Case study:Howgill Beck Naturalisation Project

Location: 54° 55' 3.00" N, 2° 37' 34.32" W

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Project background

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Reach length directly affected (m)	30003,000 m <br />3 km <br />300,000 cm <br />
Project started	2021-07-04
Works started	2023-07-03
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

Supplementary funding information

The RSPB are highly conscious of the value of monitoring and already have extensive species records (standard surveys and incidental) for Geltsdale Reserve. Brown & Shepheard bird surveys are conducted annually across Stagsike Meadow allowing for baseline and comparable data. Twenty aquatic invertebrate sampling points will be monitored annually using the FBA Extended Riverfly survey methodology building on a baseline of 5 points monitored in 2022 and nine points in 2024. Repeat fish surveys are planned every 5 years building on electrofishing surveys carried out by TRT in 2022 & 2024. A baseline SSSI Common Standards Monitoring botanical survey was carried out in 2020 for Stagsike Meadow and will be repeated every 5 years. Annual surveys to monitor aquatic and emergent vascular plants in channel and wetland areas are programmed alongside solitary bee surveys at this important site for several species. A bespoke bi-annual bird point count survey will include the Upper Howgill Beck and after successful eDNA surveys on the reserve, samples will be taken from 3 points across the project areas every 3 years from 2025. Moth trapping is occurring at a fixed point within the site and Water vole are surveyed every 3 years.

Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Fisheries, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Peat, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Jen
Main contact surname	Selvidge
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	RSPB
Contact organisation web site	http://www.rspb.org.uk/
Partner organisations
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

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Project summary

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The work along Howgill Beck extends along much of the rivers length from the headwaters through to the wide valley floor above Tindale Tarn and encompasses both instream, valley floor, valley side and tributary works to re-naturalise the system from its previously modified state. The project was completed in two stages with the ditched straightened channel close to Tindale Tarn being restored in 2022 followed by the upper catchment works in 2024 following the positive reception of the initial scheme. Works across the wide valley floor immediately above the Tarn included the rejuvenation of a previously disconnected anastomosing wetland area which is most likely its former natural state and the reprofiling of the main straight ditched channel draining into the Tarn. The anastomosing channel network interacts with several former scrapes which are now better connected and large dead wood has been used locally to improve pond habitat diversity. Works to the main channel included widenings, bifurcations, riffle reintroduction and gravel bar reinstatement to create a naturally more dynamic active sinuous channel with occasional split flows. Flow then enters a rejuvenated lake fan system which is now composed of a mosaic of distributary channels flowing between reed fen and willow/alder wet woodland. Higher in the system the watercourse steepens, and the bed coarsens, assuming a cobble/boulder character. Previously this too was rationalised into an over-deep monotonous ditched channel and the works along this reach reintroduced boulder rapids and live large wood to enhance local form and process diversity and the narrow valley floor was reconnected through widening and rejuvenation of inset berm areas. The use of live large wood is particularly innovative here, with trees being pushed into the flow to influence the hydraulics and sediment dynamics, whilst maintaining a partial rooted network that stabilises these features in this higher energy environment, allowing the tree to continue to grow in-situ. Ditched and culverted flows into the main channel were also disrupted by strategic blocking to reactivate valley fan areas recreating a multiple channel distributary network. Overall, the project has impacted 1.8 km of watercourse and wetting has extended to influence 15 ha of valley bottom seasonally and over 35 ha in flood conditions. All works were as resource neutral as possible reusing embankment river gravels to form riffle and bar units and utilising excavated scrape and pond arisings to facilitate the ditch blocking.

Monitoring surveys and results

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The minimal intervention system naturalisation approach on the upper and lower Howgill Beck, pioneered through this project, has succeeded in restoring both natural channel and valley bottom form and associated hydrological, hydraulic processes and sediment dynamics. As such the system is now completely self-sustaining, requiring no human intervention to continue to develop and diversify as a dynamic system. This dynamism has been key to the success of the project with the fluvial processes operating to progressively enhance the overall quality and functioning of the system. The proof of the project’s success is provided by the dramatic biotic response. Waders have been monitored around Lower Howgill Beck using standard Brown & Shepherd methodology, and we have recorded the highest number of Redshank since 2016 increasing 1 pair to 5 pairs in the 2024 breeding season. Two pairs of Oystercatchers have successfully bred along Howgill Beck since the completion of project works in 2022 with the last breeding attempt in this compartment being 2016. Two pairs of Common Sandpiper have nested each year since the completion of works: a first for this compartment. Flood events over Winter helped deposit finer gravels in the channels, developed the flowing wetland, and shaped shallow silty edge habitat, all essential bathing and foraging areas, especially for wading birds and chicks. The shallows of the beck and the flowing wetland are used by wading birds and their chicks including Redshank, Lapwing, Curlew, Oystercatcher and Snipe as well as Dipper and Kingfisher. Incidental records also provide valuable data; a single walked transect (480m) through the Lower Howgill project area during a very dry spell in June 2023 recorded 31 Snipe, illustrating how resilience of the project area. Otter spraint was also recorded on one of the channels along with two Four Spotted Chasers in a newly created pool. 11 species of Odonata have also been recorded within restored project areas including the first records of Broad-bodied Chaser (1 record in 2023 and 1 record in 2024) and the first record of a Black-tailed Skimmer since 2006. Aquatic vegetation surveys along the new water courses have taken place annually to ascertain species and relative coverage. Current species present include various pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.), Common Water starwort (Callitriche stagnalis), Common Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis) and Brooklime (Veronica beccabunga) with plant numbers and extent increasing significantly from the pre-restoration baseline state. In January 2025 during an extended period of sub-zero temperatures the flowing wetlands were still functioning. The Upper Howgill Beck area held 21 Snipe in the flowing wetland and associated seepage pools along with 1 Woodcock, 6 Teal and 4 Mallard due to the suitable foraging opportunities. A further 16 were recorded in the Lower Howgill Beck project area (peak count of 55 Snipe was recorded for this compartment in October 2022). Nine sightings of Great White Egret have been recorded at Geltsdale within the project area: five of these were in 2024 and all but one have been since the completion of the project.

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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) 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