Case study:Ullswater Catchment Restoration

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Location: 54° 32' 38.81" N, 2° 56' 57.40" W

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Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site
Themes	Economic aspects, Environmental flows and water resources, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Land use management - agriculture, Monitoring, Social benefits, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Alice
Main contact surname	James
Main contact user ID	User:AliceJames
Contact organisation	Ullswater Catchment Management CIC
Contact organisation web site	http://www.ucmcic.com
Partner organisations	The National Trust, Cumbria River Restoration Strategy
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	Goldrill Beck River Restoration, Kirkstone Beck River Restoration, Thackthwaite catchment restoration

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Project summary

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Ullswater is one of the most iconic destinations in the Lake District, attracting millions of visitors every year and home to thriving rural communities. However, decades of agricultural intensification and land use change have resulted in highly modified river and declining biodiversity. The Ullswater catchment restoration project seeks to reverse this decline in habitat and natural processes through working with landowners and local communities to foster change at a catchment scale. The project area includes the headwaters systems, tributaries, rivers, and catchment land draining into Ullswater. These systems have been historically modified to improve the valley bottom areas for farming, with straightening, deepening, embanking, revetments, and width rationalisation a common sight. Hidden alterations to the functioning of the system are also present with underdrainage significantly impacting on the natural hydrology. The consequence of such high levels of modification combined with a changing climate has increased the flood risk to local communities. This is coupled with frequent seasonal drying of main river systems during periods of reduced rainfall. Valley floor modification is significant, and the combined effect of all changes has been to severely degrade the wet environment with consequent losses of biodiversity. In response the Ullswater catchment Partnership has been working to deliver management initiatives and physical interventions for almost 10years. The partners have delivered 282 projects, including over 13km of river restoration, 46ha of water storage, 12km of hedgerow creation, 497ha of wood pasture restoration and 249ha of peat and wetland restoration. A key large-scale achievement has been the river and valley bottom naturalisation work which stretches from the bottom of Kirkstone Pass to Ullswater and includes large areas of the Brothers Water SSSI and the River Eden and tributaries SSSI. Numerous farm scale initiatives have been carried out across the catchment with the partnership carrying out restoration across a total area of 843ha. The interventions across the catchment include: • River restoration through de-culverting, embankment removal, small barrier removal, stage 0 interventions, and re-meandering over 13.7km • Pond creation and offline water storage totalling 46ha. • Hedgerow creation and restoration and riparian corridor restoration over 16km • Wood pasture creation and restoration across 497ha • Peat and wetland restoration over 249ha The project outputs are monitored through several approaches including repeat freshwater and terrestrial ecological surveying, soil nutrient, organic matter and carbon sequestration analysis, sediment storage analysis, hydrological monitoring of large interventions, fish surveying and redd counting and citizen science monitoring initiatives.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Work in the Ullswater catchment has comprised numerous small-scale farm-based interventions through to larger strategic works to naturalise the bigger watercourse and floodplain areas. To date 282 projects have been completed with a combined area of 843ha. 249ha of upland peat restoration has included 16,200 peat bunds, 12,000m of peat hag re-profiling and 21ha of sphagnum inoculation. Wood pasture restoration and creation covers 497ha and combined with 16km of hedgerow creation over 150,000 trees have been planted. Pond and wetland creation has resulted in 46ha of standing water habitat. River restoration has been carried out over 13.7km and includes small barrier removals, de-culverting, fish passes, stage 0 restoration, constrained restoration, and re-meandering. Monitoring of the wider catchment works shows that where hedgerows and wood pasture have been created there has been a very swift response in earthworm numbers compared to adjacent sampling sites. Whilst there is no evidence of changes in nutrients or carbon storage, this would not be expected immediately. However, the partnership is committed to re-testing these sites on a 5-yearly basis. There is clear evidence through photographs and surveying of the new hedgerows and riparian restoration areas having a significant increase in flora with species such as Vetch, Red Campion, Dog Violet, and Greater Stitchwort’s now common. Where peat restoration has been carried out there is now a healthy fauna of Sphagnum Spp., Bog Asphodel, Cotton Grass, and Sundews present representing a healthy hydrology. Three large river restoration projects have been carried out in the valley bottom. These projects have been heavily monitored for hydrology, sediment transport, fish, macrophyte and terrestrial ecology. The naturalisation aimed to restore form and process, rejuvenating a range of river types and associated valley bottom systems. The project completed at Hartsop Hall, over 2.1km, saw the wetted channel area increase from 1850m2 to 23,300m2. At Goldrill Beck the project, over 1.6km, saw the wetted channel area increase by 21,590m2. Hydrological data shows that the impact on flood flows has been a mean event lag time increase of 41.3 minutes, with some events having an event lag time increase of 90 minutes. Coarse sediment is also now being stored across the valley bottom with repeat survey showing that more than 2000 m3 of sediment has been stored on one site. The original species-poor assemblage of rush pasture and semi-improved grassland has been disturbed and the vegetation has begun to diversify. The newly formed gravel bars are hosting the greatest diversity of plants, as species that are suited to disturbance and early colonisation are taking advantage. Species such as Corn Spurrey, Bottle Sedge, Fox Glove, and Devils Bit Scabious are increasing in prevalence across the sites, with the partnership now pursuing an expansion of Devils Bit Scabious habitat across the valley prior to a Marsh Fritillary Butterfly re-introduction. Several bird and butterfly species have been recorded on the river restoration sites for the first time, including Jack Snipe, Great White Egret and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary Butterfly.

Lessons learnt

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The biggest success has been the meaningful partnership developed with all landowners and farmers who have worked with us over the past 10 years. A relationship of trust and respect has been built through collaboration, ensuring they are treated as a true partner, can input into design, oversee construction, and take ownership of the results. The momentum of project delivery is increasing, and this can be attributed to the commitment to building and maintaining these relationships.

Funding for projects such as this can be incredibly hard to come by and the partnerships commitment to showcasing our work and communicating passionately about our objectives has resulted in significant income through private donations and crowd funders. A community far wider than Ullswater feel invested in our work.

The partnership has also worked hard to improve local skills and education opportunities. Through the Riverlands project we have hosted 3 apprentices over the last 6 years, galvanising a new generation of river champions. We have worked with local contractors for all projects, providing a learning space for local construction companies to diversify into natural flood management and habitat works. The volume of work has supported numerous small contractors who are now as much a partner to the project as anyone. They have developed a deep understanding of how important it is to protect this landscape and the methods they can use to enhance it.

Image gallery

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Invasive species present Species of interest Dominant hydrology Dominant substrate River corridor land use Average bankfull channel width category Average bankfull channel width (m) Average bankfull channel depth category Average bankfull channel depth (m) Mean discharge category Mean annual discharge (m3/s) Average channel gradient category Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Cost for project phases Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname Investigation and design Stakeholder engagement and communication Works and works supervision Post-project management and maintenance Monitoring Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information