Case study:Howgill Beck Naturalisation Project: Difference between revisions
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Latest revision as of 15:09, 24 February 2025
Project background
| 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
| 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 |
Project summary
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
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.
Lessons learnt
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Catchment and subcatchment
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Reasons for river restoration
Measures
MonitoringHydromorphological quality elements
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Monitoring documents
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Supplementary InformationEdit Supplementary Information
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