Property:Project summary
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R
The Wachau is a 33km gorge between Krems and Melk in Austria, with a mosaic of river habitats along the Danube River and tributaries, dry grassland and species-rich slope woods. It is one of the only two remaining undimmed and freely-flowing stretches of the Danubeand part of Natura 2000, the Europe-wide network of protected areas for the preservation of biological diversity in Europe.
Loss of structural diversity has occurred within the past few decades due to elimination of gravel banks and other interventions, and disappearance of the lateral channels has resulted from increasing sedimentation of cut-off river arms during the periodic floods. In addition, dry grasslands have been abandoned for more lucrative orchards and vineyards, while intensive forest management and introduction of non-native species is increasingly affecting the slope and floodplain forest remnants.
This LIFE funded project aimed at reactivating lateral river channels, using gravel structures to serve as spawning ground for the fish fauna and as resting and breeding sites for aquatic birds after completion of a pilot study. A new forest management was created to integrate conservation aspects, increasing the proportion of dead wood and stop the proliferation of exotic tree species. It is expected that approximately 140 ha of dry grassland would be restored.
Restoration actions included structuring the main current of the Danube with gravel embankments and islands, linking old tributaries to the Danube. A fishway (2m long and 12 m of average width) was constructed at the Melk power plant. Dry grasslands and grassy slopes undergo maintenance and management of, improvement of semi-natural forests and creation of a nature protection coordination body. +
W
The Wansbeck and many of its tributaries are currently viewed as ‘failing’ under the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The main reason for failure is numbers of fish.
The main issue behind this appears to be the amount of silt, sediment and nutrients that are washed into the rivers and streams from farmland and forests. Other factors include weirs that hold up fish migration, and a lack of bank-side and in-stream habitat.
This ambitious community project aims to help address these issues, and improve the quality, WFD status and local enjoyment of 100km of river and stream.
The rivers and streams that are part of the project include:The Upper Wansbeck; The Font; The Hartburn; The Delf Burn; The Ray Burn.
The project will work closely with schools and communities to help renew local interest and ‘ownership’ of the rivers in this rural part of Northumberland.
Outputs will include: improvements to fish passage; lengths of fenced buffer strip to filter out sediments; new and improved wetland features to settle out sediment and nutrients; improvements to vehicle crossings; new native woodland; work with farmers and land managers to reduce run-off in ways that reduce their costs; engagement and communications activity with schools, communities and angling clubs. +
O
The Water Authority Drents Overijsselse Delta tried to increase the flow velocity in this stream to improve aquatic ecology and meet WFD criteria. Weed-cutting was limited to the main channel and the stream was divided into a blue and a green zone. The blue zone was regularly maintained to ensure flow continuity, while the green zone was maintained less often. +
W
The Water Authority Drents Overijsselse Delta tried to increase the flow velocity in this stream to improve aquatic ecology and meet WFD criteria. Weed-cutting was limited to the main channel and the stream was divided into a blue and a green zone. The blue zone was regularly maintained to ensure flow continuity, while the green zone was maintained less often. +
O
The Water Authority Drents Overijsselse Delta tried to increase the flow velocity in this stream to improve aquatic ecology and meet WFD criteria. Weed-cutting was limited to the main channel and the stream was divided into a blue and a green zone. The blue zone was regularly maintained to ensure flow continuity, while the green zone was maintained less often. +
R
The Water Framework Directive (WFD) status of the Rookery Brook has deteriorated from ‘MODERATE’ (2009) to ‘POOR’ (2014). It primarily fails for phosphorus (P) with 88% of this attributed to livestock. Phosphorous is transported to watercourses in solution and also attached to sediment. Pesticides within the watercourse are also elevated, their application and transport pathways will be included within this assessment.
Through better on-farm nutrient management (feeds, fertilisers and manures) the source (P) availability can be reduced and with better water and soil management the pathway from source to receptor can be minimised. The majority of sediment loss from agricultural land occurs during high rainfall events, therefore mitigation measures will be targeted to reduce the impact of such events. Features developed to reduce surface water run-off and/or store water will also reduce the peak flow in the watercourses and therefore the flood risk downstream
There is variable engagement within the farming to these water quality issues and what farmers and land managers can do to improve the situation. Therefore, there needs to be an engagement programme that will enable the mitigations to sustain over time.
The concept of this project has developed from our appreciation that:
1. Current work to engage the farming community with WFD mitigations elsewhere in the region is largely successful, but we do not know the impacts of this work on water quality. There is therefore a need to monitor the development of water quality at the field/farm/sub-catchment scales in order to track the success of mitigations.
2. The majority of sediment is transported following peak events. This is currently not specifically being accounted for in mitigation thinking within our diffuse pollution projects.
3. Near-farm water quality data will be powerful in engaging the farming community further and deeper to own and act upon the catchment action plans to improve water quality within the WFD.
4. Integrating farmer engagement, mitigation advice, peak event thinking and water quality monitoring would provide for more effective and longer lasting impacts as we drive towards WFD targets.
W
The Water of Dye is a tributary of the Water of Feugh - itself a tributary of the River Dee. 15km along the 26km length of the Dye are two weirs - the upper acting as a partial impoundment to supply a nearby drinking water storage reservoir and the lower Crump weir acting as a flow accelerator for flow monitoring purposes.
Fisheries surveys conducted between 1997 and 2006 showed that the weirs were acting as significant barriers to upstream Atlantic salmon migration - cutting off 11km of good spawning and nursery habitat.
In 2008, two fish passes were installed on the two weirs. This initially involved constructing pre-weirs below the pre-existing weir structures, in order to raise tailwater levels to ease fish passage. In addition, the upper weir also had a 'step-pool' pass installed, as the weir was deemed to be particularly steep for fish passage. This allowed to fish to climb the weir in two 'jumps'.
In order to determine the ecological success of the project, the River Dee Trust conducted pre/post-restoration electro-fishing surveys, to track any changes in fish abundance above and below the weirs. These surveys determined the following:
- Statistically significant increase in salmon parr above the weir in 2010 and 2011, compared with pre-restoration baseline.
- In 2011, salmon parr numbers u/s of weir were found to be not statistically different to abundances d/s for the first time - indicating that the fish pass had been successful in promoting free u/s passage for spawning.
- Decline in trout fry and parr above weir following fish pass installation, however the control site d/s showed no significant decline. Possibly due to outcompetition for habitat and territory by salmon, which are naturally far more suited to the habitat. A similar issue was seen following fish pass installation on the Tweed. +
The Welland for People and Wildlife is a partnership project that will use CRF funds to restore 1.8km of the River Welland and its tributary the River Jordan, as they run through Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
This project exists to turn the eyesore the River Welland has become into a central cultural feature, improving biodiversity, water quality and Water Framework Directive status.
The Welland for People and Wildlife project strives to restore the River Welland through Market Harborough to a more natural form correcting the unsympathetic flood alleviation works which were carried out in the 1970s. This project aims to remove barriers to fish migration and improve community value without compromising flood defence.
The outcomes of the project are:
1.The return to near natural flow regimes of riffles and pools alternating in a new low flow channel.
2.Habitat restoration via the return of a natural mosaic of biotopes in riffles, pools, runs and bars
3.Biodiversity via the increase in species as a result of improved habitat diversity
4.Social and cultural benefits by recreating a recreational and educational environment for the people of the town
5.Water quality, as the biotope diversity will increase the ecological processes of the river, such as nutrient uptake
6.Ecosystem services (as a consequence of all the above)
Weir removal and creation of new two stage channel with correctly-sized meander spacing and habitat mosaics (riffle; pool; runs; bars) in the low flow channel.
Community involvement - Community Events, River open days, River Walks; Bioblitz event; Education events; School Tours. <br>
Community involvement before and during the project will ensure that the citizens are aware of the river, enhanced by information boards along the Riverside walk and the involvement of local schools and societies. +
The Western Rother Fishery Habitat Enhancement Project is a partnership project that will use CRF funds to provide multiple habitat improvements on a section of the lower Rother at Shopham Bridge, just south of Petworth in West Sussex. +
I
INTERREG MED WETNET – Memorandum of Understanding for the realization of the Wetland Contract for the Vercelli rice plain +
The Wetland Contract was built on the basis of the regional rules (Piedmont Region) for the "River and Lake Contracts" of which it is a variant (it is in fact the first application on an area other than the "River" or the "Lake").
The main Community, national and regional rules governing the River Contract in the Piedmont Region are described below.
In 2000, the European Union adopted Directive 2000/60/EC, the so-called Water Framework Directive, which states that “Member States shall encourage the active involvement of all interested parties […] in the production, review and updating of the river basin management plans”.
In the same year of adoption of the Directive, the Second World Water Forum identified the River Contracts as instruments that allow to adopt a system of rules in which the criteria of public utility, economic performance, social value, environmental sustainability are equally involved in the search for effective solutions for the rehabilitation of a river basin.
The Legislative Decree 152/2006 implements the Directive 2000/60/EC and reaffirms the pursuit of the objectives of prevention and reduction of pollution. To this end, it divides the national territory into river basin districts and provides for a Management Plan for each district, assigning the competence to the authorities of the river basin district.
The Law n. 662/1996 (Measures for the rationalization of public finance), in art. 2 - paragraph 203 letter a) defines the “Negotiated Planning Agreement” as the regulation agreed between public subjects or between the competent public subject and the public or private party or parties for the implementation of different interventions, referring to a single purpose of development, which require an overall assessment of the activities of competence.
The Water Protection Plan (PTA) of the Piedmont Region, approved by DCR N. 117-10731 of 13 March 2007, makes explicit reference to the "River Contract or Lake Contract" for the achievement of the objectives of protection provided by the PTA itself.
The Regional Territorial Plan (PTR) of the Piedmont Region recognizes the role of the Contract as a tool that allows the development of synergies with the provincial and local spatial planning tools, in order to promote the integration of different policies.
Further legitimacy was given by the Po River District Basin Authority, which in its Management Plan for the Hydrographic District (PdG Po) recognised the Contract as a tool for achieving environmental quality objectives by 2015 and 2021, as provided for by the Water Framework Directive.
In Piedmont, the process of forming a River Contract is outlined in the "Regional Guidelines for the Activation of River and Lake Contracts", which draw a methodology divided into four distinct phases: preparation, activation, implementation and consolidation.
The Memorandum of Understanding of the Wetland Contract is currently being signed.
The procedure set out by the Piedmont Region for the signing of the Contract requires a long period of time, since it first provides for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the members of the Direction Cabinet (Public Bodies), which commits the signatories to the signing of the Contract. In this phase, the Direction Cabinet is approving the proposal of the Action Plan, which will be discussed by the Basin Assembly.
The Action Plan includes 10 concrete actions:
- 1 relating to the strategic area "governance", aimed at concluding custody agreements;
- 4 relating to the strategic area "environment" aimed at protecting and increasing biodiversity, improving the landscape and the quality of water resources;
- 5 relating to the strategic area "economic and social development", relating to the development of environmentally sustainable rice farming, to the increase of soft tourism and to the increase of citizens' awareness of environmental issues.
Main problems and obstacles encountered:
- The Contract concerns issues on which different interests coexist, not always and not easily converging (profitability and environmental reasons). These are therefore delicate issues to be managed at a political level and, consequently, require a long time.
- Difficulties in involving local private actors.
Administrative elections concomitant with the period of the territorial laboratories, with consequent difficulty in involving the representatives of the Municipalities.
L
The Works of removal started in September 2011 by the Duero River Basin District and
within the framework of the National Strategy of River Restoration (NSRR).
The slope between the river and the banks required the construction of a ramp so that
the machines could access to the river. Due to the impossibility of removing the
material from the ramp once the work was finished, material from other restoration
activities in other river reaches was used. The native vegetation of the area was
respected during the works of removal. In addition, it will serve to fix the ramp that
allows the approach of the machines to the river.
Prior to the removal, a capture of the fish specimens located upstream of the dam was
performed and subsequently released in the same river away from the intervention. A
high abundance of fish was observed.
A volume of 1,068 m3 of debris was removed during the works. The concrete from the
bypass channel and the dam was removed in the last phase of the work. All elements
that are strange to the river like the concrete or metallic remains were removed from
the river and moved to authorized dump sites.
With this removal, 15 kilometers of river that previously were interrupted by the dam
has been reconnected. Barely a month after the removal of the obstacle, the river has
recovered its natural course +
W
The Wye catchment is currently failing to meet the required
water quality standard as laid out in the European Water
Framework Directive (WFD). Failures can be as a result of
barriers to fish migration, phosphate levels from sewage
treatment works, septic tanks and diffuse pollution
from agriculture. Farming can impact on water quality
in several ways including soil loss (sediment), nutrient
and pesticides losses.
In the WHIP2 project area (the Wye and its tributaries in North and West Herefordshire) there has
been a progressive shift away from permanent pasture and orchards to intensive arable crops - potatoes, winter cereals and soft fruits/poly tunnels, for example. The undulating slopes of the county and the light and medium soil type make many of these crops much more of a risk to rivers than if grown in flatter, eastern counties. On top of that there are increasing demands for water from more intensive livestock and poultry farms.
In the past 10 years there have been signs of an increase in awareness of these issues within the farming community. Pragmatic solutions are available in both the livestock and arable sectors and are being readily taken up. Experience has shown that the farming community is ready to change further, given appropriate levels of support and the provision of cost effective alternatives.
Free advice and grant funding will therefore target these known causes of water body failure on a catchment by catchment basis. In June 2012, we started WHIP2, a 3-year, £1.6m project funded by Defra's Catchment Restoration Fund.
The project has two main areas of activity:
1. Agricultural diffuse pollution management
In 2011/12 WUF ran a pilot project on 4 streams in Herefordshire that were failing Good Ecological Status (GES). The intervention of WUF advisors coupled with a quick, easy and flexible grant pool corrected a number of longstanding problems and these waterbodies are now well on the way to attaining GES. This was confirmation that farmers are receptive to our solutions and that by working with them in an entire catchment, real improvements to the streams could be made.
By June 2012, in partnership with EA and Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF), we prioritised 16 water bodies to receive farm advisory visits. By the end of the project we will have visited nearly 400 farms and produced around 320 'whole farm plans'. These plans will advise of good practice and deliver pragmatic solutions that minimise the risk of that farm contributing to Water Body failure. 80km of riparian fencing will be erected and associated alternative water supplies will be implemented in waterbodies where livestock access is contributing to failure. 96 farm infrastructure improvements will be completed.
In total, the project's target is to improve the status of 33 waterbody elements, bringing an additional 13 of them into Good Ecological Status. 11 others will change from poor status to moderate.
2. Barriers to migration
The Lugg and the Arrow have multiple barriers to migration, some have been there for generations, some more recent. WUF is working on three further easements on both rivers and these will be completed in WHIP2. A further fish pass will be completed on the Garren leaving significant structures upstream at Stony Bridge and Trereece where we have been thwarted by lack of consents. These apart, we will complete all the major fish pass work on the Wye, a task we started 18 years ago.
Project Progress
1st November 2012
• 3 new farm advisors recruited and trained.
Farm advisory work commenced in September with farm visits in upper Arrow, Gladestry, Curl and Tippets catchments.
30th June 2013
• 100 farm plans completed. 80% or better coverage in Upper Arrow, Gladestry, Curl and Tippets catchments. Farm work now moving onto the Honeylake, Lower Arrow, Lugg, Aston Brook, Lye Brook, Ridgemoor Brook and Lime Brook.
• Erosion risk mapped on SCIMAP and used to help plan operations on all high risk farms.
• Nutrient management advice for 61 farms.
• Potato day held and attended by most of the major growers in Herefordshire.
• 7.627km of grant assisted riparian fencing erected with alternative water provided.
• 22 farm infrastructure improvements completed.
• Weir removed on Pinsley Brook.
• Easements at Downfield and Mahollam consented and due for completion this summer
• Owners consent secured and funds committed for an easement on Dayhouse Weir (Lugg). Temporary easement to be fitted if necessary.
1st April 2014
• 170 farm plans completed. SCIMAP proving an essential tool in reducing loss of topsoil.
• 11.5km of grant assisted riparian fencing erected with alternative water sources provided.
• 49 farm infrastructure improvements completed.
• Trial to establish most effective way of reducing soil loss from maize established. This is in response to the plans for an extra 2,000ha of maize in 2015 to feed the Anaerobic Digester (AD) plants. The trial is in partnership with Cranfield University and will run for a year.
• Easement completed at Dayhouse weir in time for 2014's salmon run up the Lugg.
The Wyre Riparian Restoration Initiative has delivered a large riparian restoration scheme on the middle reaches of Woodplumpton Brook. This has been delivered in conjunction with two landowners and covers around 1km of watercourse. A large section of this watercourse was unfenced and significantly affected by the impacts of over grazing, poaching and diffuse pollution. To address these issues, we have installed over 1,150 metres of stock proof fencing, 5 soft engineering solutions and restored an agricultural machinery track which runs through the watercourse. It is expected that this will have a positive impact on the water quality of the brook in this area by reducing the amount of diffuse pollution, sediment and faecal matter which enters the watercourse. +
C
The Włocławek dam was equipped with a conventional step-pool fishpass, which initially was functional, but not enough to sustain free fish migration through the dam. After few years of hydropower plant exploitation the bottom erosion below the dam caused gradual decline of fishpass efficiency due to lowering of water level, so it was functional only at high flows. Finally, all but one entrance windows were situated above the water surface at average flow.
- First action to prevent bottom erosion, undertaken by water authorities, was construction of a stabilizing stone ramp of two meters high just 500 m below the dam. This slowed down the bottom erosion, but created a new obstacle for fish migration, especially at low water flows. However there are vivid plans to build a new dam located about 20 km below the existing one to stop the bottom erosion and ensure safety of the existing dam. Such new dam and reservoir will create an additional barrier for fish migration, which was recently improved by the reconstruction of the Włocławek fishpass.
The fishpass at Włocławek dam was recently (2014) reconstructed into vertical slot type, with new entrance window and additional attractive current provided with a pipe. It was equipped with monitoring system, including VAKI scanner that enables constant monitoring of fish passage and fish trap in top fishpass chamber which provides possibility of individual fish measurements, condition assessment and tagging. +
Z
The Zandwetering is a slow flowing waterway in the urban area of Deventer and the countryside to the north. The latter, downstream part of the waterway is characterized by meadows, fields and woodland. Its natural hydrological regime has been altered by withdrawals for agricultural purposes and by water level regulating structures. As a consequence, development of vegetation, macroinvertebrates and fish have been held back. The water authority has made an attempt to create more variation in morphology and flow structure of the Marswetering and Zandwetering by introducing dead wood in the stream. The wood was introduced at six locations below the water line to create narrower stretches in the stream. This measure was carried out along with other measures, such as the creation of fish passages. This page focuses on the introduction of dead wood. +
The Zeegserloopje is a tributary of the Drentse Aa, which has a generally good or average ecological condition. In order to improve ecological conditions and meet WFD criteria, the mowing regime in the Zeegserloopje was altered. See also: http://www.rtvdrenthe.nl/nieuws/168154/Waterschap-verhoogt-beken-Drentsche-Aa-gebied-Omliggende-natuur-kan-zo-natter-blijven +
B
The Zuidelijk Afwateringskanaal water body is classified under the WFD system as M1a: buffered ditches. The entire water body is managed by water authority Rijn en IJssel. The Zuidelijk Afwateringskanaal is partly located in the province of Gelderland (municipality Berkelland) and partly in the province of Overijssel (municipality Hof van Twente). The water body is 10.7 km long and has a catchment of 4449 hectares. The Zuidelijks Afwateringskanaal is an engineered waterway. It discharges into the Twentekanaal. Water levels are managed with four adjustable weirs (one automatic) and five fixed weirs. None of these weirs are passable for fish. In this water body, a single minimal water level is pursued for each managed stretch, for which the weirs are used. The water body does not carry water all year long. In dry periods, the 24 upstream stretches of the water body run dry. The Zuidelijk Afweteringskanaal is mostly there for drainage. Water is being let into the water body from the Bolksbeek in dry periods. There are no sewage treatment plants present in this catchment.
The water authority adapted its mowing regime in this stream to main channel mowing, mainly to get more experience with this vegetation removal strategy. +
Z
The Zújar project is part of the National Strategy for River Restoration (an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, developed in the Zújar River by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana) and the State Special Fund to Revitalize Economy and Jobs (Plan E). The full project covers 30 km of the river, and to facilitate the execution of the works it was divided into four sub-projects.
The main objectives of the project were: restoration and conservation of riparian vegetation; restoration of the longitudinal and lateral connectivity of the fluvial ecosystem; preservation of the Public Hydraulic Domain from new pressures; environmental education and awareness through the development of outreach activities; enable wildlife mobility; monitoring the biological and physical factors of the reach. The total budget to carry out the rehabilitation and restoration of 30 Km of the Zújar river was 16.240.282 €. The extent of the project is limited to the Public Hydraulic Domain as the first stage of what could be -thanks to land acquisition- a more ambitious floodplain restoration project. +
Zújar river restoration in the reach between the ford of "El Espolón" and the Chapel of St Mary of Zújar , Badajoz. +
The Zújar project is part of the National Strategy for River Restoration (an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, developed in the Zújar River by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana) and the State Special Fund to Revitalize Economy and Jobs (Plan E). The full project covers 30 km of the river, and to facilitate the execution of the works it was divided into four sub-projects.
The main objectives of the project were: restoration and conservation of riparian vegetation; restoration of the longitudinal and lateral connectivity of the fluvial ecosystem; preservation of the Public Hydraulic Domain from new pressures; environmental education and awareness through the development of outreach activities; enable wildlife mobility; monitoring the biological and physical factors of the reach. The total budget to carry out the rehabilitation and restoration of 30 Km of the Zújar river was 16.240.282 €. The extent of the project is limited to the Public Hydraulic Domain as the first stage of what could be -thanks to land acquisition- a more ambitious floodplain restoration project. +
Zújar river restoration in the reach between the Chapel of St Mary of Zújar and the ford of "Entrerríos", Badajoz. +
The Zújar project is part of the National Strategy for River Restoration (an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, developed in the Zújar River by the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadiana) and the State Special Fund to Revitalize Economy and Jobs (Plan E). The full project covers 30 km of the river, and to facilitate the execution of the works it was divided into four sub-projects.
The main objectives of the project were: restoration and conservation of riparian vegetation; restoration of the longitudinal and lateral connectivity of the fluvial ecosystem; preservation of the Public Hydraulic Domain from new pressures; environmental education and awareness through the development of outreach activities; enable wildlife mobility; monitoring the biological and physical factors of the reach. The total budget to carry out the rehabilitation and restoration of 30 Km of the Zújar river was 16.240.282 €. The extent of the project is limited to the Public Hydraulic Domain as the first stage of what could be -thanks to land acquisition- a more ambitious floodplain restoration project. +