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R
The Ram Brewery Site is located in Wandsworth Town Centre and comprises the former Youngs Brewery which for over 150 years has been a familiar local landmark for both Wandsworth residents and visitors. The site is divided by the River Wandle which runs south to north and joins the River Thames 500m to the north.
The scheme proposes opening up the site to the public for the first time in its history and provides 1.02ha of high quality public realm, including two public open squares, each framed by the refurbished listed brewery buildings and riverside walkways.
In addition, the development will provide 1,036 residential units in the form of two towers and space for a mix of uses including office, retail, leisure units and a microbrewery. +
B
The Ramsbeek water body is classified as a river under the WFD system. It is an R5 category water body: slow-flowing middle/lower reach on sand. The entire Ramsbeek is managed by water authority Rijn en IJssel. The water body is located in the province of Gelderland, municipality Berkelland. It is 5,2 km long and has a catchment of 2334 hectares in the Netherlands. The Ramsbeek partly originates in Germany and also receives water from the Veengoot, which originates near the clay pits and the Zwillbrocker Venn. The total catchment area of the stream is 4152 ha, of which 1818 ha in Germany. The Ramsbeek discharges into the Berkel. Water levels are managed with one adjustable wei rand six fixed weirs. In 2013, these weirs were either made passable for fish or removed. In the Ramsbeek water body, a single maximum water level is pursued for each managed stretch, because of the fixed weirs. The water level depends on upstream discharge. Water levels are variables in the stretches with adjustable weirs. These weirs were removed in the latest plan period, when the stream was re-designed. The Ramsbeek carries water all year. Upstream parts of the waterways do not run dry during dry periods. There are no sewage treatment plants present in the catchment of the Ramsbeek.
Tree trunks were introduced in the stream's banks at two locations, as part of a dead wood experiment of the water authority. Since an earlier experiment in the Leerinkbeek showed that bundles of branches can get clogged easily, trunks with roots were used in this experiment. One third of the waterway was kept open. +
N
The Ravensbourne is a spring-fed stream flowing from its source near Keston, on the north slope of the North Downs, northwards through Bromley, Catford and Lewisham to join the Thames at Deptford Creek. In many areas such as Norman Park the stream is
confined within a culvert. Culverting of small watercourses in urban and parkland areas has been common in the recent past.
Burying the river was felt to reduce the flooding potential, minimise safety issues associated with open water and maximise land available for development or use as open space/playing fields. Little consideration was given to habitat loss, aesthetic and landscape appeal of rivers or the potential benefits of surface water storage. The Ravensbourne flows for 300m through a 1m
diameter concrete-lined steel culvert. Smaller land drains, which had been ditches before the area was levelled to form the park, flow into the culvert at intervals along its length. The culvert is crossed close to both its northern and southern ends by park access tracks and major services, with a gas pipeline and electric supply cables crossing the culvert at the north end and a water pipe and local electrical supply cables at the southern end. Deculverting (daylighting) the Ravensbourne would
help to restore the corridor by recreating an open channel (in replacement of the culverted section) with diverse in-channel and bankside habitats linking to Scrogginhall Woods just upstream of the park. +
R
The Re-Engaging Children with Rivers(REACH) Project carried out in the spring and summer of 2013, worked with 15 primary schools in the Herefordshire and Monmouthshire region. The aim was to inform children about the wide diversity of organisms that live in the rivers that surround them, and how they can be managed to protect the animals which inhabit them. It involved sending the children on field trips to local rivers with ID charts, buckets and wellies. This gave them first-hand experience of which animals inhabited the area and how the presence of certain organisms in the river could dictate the water quality and health of the river. +
T
The Red River catchment is made up of three waterbodies - the Upper and Lower Red River and the Roseworthy Stream. The river drains a relatively small but intensively mined area of south-west Cornwall. Unlike many of the rivers impacted by metal mines in Cornwall, the Red River is affected not only by the legacy of historic mining throughout the catchment, but also, in the lower catchment, by more recent workings from South Crofty Tin Mine. Whereas most metal mines in Cornwall had ceased working by the early 1900's, 'Crofty' didn't close until 1998 and the site owner, Western United Mines' went into administration in June 2013. However, in July 2016 the Canadian firm Strongbow Exploration Inc acquired the rights to South Crofty, carrying out water treatment tests over winter as the mine will need de-watering.
Historic water quality data shows that Red River waters were severely affected by local mining activities between 1980 and 1998. In particular, waters arising from the South Crofty site during this period contained very high levels of particulate metal pollutants such as iron, zinc, copper and cadmium. The closure of South Crofty mine in 1998 resulted in a significant decrease in total metal concentrations downstream from the working site, although elevated levels of metals continue to arise from waters draining through historic mine workings such as the Treskillard Stream and Dolcoath deep adit discharge. In contrast to these improvements in river water quality, the closure and flooding of South Crofty mine (1998-2000) resulted in significant deterioration in the quality of Red River waters flowing downstream past Roscroggan portal (the Dolcoath adit discharge). Water quality data for the discharge, via Roscroggan portal, show that very high peaks in metal contaminant concentrations (along with additional flows) coincided with the decant of South Crofty mine waters in early November 2000.
More recent work has shown that the upper catchment is dominated by elevated copper from the Treskillard stream which drains abandoned mines from the south east of Camborne, and that under wet weather conditions there are additional inputs from tips and spoil heaps. In terms of impacts, in the Treskillard stream concentrations of Zn, Cu and Cd have been found to be 163ug/L, 363ug/L and 0.42ug/L respectively, with annual load of Zn of 230kg and Cu of 442kg. For the Dolcoath Adit the concentrations of Zn, Cu and Cd are 766ug/L, 23ug/L and 1.42ug/L respectively. The annual load of Zn is 3,400kg, and 106kg Cu.
Waterbody ecological status is Moderate
Length of watercourse affected is 12km
Water quality at WFD point (Gwithian) (ug/l): Zn = 196 (EQS = 75); Cu = 11.8 (EQS = 10); Cd = 0.28 (EQS = 0.15)
Likely bioavailable EQS at Gwithian (ug/l): Zn = 16; Cu = 7
R
The Reest is a slow-flowing stream on a peat substrate that meanders over its full length, which is quite uncommon for Dutch streams. Stream restoration measures in the Reest aim to restore the hydrological conditions in the stream valley. The goal is to decrease the drainage capacity of the stream, leading to higher minimum groundwater levels in summer and increased seepage into the valley. This is supposed to improve the ecological potential for aquatic plants, invertebrates and fish. The surrounding valley should become better suited to support wet grassland. To this end, three 50-meter-long stretches have been lined with dead tree stubs. In addition, sand was deposited in the stream, raising the streambed by 50 cm. Finally, several barriers were created from tree trunks and rocks. +
U
The Regional Water Authority Kronach was responsible for restoration measures undertaken. Starting in 1990, areas along the river were purchased in preparation for future restoration plans. Bank paving was removed and channel width increased to allow for the formation of highly diverse marginal habitats such as gravel bars and backwater areas. This also included reconnection of historic meanders, creation of multi-thread channels and increasing connectivity to floodplains. Overall a great increase was seen in geomorphological diversity and habitat potential. Between 1992 and 2008 the total length of restored sections reached 18km, and a floodplain area of 120ha.
The reasons for the particular success of this project are that restoration was not constrained by the usual site or catchment scale problems centred around land use and in usual difficulty in re-connecting flood plain and backwater areas due to land ownership. +
R
The Remoray stream is a 1.7 km long tributary of the Drésine . The Drésine flows 7.6 kilometers before getting into Lake Remoray, located in the nature reserve, which includes a glacial lake and wide peat bogs . It is home to numerous protected , rare and/or endangered species in France. Between the early XIX century and the late 1980s, several streams were straightened and widened in order to drain the swamp and create new agricultural plots. In the end, no agricultural land was obtained, despite the negative effects on the environment: the groundwater table was lowered and the swamp gradually dried, reducing habitats and species, both in the peat bogs and in the streams, especially birds and amphibians, but also fish: the lake trout was no longer spawning in the area.
The main goals of the project were to restore the hydraulic conditions in the marsh, raising the groundwater level, and to recreate aquatic habitats especially for lake trout and invertebrates.
The restoration measures took place from downstream to upstream between 1999 and 2000.
A new mouth of the Drésine was constructed, using 650 acacia stakes in order to obtain a stable section at the confluence with the lake, which is subject to strong level fluctuations, thus avoiding any possibility of regressive erosion. Starting from this stabilized section the meanders were reopened following the old course.
The extracted material was deposited in the straight bed, at each end of which a waterproof sill was constructed, consisting of a wooden frame covered with a PVC tarpaulin and 300 m3 of silt, so as to stop any erosion of the marsh from this low point. A complete filling of the straight bed would have been preferable, but it would have required a too large volume of material. Upstream of the straightened stretch, three sills are built to stop the regressive erosion, and raise the river bed.
Works on the Remoray stream were carried out at the end of winter 2001. A sinuous channel 5 to 40 meters east was realized using a mini-excavator. Little sills to compensate the steep slope were built. The old bed is filled with materials of the path used for the remeandering works of Drésine.
The Restoring Brent Rivers and Communities project engaged local people in areas of high social deprivation in Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Harrow. Together we restored and improved sections of the river habitats with the aim to also increase community well-being. We increased access to the river and its paths, collaborating with local communities on practical river repair workshops, celebrating and sharing successes.
We aimed at the rewilding of sections of the river Brent by creating new wetlands, planting native aquatic plants, removing wooden toe-board and helping the river meander more naturally in its channel. +
F
The River Aguanaz is located in the North of Spain, in Cantabria. It flows to the Cantabric Sea. The final reach is affected by several impacts, especially for fish community. The existence of barriers in the channel (weirs) affect fish communities, as it modifies their mobility along the river, interrupting the longitudinal continuity. Several of these structures were built for water use in flour mills. The main problematic with this river is that has little longitudinal continuity, which directly affects the fish community.
The main objectives of the project are: Recover continuity in Aguanaz channel, removing four existing barriers; and guaranteeing the survival of fish species.
This project counts with the support of national institutions. The financing comes from the Plan E initiative and the Ministry of Environment. The total budget for carry out the rehabilitation is 65.362,81€. +
R
The River Avon and its major tributaries are recognised as a Special Area of Conservation for their rare habitats and species, including flowing water vegetation (eg. ranunculus and water-crowfoot), Atlantic salmon, Bullhead, brook and sea lamprey, water vole and otter.
The restoration project at East Chisenbury is part of the Wessex Chalk Streams PRoject (WCSP), which began in 1999 - a partnership between the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Wessex Water and the Wiltshire Fishery Association. the project is focused on restoring river and wetland habitat, while helping to achieve targets under the Wiltshire & Swindon and Wessex Water Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs).
The project at East Chisenbury was completed in two phases:
* Phase 1 (2005): Trial project to restore a 70m reach below Compton Bridge which had been subject to heavy dredging - Total Cost: £30,000.
* Phase 2 (2009): Restoration of a 650m reach upstream of Compton Bridge. Involved use of successful 'coir net' technique to re-introduce sinuosity and hydromorphological function to the overwide channel.
*Further information regarding aims, objectives, project successes and pre/post restoration project photos are available in the attached Wessex Chalk Streams Project report (see bottom of page). +
The River Avon is one of the most important river systems in the UK, supporting internationally and nationally important habitats and species. The river is designated as the River Avon System Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The SSSI covers the River Avon, its major tributaries and parts of the floodplain. The River Till, a tributary of the River Wylye, is designated as a separate SSSI. Habitats associated with the river include swamp, wet woodland and wet grassland habitats.
The River Avon System SSSI and River Till SSSI are also designated internationally through the Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The SAC supports internationally rare and threatened species.
The lower reaches of the River Avon and its floodplain, one of the largest expanses of unimproved floodplain grazing marsh in Britain, are designated as the Avon Valley (Bickton to Christchurch) SSSI. The area is also a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area (SPA). It supports a complex mosaic of wetland habitats including fens, mires, wet grassland, wet woodland and unimproved floodplain grassland. Important species include populations of breeding and over-wintering wetland birds, and rare wetland plants and insects.
A strategy was developed to determine the issues affecting the river's geomorphological functioning and associated condition of the various designations. Based on this strategy, the River Avon Restoration Project was developed to identify measures to restore the river on a reach-by-reach basis. The Environment Agency agreed with Natural England to undertake the more complex measures and reaches, with the Project Board supporting project partners and other interest groups to put in place less complex measures where required.
The River Avon Restoration Project is primarily a catchment-scale river restoration strategy. However, some of the individual completed projects can also be considered as delivering Natural Flood Management (NFM) benefits. This is because they are principally Working with Natural Processes (WWNP), creating a more naturally connected and functioning river and floodplain.
B
The River Bulbourne is a chalk stream that has been severely impacted by historic alterations, over-abstraction and its interaction with the Grand Union Canal. The one kilometre section is owned by the Box Moor Trust and is common land open to the public.
Prior to this project, the River Bulbourne was straight, over-wide and silty. Due to high banks and old dredging bunds, the river was disconnected from its floodplain and had little marginal habitat. Excessive grazing pressure resulted in bank erosion and little riparian vegetation. A large weir prevented fish passage and also caused an impoundment upstream further degrading the habitat.
The chalk stream characteristics had been almost completely lost. What should have been a beautiful gravelly stream meandering through rich, biodiverse floodplain, was actually a silty homogeneous channel with little habitat to provide home to wildlife. +
R
The River Calder Improvement Project, led by the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust (RCCT), aim to ease the passage of fish species (specifically trout) and encourage upstream migration whilst improving the riverine habitat as a whole. This was achieved by the lowering of existing weirs, fish pass installation and more general habitat enhancement. +
C
The River Chícamo is located within the SCI of the Chícamo River (SCI ES6200028), hosting 8 habitats of community interest. The Chícamo River rises near Macisvenda, a small village belonging to the Abanilla municipal district, one of the most arid places in Murcian Region, which gives this scenery a special peculiarity. It is a permanent flow river with related temporary watercourses and wetlands. You can find different community plants such as Nerium oleander (Rosebay), Tamarix boveana and Tamarix canariensis ; also, some endemic plants as Sideritis leucantha and Thymus moroderi. In terms of fauna, the Spanish toothcarp ( Aphanius iberus ) stands out, as the only presence of this species in continental courses in Murcian Region, included in Annex II of Directive 92/43/CEE, together with the invertebrate Coenagrion mercuriale (Southern Damselfly); Himantopus himantopus ( Black-winged Stilt) , included in Annex I of Directive 79/409/CEE is also present. The Chícamo River source is a natural river with shorter than 3.5 km , 1.5 m of average width and no more than 75 cm of average depth.
The whole project comprises actions in different places of Murcia: Ajauque's wetland and “Rambla Salada”, Marchamalo” saltflats, "Rasall" saltflats and the River Chícamo. The actions at the River Chicamo and Marchamalo saltflats were aimed to increase the physical habitat availability, the Rambla Salada´s complex rehabilitation was destined to create a centre for re-establish and semi-captivity control of a “Chícamo” River stock population, and the restoration of the “Rasall” saltworks aimed to re-establish a Spanish toothcarp population that belongs to the genetic stock who lives in “Marchamalo” saltflats.
The measures on the River Chícamo were: creation of a water intake through the rehabilitation of an old channel; construction of two bridges and restoration at these places in order to increase the aquatic habitat; creation of new pools to increase habitat quality; control of invasive species Gambusia holbrooki and Procambarus clarkii and monitoring and evaluation of abundance and structure of Spanish toothcarp´s population and invasive species populations.
R
The River Cleddau in South West Wales is a mobile gravel bed river of moderate to high energy and an important spawning tributary for migratory fish. The project undertaken in 2004 aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of soft engineering techniques in managing extensive erosion problems, whilst still encouraging natural river processes to continue. The demonstration reach in particular had a history of instability and planform adjustment.
An initial geomorphological survey and detailed design plan were carried out by Salix for the Environment Agency Wales and Pembrokeshire Rivers Trust. The initial survey concluded that overgrazing and poaching were accelerating erosion in the demonstration reach.
Hard engineering techniques, such as blockstone revetments, have been traditionally used in higher energy river systems to control bank erosion. However, the use of such techniques removes any scope for marginal vegetation to establish, thus lowering the ecological value of the river. It can also deflect energy to other areas of the bed or bank, maintaining the overall erosion problem.
As part of a three-year project, entitled “Fishing Wales” the Environment Agency Wales were keen to demonstrate that softer bioengineering methods could be used to control the extensive erosion, whilst maintaining geomorphological processes, and enhancing the physical habitat of the river. The aim of the demonstration was to show that bioengineering techniques can be used as an alternative to blockstone in mobile gravel bed rivers to control erosion, whilst restoring physical habitat to degraded channels, thus helping to ensure the sustainability of fish stocks in Wales.
A range of bioengineering techniques were used based on the local reach scale erosion process, water depth and stream power. In areas with low stream power these included bank grading and toe protection using live willow bundles (faggots/fascines), whilst in areas with greater erosive energy whole upturned tree roots with 2 metres of trunk still attached were installed to act as physical revetments and also deflect flow away from eroding banks (40 tree roots used in total). All the trees used were grey willow (Salix cinerea) or crack willow (Salix fragilis) and have since grown to provide excellent habitat and cover. In addition the entire reach was fenced in order to keep livestock off the banks. Living plant material was obtained from the Cleddau catchments.
The project has been successful in demonstrating soft bio-engineering methods. The Pembrokeshire Rivers Trust and Salix report that 80-90% of planted material has survived, with a mix of other vegetation also colonising the site. Salix have since identified some issues with Himalayan balsam competing with native planting, but this has been acknowledged as a catchment wide problem (see evidence in photos).
The River Restoration Centre would like to thank Salix River & Wetland Services Ltd for providing the content and photographs for this case study.
The River Cole at Coleshill is a tributary of the Thames and flows through National Trust owned farmland, North East of Swindon on the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire border.
Background:
The river has a long history of modifications and already the Domesday Book of 1086 has a record of a mill in Coleshill. On the earliest map from the area, dated 1666, the river appears to have been straightened for milling. The section downstream of the mill has more recently been enlarged to safeguard agricultural production from flooding. Until the late 1700s, the mill was fed by a small artificial channel carrying water from the Cole, but by 1818 the mill leat had been largely extended to take the entire flow of the Cole, and most of the old river course filled in. This type of historical management is typical of many other rural rivers in the United Kingdom.
Restoration:
The River Cole was included in a joint initiative between England and Denmark to demonstrate best practice in urban and rural river rehabilitation and encourage river restoration in Europe. The wider aim was to promote further river restoration and demonstrate how river restoration could provide multiple benefits such as enhancement in wildlife, landscape, recreation, water quality, fisheries, amenities and other local interests.
The restoration of the River Cole was initiated in July 1995. The site consists of a 2.5 km long reach divided into two parts, upstream and downstream of the mill. Upstream of the mill the river was restored to its original course (retaining a small flow in the mill leat) to join the old surviving mill by-pass channel. This new smaller channel encourages beneficial flood storage on the fields and allows fish to pass the mill weir. Downstream the river was reduced in size and remeandered across the old course to a more natural profile, retaining existing mature riverside trees. The restoration of bed level, water level and flood regime was achieved by cutting the new meandering river at a much higher level, similar to that prior to the last major deepening scheme of the 1970s.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leat]
H
The River Cole is 34km in length, rising in northeast Worcestershire then flowing in a north easterly direction through Birmingham before joining the River Blythe in North Warwickshire. During the late Victorian era a section of the river in east Birmingham was diverted into a gun-barrel straight, engineered millstream and the original river was lost. During the summer of 2024 we undertook a project to transform a 1km section of this featureless millstream to allow it to behave more like a naturally functioning river. By re-profiling the banks and introducing a range of features including mid-channel bars, inset berms, large woody material and gravels we have kick started natural process. By making space for the river the forces of erosion and deposition, previously shackled, have now been freed. These introduced features will transform the uniform flow of this subreach with the development of pool-riffle sequences and flow variability. With time this engineered Victorian millstream will begin to resemble the original sinuous river that it replaced over 100 years ago. +
R
The River Cole is situated within a green corridor running through East Birmingham, Solihull and Warwickshire. The area is historically impacted by industry, straightening and oversteepening. This project is vital for improving the catchment biodiversity, accessibility and water quality. The project is unique because of its placement within one of the largest and most industrialised cities in the UK. It incorporates a catchment-based approach with multiple weir removals, wetland additions, reconnection with flood plains and improvements to biodiversity , focusing on the projects within the scheme undertaken by Sanctus thus far in this urban setting (and as part of a wider 11 schemes).
Removing the weir at Tyseley unlocked one of the first major migration barriers on the Cole as well as ancillary tasks involving canopy thinning, invasive species management and general improvements. This project presented a large volume of flotsam management due the accumulation of a rubbish dam. This smaller removal of a 1m head structure started to address the real issues the length of the River Cole throughout Birmingham.
The large Ackers Weir structure created some 2.4m of head difference in the Cole and impounded contaminated silts. De-silting was conducted behind Ackers weir and along Tyseley brook which then required processing away from the river via bioremediation so that it becomes physically and chemically suitable for re-use on sit these treated materials were retained on site and formed into wildlife hibernacula to enhance habitat provision for reptiles, mammals and amphibians within the area. Utilising brash and site won materials
Sanctus implemented green engineering techniques to stabilise the riverbank by securing organic bio-degradable coir erosion control blankets to the new slope cuttings which incorporated a specifically selected native seed mix. Sympathetic rock rapids were arranged riverbed to provide naturalised erosion control and shelter for aquatic species. Whilst addressing and mitigating nick points. This erosion control will be helped with bank stabilisation from carefully selected native wildflowers, shrubs and trees to be planted.
To increase the rivers flood storage capacity and habitat diversity, the objectives for Kingfisher Park will be to create marginal shelves, widening the river corridor, with areas to act as buffers for the water overflow. The formation of meanders will re-naturalise the channel, as will the installation of berms and low-level riffles and gravel shoals. Combined they slow the flow of water, trap sediment and provide suitable habitat for aquatic species at different life stages.
The River Colne is not meeting its WFD objectives for aquatic plants, and the fish status has recently deteriorated from high to good. Riparian shade mapping from the Keeping Rivers Cool project and walk over surveys showed that the rive would benefit from increased shade at a number of locations. Working with landowners, Essex & Suffolk River Trust identified a number of sites where tree planting could be undertaken, and planted trees at one suitable site. +