]> 2026-04-09T05:10:20+00:00 Case study:Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project) 500 en Approved Barrier removal Adding sinuosity Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) University of Liege University of Namur Western Plains LIFE 07 Yes Yes Yes Photo intro.jpg Cartes obstacles.jpg Bocq Yvoir14oct-2011 27.jpg Aminthe.jpg BocqYvoir effacement2.jpg BocqYvoir effacement.jpg PB250037 stitch.jpg P8030038.JPG IMG 0046 stitch.jpg P9030117.JPG IMG 5616.JPG BocqGemenne bois.jpg Bocq: Rehabilitation projects Barriers location on the Bocq catchment pre and post Walphy project Bocq at Yvoir: Fish passage Bocq at Yvoir: Pre-barrages Bocq at Yvoir: Weir removal Bocq at Spontin: Weir removal Bocq at Spontin: Rock ramp Bocq at Braibant: Bypass channel Leignon at Ciney: Habitat diversification Bocq at Emptinale: Designing sinuous channel Bocq at Gemenne: Wood addition - Despite the short period of time (5 years) of this project, we realized afterwards the importance of achieving a multi-scale assessment and an initial state (pre-restoration) prior to restoration work. - We implemented a wide range of demonstration techniques and we compared them in terms of cost-effectiveness (see the Manual of River Restoration Techniques on http://www.walphy.be/index.php?page=guide-technique). - Most of the restoration projects could be implemented without acquiring the land but rather through negociations with the local community. This underlines the importance of engaging the local community. - The time span of the project allowed us only 1-2 years of monitoring (post-restoration). Fortunately, the SPW funded a long-term monitoring (>3 years), which is crucial for accurate evaluation of success, especially for biological indicators. - Finally, we hope the project to give a boost to future restoration projets in Wallonia. 50.322505850464,5.0085898116231 AlexBE Alexandre Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) Peeters Barrier removal,,Creation of fish spawn nursing places, Improvement culvert bed,Adding sinuosity, ,,, The success of the restoration projects was evaluated on the basis of a multi-disciplinary monitoring. Hydromorphology was evaluated on five restored sites using microhabitat survey and three indices of physical quality. For all sites, hydromorphology was significantly improved 10-20 months post-rehabilitation, through the diversification of flows (depth, substrate, water velocity) and the creation of habitats (e.g. fish shelters, spawning areas and woody debris). Biological quality, based on macroinvertebrates and fish communities, has generally showed a status quo or a slight increase 10-20 months post-completion. Nevertheless, ambitious rehabilitation measures such as weir removal and meanders restoration have resulted in the most positive effects, while less ambitious measures such as habitat diversification have led to more contrasted results. In addition, restoration of the longitudinal connectivity was beneficial for Grayling, designated as Natura 2000 species, and for eels, concerned with the Benelux convention. The geomorphological monitoring has focused on the effect of barriers on sediment transport and the effectiveness of spawning gravel rehabilitation. 21869 University of Liege, University of Namur Overview of the restoration projects undertaken on the Bocq catchment 2013-12-31Z 2456657.5 Photo intro.jpg 2009-01-01Z 2454832.5 Complete In the context of fulfilling the Water Framework Directive requirements, the LIFE+ project Walphy allowed experimental restoration projects to be undertaken on two medium-size catchments of the Meuse basin in Wallonia (Belgium) between 2009 and 2014: the Bocq catchment and the Eau Blanche Catchment. This five-year long project was funded by the European Union and the Service Public de Wallonie (SPW). It involved three institutions: the SPW was in charge of the experimental restoration projects while the Universities of Liège and Namur were responsible for evaluating the success of the restoration projects. The Bocq is a medium-size gravel-bed river which has been strongly impacted by numerous barriers, impeding the free movement of fish and bedload (an average of one weir every 1.8 km). In addition, some river reaches have been straightened over the last few centuries, which has led to significant loss of habitat. A multi-scale assessment of hydromorphological conditions of the Bocq catchment has led to a large-scale restoration project implemented mainly in the lower and middle course of the Bocq River itself. 22 barriers (mainly old weirs of an average height of 1.35 m) have been removed or modified in order to reconnect the Bocq with the Meuse and to improve access to areas of spawning grounds. To date, only two barriers remain in the middle Bocq. In addition, 3.6 km of modified reaches were improved through a wide range of rehabilitation techniques such as designing sinuous channels, re-instating spawning grounds, improving fish shelters, improving culvert bed, etc. Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project) bocq river (walphy - life project) http://walphy.be Meuse Meuse Creation of fish spawn nursing places Improvement culvert bed Bocq bocq 237 100 - 1000 km² 305 200 - 500 m Bocq MM28R and MM30R Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Monitoring 2861 1000 - 5000 k€ 2015-07-15T07:49:45Z 2457218.8262153 2018-11-12T17:08:23Z 2458435.2141551 Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project) 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project)]] [[Subcatchment title::Bocq]] Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project)# QUERY5ad0bf9a452d2abfb57e256f974511a4 500 1 list 3 [[Category:Case study]] [[Parent project::Case study:Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project)]] Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project)# QUERYcbbac199be5099815a73256d19ac5e02 Case study:Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project) 500 en Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project) Parent project 102 en Parent project