]> 2026-04-17T14:39:05+00:00 Case study:Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project) 500 en Approved Creation of fish spawn nursing places Creation of meanders Reconnection of cutoff meander Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) University of Liege University of Namur Western Plains Yes Yes Yes EB rectification.jpg EB-Nismes.jpg EB Nismes chantier.JPG EB-Mariembourg deflectors.jpg EB-Mariembourg bois.jpg EB Mariembourg 2010.jpg EB BoussuAmont chantier.JPG EB boussu.jpg EB Boussu2012.jpg EB Boussu peche.JPG EB Nismes sentier.JPG Straightening of the Eau blanche river Remeandering river channel at Nismes Habitat diversification at Mariembourg Reconnecting a remnant meander at Boussu-en-Fagne Reconnecting a remnant meander at Boussu-en-Fagne (1 year post-completion) Electrofishing at Boussu-en-Fagne Educational pathway at Nismes - 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. 50.089284099569,4.5372764021158 AlexBE Alexandre Service Public de Wallonie (SPW) Peeters Creation of fish spawn nursing places,,Habitat diversification,Creation of meanders, Reconnection of cutoff meander, ,,, The success of the restoration projects was evaluated on the basis of a multi-disciplinary monitoring. Hydromorphology was evaluated on three 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). The most positive effects were observed for the most ambitious projects (meandering river channel and reconnecting remnant meander compared to habitat diversification). Biological quality, based on macroinvertebrates and fish communities, has generally showed a status quo or a slight increase 10-20 months post-completion. As for hydromorphology, we might conclude that the most ambitious rehabilitation measures have resulted in the most positive effects. However, it would be prudent to await the results of the next monitoring surveys (4 years post-completion). The geomorphological monitoring has focused on the effect of rehabilitation measures on river dynamic (bedload transport, bank erosion) and the effectiveness of spawning gravel rehabilitation. 21885 University of Liege, University of Namur, Eau Blanche at Nismes: meandering channel (one year post completion) 2014-12-31Z 2457022.5 P8030001.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 Eau Blanche is a medium-size gravel-bed river. Its downstream reach (13 km) is characterized by a low gradient (1-2 ‰), a low energy (specific stream power at the bankfull stage: 20 W/m²) and a wide floodplain (around 600 m). Its channel have been straightened and embanked over the last few centuries (sinuosity index decreased from 1.6 to 1.1), which has led to significant loss of habitat. A multi-scale assessment of hydromorphological conditions of the Eau Blanche catchment has led to several restoration projects on a total length 6 km. They consist of measures of different ambitions such as reconnecting remnant meander, meandering river channel and habitat diversification. In addition, we undertook locally to improve fish shelters and spawning areas. Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project) eau blanche river (walphy - life project) http://walphy.be 6000 Meuse Meuse Habitat diversification Eau Blanche eau blanche 259 100 - 1000 km² 305 200 - 500 m Eau Blanche MM05R, MM06R, MM07R Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Monitoring 2015-07-16T09:48:54Z 2457219.9089583 2018-11-12T17:09:28Z 2458435.2149074 Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project) 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project)]] [[Subcatchment title::Eau Blanche]] Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project)# QUERYc2ce62e06501db1f4b391cad4755666b 500 1 list 3 [[Category:Case study]] [[Parent project::Case study:Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project)]] Eau Blanche River (Walphy - LIFE project)# QUERY7d5fc252988e64fb89ece669978ebcb4 Case study:Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project) 500 en Bocq river (Walphy - LIFE project) Parent project 102 en Parent project