]> 2026-04-22T12:28:11+00:00 Case study:Ennerdale Mill Weir Removal 500 en Approved 0.5 - 2 m 10 - 50 m Weir removal West Cumbria Rivers Trust Natural England & Environment Agency Great Britain Environment Agency Marine Management Organisation James Fisher Nuclear Natural England Yes No Yes false WSCT0702.JPG Ennerdale Mill Weir - 2018-06-21 13.08.48 (Nathan D.).jpg 20180706 113633.jpg EMD After.png DSC04011.JPG 3 days after notching - weir structure exposed.jpg EMD After 2.jpg View from below the weir, highlighting the extent of the drop in water levels Installing sediment-trapping mats downstream of the weir, prior to removal Removing the actual structure, 6th July 2018 Site of the former weir, 3 weeks after removal Gravel & cobble deposition is evident as the river is rapidly re-naturalising and responding to natural processes (December 2018) 3 days after notching - weir structure exposed After removal, showing the river bank vegetation recovering No 10 - 50 k€ West Cumbria Rivers Trust West Cumbria Rivers Trust Ebsford Environmental 54.47529109939,-3.5260548045046 WCRT Luke West Cumbria Rivers Trust Bryant Weir removal,, ,,, 1 - 10 k€ Durham Uni Archaeological Monitoring Report - July 2018.pdf Ennerdale Mill Heritage Recording Initial Report.pdf West Cumbria Rivers Trust Durham University undertook Archaeological Monitoring in 2017 and during the removal in 2018 Immediately post-removal WCRT have been conducting regular fixed-point photography across the site, to highlight how the river adapts and responds to being re-naturalised. Drone-captured aerial imagery has also been recorded post-removal; once collated this can be contrasted with the footage captured pre-removal for before-and-after analysis 23660 Natural England & Environment Agency The weir at Ennerdale Mill, on the River Ehen in Egremont, prior to removal, showing significant damage to the structure and face of the weir 1 - 10 k€ West Cumbria Rivers Trust 2019-07-31Z 2458695.5 EMD Before.png 2017-01-04Z 2457757.5 Complete Ennerdale Mill Weir, located on the River Ehen in Egremont (Grid Ref NY 012099) dates back over 250 years and was constructed to power the Ennerdale Paper Mill. The Weir has not been used as it was intended for many years and has been proven to be a barrier to migratory species of fish in the Ehen catchment, as well as a crucial site for Freshwater Mussels. A consortium of funders- WCRT, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and James Fisher Nuclear- have combined resources to enable this weir removal project to take place over the summer of 2018. The project was delivered as part of the Cumbria River Restoration Strategy, a partnership between the EA, NE and WCRT. In June 2018, we mobilized to site to begin the delicate task of removing the weir, without causing ecological damage through the uncontrolled release of silt and sediment into the river system. A specialized contractor, Ebsford Environmental, were chosen to deliver the works, ensuring silt control measures were installed downstream of the weir. In addition, prior to the works, WCRT and Natural England conducted a translocation of freshwater mussels from within the work site, re-locating 48 mussels upstream of Egremont. The working methodology, developed by WCRT and AECOM, involved river bank re-profiling, berm lowering, re-grading of the existing riverbed & installation of toe protection (boulders that reinforce the river bank to provide protection against erosion), all conducted in a specific order to minimise sediment disturbance. Once the preparation was complete (approx. 4 weeks) we were ready to ‘notch’ the weir which lowered the water levels upstream, allowing the sediment & gravels that had built up over decades to be removed in the dry. Removing the weir structure itself took one week, and throughout that process Durham University were conducting heritage recording of the site so that we have a historic record of the structure of the weir. With the weir structure removed, the final tasks were to re-profile the riverbed and rapids upstream and downstream, and further strengthen the river banks with stone protection. Works completely finished on 31st July 2018, meaning the whole project was delivered in around 7 weeks. The Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency, supported by other partners, have been working with the Marine Management Organisation and Defra to develop a coordinated and funded programme of projects for 2018/19 with the aim of freeing migration routes of barriers to fish.This project is part of that programme funded by over £1.6 million of European Maritime and Fisheries Funds, which is matched by more than £1 million of Agency/Defra funding and £300,000 of other funds. Ennerdale Mill Weir Removal ennerdale mill weir removal http://westcumbriariverstrust.org/projects/ennerdale-mill-weir-removal Yes 400 South West Lakes North West River Ehen (lower) river ehen (lower) River Ehen river ehen Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Brown trout (Salmo trutta) 10 - 50 k€ West Cumbria Rivers Trust 100 - 1000 km² 387 200 - 500 m River Ehen (lower) GB112074069980 Environmental flows and water resources Fisheries Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Urban 100 - 500 k€ 100 - 500 k€ Ebsford Environmental 2018-07-31Z 2458330.5 2018-06-01Z 2458270.5 2018-10-08T15:20:56Z 2458400.139537 2019-02-19T14:58:39Z 2458534.1240625 Ennerdale Mill Weir Removal 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!Ennerdale Mill Weir Removal]] [[Subcatchment title::River Ehen (lower)]] Ennerdale Mill Weir Removal# QUERYccfb6673b25af6a073756fc160e1e000