the brook for migratory fish while decreasing flooding of the fields. Because of the significant bank and bed erosion in the upstream reaches, and reduced conveyance in the downstream reaches, fields were inundated during high flows. The two-stage cross-section was constructed on excavating a floodplain on one side of the channel and leaving the opposite side and bottom intact to prevent digging the stream bed. The flood terrace has so far been large enough to prevent the brook to flood to the arable areas. Spawning brown trout have been monitored downstream in autumn 2010 and 2011, showing that no harm for fish was done by the excavation. There can also be expectet increase in trout habitats in the excavated section of upstreams, with the help of further restoration. +
River Hogsmill restoration project
Creating a better place to live
Reference:SRB06/PR080 Better living place
Completion: 20th July 2006
The completion of a £230,000 improvement project on a section of the Hogsmill Open Space and river near the Watersedge Housing Estate in Epsom and Ewell, has been achieved due to a highly successful partnership.
Local residents teamed up with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, Rosebery Housing Association, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency, the Big Lottery Fund, Surrey County Council, the Royal Borough of Kingston and the Lower Mole Countryside Management Project to achieve the most dramatic and positive results! The project has given a new lease of life to the site delivering improved access, with new paths, a new footbridge and a better environment for wildlife through flood defence improvements to the Hogsmill River.
But the project is not a recent innovation, in 2001 local residents were asked what improvements they would most like to see regarding their local environment and a strong message came back that people wanted improved access along the Hogsmill Open Space and across the Bonesgate Stream. Rosebery Housing Association and the Watersedge Action Group approached Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and the Environment Agency and the Hogsmill Improvement Project was born. This quickly led to the inclusion of other partners and the formation of the ‘Friends of the Hogsmill’; and it was soon realized that such a large area of open space needed many stakeholders who could all contribute – and that’s just what they all did!
To improve access and to ensure good community involvement the Countryside Agency were approached and a successful application for ‘Doorstep Green’ status was made. This resulted in a ‘Big Lottery Fund’ grant of up to £55,000 which has allowed for the construction of a new path running along the whole length of the site with new entrances and seats along the route.
A new Footbridge to replace the existing unsafe stepping stones across the Bonesgate Stream has been purchased using £25,000 of funds awarded by the ‘Living Spaces’ Lottery fund and is due for installation later this month. A culvert and new section of path linking the site of the new bridge to the Watersedge Estate has already been constructed by volunteers from the Lower Mole Countryside Management Project.
The Hogsmill River is an important wildlife refuge and has great recreational value, but was perceived by many as run down and a shadow of its former self. In places it was steep-sided, concrete-lined, crossed by service pipes and strewn with litter. Despite this, the river which originates as a chalk stream in Ewell still provides a home to fish such as stone loach, minnows and bullhead and if nature lovers are lucky, they can see one of the kingfishers which live along the river.
The Environment Agency has contributed £130,000 to restore the river and make it a more visible and accessible area for local residents to enjoy with improvements for wildlife and flood defenses.
T
River Iijoki has been restored mainly because of altered river morphology caused by intensive forestry and timber floating. Besides the main channel of River Iijoki, also all tributaries of this large river area have been restored. The main channel of the river is mainly harnessed for hydro power production and also two tributaries are regulated. +
R
River Vantaanjoki flows to the Baltic Sea in Helsinki city. The river was famous for its salmon from medieval times but through dam construction and later through bad water quality the original stock became extinct. Through new sewage treatment systems the water was purified in the 1980's. Later multiple restorations have been done in River Vantaanjoki and its tributaries with the aim to enable fish migration from sea to upstream by removing dams, constructing fish passes and adding stone material and gravel to create habitats. Object of the restorations have also been to improve the condition of the water system in such a way that it would be better suited to meet the needs of recreation and fishing. After restorations salmon and sea trout, both highly threatened species in the Baltic Sea, begun to migrate and reproduce to the river. Restorations were accomplished in co-operation with environmental authorities, NGOs and volunteers. Co-operation between different organizations was a success and interests of different groups were well taken into account during projects. +
S
River Wenning is a tributary of the River Lune, and is one of the best sea trout rivers in the country. In recent years sea trout catches have been inexplicably low off Scottish and Irish coasts, which are now believed to be mirrored in the River Wenning numbers.
The Upper River Wenning and most of its tributaries have been extensively modified over the course of the last 150 years and all have lost much of their natural character. Their ability to support sea trout, salmon, brown trout, and many other species of wildlife (otter, kingfisher, dipper etc.) has been compromised. Some of the issues leading to this decline together with remedial actions are:
• Natural meanders have gone and been replaced by straight, featureless sections that resemble muddy field drains;
• In the same areas it is clear that the river has been dredged as much of the natural bed has been dug out and been piled up on the banks. As a consequence the gravel depth is shallow and salmonids struggle to find suitable locations to breed; and
• Almost all bankside vegetation has gone and what was once a key salmonid nursery area for both the Wenning and the Lune has been sacrificed for land drainage to improve farm yield.
This project is designed to raise the WFD classification of the Upper Wenning tributaries, (all currently “moderate”) to good and hence raise the classification of the Upper Wenning itself from moderate to good. The work includes buffer-stripping to reduce diffuse pollution (Fen Beck, Crook Beck, Clapham Beck, Austwick Beck, Keasden Beck and the Wenning) and the removal of a manmade weir on Kettles Beck to open access of 5 miles to migratory fish. It also includes tree planting on Clapham Beck and the creation of spawning side channels on Keasden Beck.
Community Involvement - Engagement activities will include practical volunteering activities like tree planting, and awareness-raising through media and face-to-face contact. +
W
River bank enhancements; backwater creation; tree works. The Wandle in this location has sections of good marginal vegetation with other sections which remain over-shaded and degraded with toe boarding. The Wandle Valley wetlands are a section of land on the bed of the river which could be enhanced with the creation of interlinked wetland areas, acting as backwaters to the Wandle. This would have multiple benefits, particularly with regard to fisheries in times of poor water quality and would create additional habitat to support water voles. +
H
River bank rehabilitation for morphology and biodiversity; improve visual amenity; improved marginal plant communities; improved continuity in river habitat through riparian planting and modified maintenance regime. 42052 square metres in size.<br>Access river shuttle way linear walk from source to confluence with the River Cray; 11 opportunities have been identified to improve River Shuttle. A masterplan is currently being developed to improve the River Shuttle and the surrounding parkland in Hollyoak and Willersely and Marlbrough Parks. +
P
River corridor and in channel enhancements and enhancements to the New River with recreational and educational benefits. Development of the area as outlined in the Local Development Framework Area Action Plan +
N
River excavations and modifications took three days, the majority of one of these being import of the gravel to the ‘runs’.
Work was implemented in c1km of river. There was absolutely no gradient within the sections modified, with the river being deep and sluggish throughout.
Work carried out:
**created greater diversity of habitat by modifying both the long and cross-sections;
**locally narrowed the channel to improve self-cleansing of the bed in these locations, and accelerated flow into pools created immediately downstream;
**removed the unsightly deflectors by replacing them with ‘living’ features that already are doing a much more effective job than the deflectors were attempting to do;
**the one main difference from the Castle Acre stretch was that some of the upstream ‘runs’ had a thin layer of gravel spread over them too.
Differences in character were primarily determined by the character of the river bed where pools were excavated, and the extent of reed/sedge available from adjacent to the river to add to the channel.
Where the bed was hard, and reed/sedge was plentiful, upstream narrowing could be more extensive. In all cases where the bed was hard (predominantly chalky clay), very distinct pools and upstream ‘runs’ were formed. Where-ever possible the bed of the narrowed channel upstream of the pools was shallowed by adding material dug from the pools – this could only be done where flints or firm clay formed the substrate.
Where the bed was pure soft peat, the distinction between the narrowed channel upstream, and the deepened channel downstream, was much less. Had deflectors not already been present in the channel, it would have been difficult, or impossible, to establish narrowing upstream......the deflectors now form the downstream edges of the shoulders. Without reeds/sedge from adjacent to the river being added to these areas, they could not have been expected to be retained in the long term. +
U
River habitat improvement and fish pass removal assessments and geomorphological assessments +
R
River restoration - fencing and weir removal +
H
River restoration including use of plastic mesh to stabilise silt bed before bed raising with gravel. Creation of point bars, bank reprofiling and rebuilding and fencing were also part of the project. +
B
River restoration measures were implemented to improve ecological values in the area, so that these meet WFD criteria, and to connect the stream with the regional ecological structure of the valley. There are multiple aspects of large-scale stream restoration in this area:
- Flow velocity
- Summer and winter flow dynamics
- Varied vegetation banks and bed
- Removing barriers for fish
- Improving water quality
- Climatological robustness
As part of this large scale stream restoration, Building with Nature was implemented. A particular example is main channel mowing to improve channel flow. +
R
River restoration works have been carried out along a high-energy reach of the River Avon within the River Spey Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in Cairngorms National Park. The project encompasses green engineering woody structures and sediment management, as well as water margin management and riparian planting. The aim is to improve the capability of the watercourse to cope with high flow events, reduce excessive erosion and to protect in-channel and riparian habitats, as well as farm livelihoods and infrastructure. The works were carried out as a Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS), supported and managed by a National Lottery Heritage Funded partnership (Tomintoul & Glenlivet Landscape Partnership) as part of their wider ‘Our Water Environment’ project running across the Tomintoul and Glenlivet area. +
E
River restoration, wetland creation and storm water attenuation. Reasons for enhancements:<br>Amenity, PR, biological enhancements, storm water attenuation +
R
Restoring of ecological connectivity and implementation of activities improving functioning of the free river migration corridor +
River valleys have been transformed, built up and partitioned for decades. This led to
a disruption in water management – an increased risk of flooding and drought. The degradation of valleys and riverbeds has caused a reduction in the population or even total extinction of many species of aquatic organisms. Fifteen of the twenty-one fish species living in Biała Tarnowska need access to stony or gravelly ground to live. Riverbeds of this type are found in the upper part of the drainage basin, but access to them is blocked by numerous weirs and dams located along the river. In some cases, they will improve the functioning of water intakes. The planned activities will improve the natural and landscape values of the Biała Valley and will positively influence the development of tourism and fishing.
The liquidation or modernization of these obstacles and the renaturalization of the riverbed fragments will not only create better living conditions and migration of fish but will also increase the flood safety of residents.
The project covers the following municipalities: Uście Gorlickie, Grybów, Bobowa and Ciężkowice. It is a continuation of earlier activities leading to an increase in the biodiversity of the river valley by restoring the habitats of native species of plants and animals and creating favorable conditions for their living and free movement.
PROJECT GOALS
1. Reconstruction of 15 barrages and weirs in such a way as to enable fish migration while guaranteeing
the safety of water intakes and bridges during highand low water levels. This will allow two-way fish
migration along the entire length of the river.
2. Creation of a erodible corridor of river migration,which means enabling the river on several sections to
meander freely and launch natural erosion processes in the river, and debris transportation. As a result,
erosion of the bottom will decrease, and the condition of the riverbed and habitats of living organisms will
improve. Natural retention will also increase and this will improve the flood safety for residents.