]> 2026-04-12T05:16:58+00:00 Case study:Wensum River Restoration Strategy 500 en RWRS fact sheet River Wensum restoration strategy 2009 Natural England Three minute video produced for the 2014 England River Prize Approved 0.5 - 2 m 2 - 5 m Bed raising Yes Yes Invertebrates: Taxonomic composition,Yes,Yes,,,, Invertebrates: Taxonomic composition Channel narrowing Environment Agency Natural England Water Management Alliance Riparian Landowners Atkins Great Britain Yes Yes Yes true ,,,,,, Wensum River Tat.JPG Wensum Ryburgh Common meander loop.jpg Wensum Swanton Morley floodplain re-connection.JPG WRS River Tat (Environment Agency) Wensum Ryburgh Common meander loop (Environment Agency) Wensum Swanton Morley floodplain re-connection (Environment Agency) No Simon Johnson Environment Agency Environment Agency 52.781326,0.96066 Adam Environment Agency Thurtle Bed raising,,Channel narrowing ,,,Participation in maintenance For each scheme we monitor the impacts of restoration on fish, invertebrates, aquatic macrophytes, and protected species (e.g. water vole). Fixed point photography is also undertaken. Simon Rob Johnson Dryden ,,,,,, 938 Natural England, Water Management Alliance, Riparian Landowners, Atkins ,,,,,, Wensum at Great Ryburgh, July 2011 (post-restoration) Wensum Ryburgh.jpg 2000-08-01Z 2451757.5 In progress The River Wensum Restoration Strategy is a long-term project with the vision to restore all 71km of the River Wensum SSSI/SAC. The project is lead by the Environment Agency, working in partnership with a range of organisations and individuals including Natural England, the Water Management Alliance, Atkins, riparian landowners and anglers. We intend to restore the river and floodplain to a more naturally functioning ecosystem so that it can support the wildlife and fisheries typical of a Norfolk chalk stream. We aim to ensure that the river is sustainably managed to meet the needs of all river users, providing ecosystem services to benefit wildlife, water quality, water resources, flood risk management, agriculture and leisure activities. The Wensum is a chalk river of great importance for its wildlife, as well as being a notable landscape feature of rural Norfolk. Its conservation interest is recognised nationally and internationally through its notification as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). However, the river is in unfavourable ecological condition and failing its Water Framework Directive targets due to past physical modifications for land drainage and milling. In essence parts of the river are too wide, too deep and too straightened, as well as being heavily impounded by mill structures and disconnected from its floodplain by spoil banks resulting from historical dredging. For the first time we have looked at a whole river scale to see what action needs to be taken to restore each section of the river. The main recommendations of the strategy include narrowing the channel, restoring the gravel bed, reducing impoundment, reconnecting the floodplain, improving channel sinuosity and increasing the amount of large woody material in the channel. Our over-arching philosophy is to implement integrated schemes that deliver multiple benefits, including river restoration, floodplain biodiversity enhancements, reduced flood risk to people and property, and improved angling and water quality. We work closely with a wide range of other projects and initiatives within the Wensum catchment to achieve these objectives. As of March 2014 we had completed 6 major restoration schemes on the river. A total of 12.46km of river has been restored. Wensum River Restoration Strategy wensum river restoration strategy http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/wildlife/114676.aspx No Broadland Rivers Anglian Wensum wensum EU - Special Area of Conservation Bintree bintree 10 - 100 km² 98 Less than 100 m Wensum GB105034051110 Fisheries Flood risk management Habitat and biodiversity Hydromorphology Land use management - agriculture Monitoring Water quality 73 50 - 100 k€ R19 GB105034051100 Wensum Participation in maintenance Rob Dryden Environment Agency 2000-10-01Z 2451818.5 2012-07-31T17:35:02Z 2456140.232662 2015-10-23T14:20:13Z 2457319.0973727 Wensum River Restoration Strategy 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!Wensum River Restoration Strategy]] [[Subcatchment title::Wensum]] Wensum River Restoration Strategy# QUERYf5b9b3aee2d9e755af83d65827adbfcb 500 1 list 3 [[Category:Case study]] [[Parent project::Case study:Wensum River Restoration Strategy]] Wensum River Restoration Strategy# QUERYdac5250869be9a245ba2af8290479dd1 Case study:River Wensum Rehabilitation Project - Bintree 500 en River Wensum Rehabilitation Project - Bintree Case study:Meander reinstatement on the River Wensum at the Ryburgh Loop 500 en Meander reinstatement on the River Wensum at the Ryburgh Loop Case study:River rehabilitation on the River Wensum at Swanton Morley 500 en River rehabilitation on the River Wensum at Swanton Morley Case study:Sculthorpe Moor Restoration Scheme 500 en Sculthorpe Moor Restoration Scheme Case study:Great Ryburgh End Restoration Scheme 500 en Great Ryburgh End Restoration Scheme Case study:River Tat Restoration Scheme 500 en River Tat Restoration Scheme Case study:Upper Wensum Restoration Project 500 en Upper Wensum Restoration Project Case study:River Wensum Restoration, Reach 3a Costessey 500 en River Wensum Restoration, Reach 3a Costessey Case study:River Wensum Restoration, Reach 10 Lenwade 500 en River Wensum Restoration, Reach 10 Lenwade Parent project 102 en Parent project