Case study:Eddleston water: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 10:57, 16 April 2025
Project overview
| Status | In progress |
|---|---|
| Project web site | http://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/projects/9_eddleston.pdf |
| Themes | Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Land use management - agriculture, Monitoring, Social benefits, Water quality |
| Country | Scotland |
| Main contact forename | Luke |
| Main contact surname | Comins |
| Main contact user ID | |
| Contact organisation | Tweed Forum |
| Contact organisation web site | http://www.tweedforum.org/ |
| Partner organisations | |
| Parent multi-site project | |
| This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
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Project summary
The Eddleston Water project is a partnership project led by Tweed Forum which is working to restore the Eddleston Water and its catchment for the benefit of the local community and wildlife, using an approach based on Natural Flood Management (NFM). Since 2010, a series of practical works have been taking place throughout the catchment as part of the overall plan to restore the river and its catchment; the effects of which are being closely monitored through a detailed and extensive research programme supported by The Sottish Government.
The Eddleston Water
The Eddleston Water is a tributary of the River Tweed, flowing 20 km north to south through its 69km2 catchment, before reaching the main river in the town of Peebles. Over time, the course of the river has been extensively altered and long sections were straightened and embanked in the early 19th century, cutting off connectivity with its floodplain and severely degrading the river channel. Other changes in land management, both in the river valley and on the surrounding hill slopes, have also altered how the land drains. Together, these changes have resulted in an increased risk of flooding to Eddleston and Peebles, as rainfall and flood waters travel ever more quickly and directly from the hill slopes and along the river channels towards these communities. At the same time, these changes have also damaged the river environment itself, leading to the loss of over a quarter of the river’s original length, and habitat loss for plants and animals, including salmon and trout, as well as rare and protected species such as otters and lampreys.
The landscape is typical of many Scottish catchments, with the most wide-spread land use being improved grassland (40%) and coniferous plantations (13%). Moorland and rough grazing occur predominantly on higher ground on the west, the uplands on the east having more coniferous plantations. The valley slopes are mainly improved grassland for grazing sheep and cattle, and valley bottoms improved grassland for grazing and silage production. Altitude varies from 600m to 160m AOD, and the catchment is largely underlain by fractured greywacke sandstones that have been eroded and partially infilled by subsequent glacial and alluvial processes.
The Eddleston Water falls within the EU Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for the River Tweed catchment. The river is designated for its salmon (Salmo salar), lampreys (Lampetra spp), otters (Lutra lutra) and aquatic plants (Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion). It’s qualifying habitat is “River with floating vegetation often dominated by water-crowfoot”. At the time of initiation of the project, the Eddleston was classified as in ‘Bad’ ecological condition under the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), due to the extensive damage to the hydromorphology of the channel and banks, much of it a legacy from past ‘improvements’.
Project aims
The three main aims are:
• to assess the effectiveness of NFM measures to reduce flood risk to the communities of Eddleston and Peebles by restoring some of the original natural features of the catchment
• to assess the impact of NFM restoration on habitats and species; and
• to work with landowners and communities to maximise the benefits to them, while sustaining farm businesses.
Who is involved?
The project is a partnership initiative led by Tweed Forum as Project Managers, with a Project Board consisting of the Scottish Government, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Borders Council (SBC). The University of Dundee has been the main science provider, with additional inputs from British Geological Survey and other academic institutions. Other key partners represented on the Project Steering Group include NatureScot, Forest Research (FR), Forestry & Land Scotland (FLS) National Farmers Union (Scotland), Scottish Land & Estates, the Tweed Foundation and Environment Agency. The most important partners are the landowners and local community, with whom we work closely.
Funding
The Eddleston Water study is funded by the Scottish Government both directly and through relevant funding streams, such as the Scottish Rural Development Programme. From 2016–2020, funding also came from participation in the EU North Sea Region Interreg programme Building with Nature. In addition, very significant contributions have come from SEPA itself and from key partners, including Dundee University and BGS, not least in terms of in-house monitoring, research, analyses and advice. Other organisations, including SBC, NatureScot, FR, FLS, along with CEMEX, Scottish Power, Forest Carbon and Woodland Trust have contributed. Expenditure to date has topped £3million.
Project Development
The project began with a Scoping Study in 2010, produced by Dundee University, which also included a Restoration strategy, a Monitoring Strategy and a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy. The Restoration Strategy included a characterisation of the catchment and is focused on three main areas: the upper valley and hill slopes (which are the main sources of flood water running off in to the river); the valley bottom or floodplain; and the channels and habitats of the river itself. After a period of baseline monitoring, restoration activities began in 2013 and have been ongoing.
Monitoring
Monitoring the effects of these measures is an important part of this project. A comprehensive network of rain gauges and river level gauges along with water level recorders on selected flood storage ponds and groundwater wells was installed throughout the valley two years before any restoration activities began to capture baseline conditions. This one of the densest hydrological networks of its size in the UK and is being used to collect data on how the implantation of NFM affect river flows and flood frequencies. A parallel ecological monitoring programmes is recording what changes occur to the river’s habitats and wildlife, with a focus on the effect of re-meandering the river channel on riparian habitats and species, and on the biodiversity value of flood storage ponds. Full details of the monitoring programme are given below and in the paper Spray et al (2022).
Project Implementation and Delivery
Working with over 20 land managers we have been able to introduce subtle changes to current land management practices in order to slow water flow off the hills, temporarily store it and reconnect the river with its floodplain. So far, we have implemented:
• 116 high flow log structures – to temporary hold back flood waters
• 38 flood storage ponds – to temporarily store water
• 3.5km of new river meanders – increasing river length and creating new habitats; and
• 210 ha of tree planting (>330k native trees) – increasing surface roughness, evapotranspiration and infiltration.
In addition, we have built a detailed combined hydraulic-hydrological flood model of the catchment and undertaken studies of costs and benefits of the NFM measures installed.
Dissemination
Sharing our results and spreading the word about River Restoration and Natural Flood Management is a key output for the project. In 2024, we were recognised as a UNESCO Hydroecology Demonstration site, the only one in the UK, and the project won two national awards at the CIEEM annual Award ceremony in 2023. We have hosted many visits from UK and international policy-makers, governments, local councils, environmental agencies, NGOs, farmers, universities and schools, to show what can be achieved on the ground to reduce the effects of flooding and enhance habitats. All our reports, publications and other outputs are freely available on the project website (see below).
Further Information
Full details of the project are available on our website, along with the Project Report and published papers at: at http://www.tweedforum.org/projects/current-projects/Eddleston
The project wishes to thank the farmers and landowners in the Eddleston Water catchment for their help and enthusiasm in taking this initiative forward.
We would welcome your comments and ideas:
Please contact:
• Luke Comins – Tweed Forum, Old Melrose Dairy Steading, Melrose, TD6 9DF (Tel: 01896 849723)
• Professor Chris Spray – Tweed Forum Eddleston Water Science Manager, UNESCO Centre for Water, Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN (Tel: +44(0)7943 031433)
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Image gallery
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Catchment and subcatchmentSelect a catchment/subcatchment
Catchment
Subcatchment
Other case studies in this subcatchment: Tweed Catchment Management Plan
Site
Project background
Cost for project phases
Supplementary funding informationFunded by the SEPA River Restoration Fund Scottish Government awarded funding over three financial years 2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013
Reasons for river restoration
Measures
MonitoringHydromorphological quality elements
Biological quality elements
Physico-chemical quality elements
Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Monitoring documents
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
Supplementary InformationEdit Supplementary Information
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