Case study:River Dulais Restoration Project: Difference between revisions
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|Project picture=Fig 5 - River Dulais one year after completion .JPG | |Project picture=Fig 5 - River Dulais one year after completion .JPG | ||
|Picture description=River Dulais one year after restoration works completed. Courtesy of RRC | |Picture description=River Dulais one year after restoration works completed. Courtesy of RRC | ||
|Project summary=The River Dulais is | |Project summary=The River Dulais (Afon Dulais) is a tributary of the River Towy, and is an important spawning habitat for migratory fish. The river had a history of instability and planform adjustment. Unrestricted grazing, by sheep and cattle, had resulted in a loss of bankside vegetation. 4.9 km of the catchment had been fenced, however some areas needed more extensive bank protection. | ||
Root wads were installed into the bank as an alternative to blockstone. In areas where the channel had additional capacity to scour or degrade brushwood protection was also used in between root wads. Careful thought was given to creating a smooth profile along the bank to reduce the risk of erosion. The riverbank above each root wad was protected by erosion control matting. | |||
Forty root wads were installed over eighty metres of bank, with two to three metres of trunk left attached to the root wad. Crack willow (Salix fragilis), grey willow (Salix cinerea) and white willow (Salix alba) with an average trunk diameter of between 30cm and 60cm were used. Live willow was chosen as each tree should root and shoot to quickly bind the surrounding bank. All trees were sourced from within the Dulais catchment and two adjacent river valleys. | |||
Since installation stabilisation of a complex outer meander bend has been achieved and each of the root wads installed has grown well. | |||
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{{Case study subcatchment | {{Case study subcatchment |
Revision as of 16:43, 10 July 2013
Project overview
Status | Complete |
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Project web site | |
Themes | Fisheries, Habitat and biodiversity |
Country | Wales |
Main contact forename | Nick |
Main contact surname | Elbourne |
Main contact user ID | |
Contact organisation | River Restoration Centre |
Contact organisation web site | http://www.therrc.co.uk |
Partner organisations | Environment Agency Wales |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
The River Dulais (Afon Dulais) is a tributary of the River Towy, and is an important spawning habitat for migratory fish. The river had a history of instability and planform adjustment. Unrestricted grazing, by sheep and cattle, had resulted in a loss of bankside vegetation. 4.9 km of the catchment had been fenced, however some areas needed more extensive bank protection.
Root wads were installed into the bank as an alternative to blockstone. In areas where the channel had additional capacity to scour or degrade brushwood protection was also used in between root wads. Careful thought was given to creating a smooth profile along the bank to reduce the risk of erosion. The riverbank above each root wad was protected by erosion control matting.
Forty root wads were installed over eighty metres of bank, with two to three metres of trunk left attached to the root wad. Crack willow (Salix fragilis), grey willow (Salix cinerea) and white willow (Salix alba) with an average trunk diameter of between 30cm and 60cm were used. Live willow was chosen as each tree should root and shoot to quickly bind the surrounding bank. All trees were sourced from within the Dulais catchment and two adjacent river valleys.
Since installation stabilisation of a complex outer meander bend has been achieved and each of the root wads installed has grown well.
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Catchment and subcatchment
Edit the catchment and subcatchment details
(affects all case studies in this subcatchment)
Site
Name | River Dulais |
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WFD water body codes | GB110060036210 |
WFD (national) typology | |
WFD water body name | Dulais - conf with Ddu to confluence with Tywi |
Pre-project morphology | |
Reference morphology | |
Desired post project morphology | |
Heavily modified water body | No |
National/international site designation | |
Local/regional site designations | |
Protected species present | No |
Invasive species present | No |
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 | 0.01 - 0.1 |
Average channel gradient | |
Average unit stream power (W/m2) |
Project background
Reach length directly affected (m) | 500 m0.5 km <br />50,000 cm <br /> |
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Project started | 2004/05/01 |
Works started | |
Works completed | |
Project completed | 2004/05/31 |
Total cost category | 10 - 50 k€ |
Total cost (k€) | 33 k€33,000 € <br /> |
Benefit to cost ratio | |
Funding sources |
Cost for project phases
Phase | cost category | cost exact (k€) | Lead organisation | Contact forename | Contact surname |
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Investigation and design | |||||
Stakeholder engagement and communication | |||||
Works and works supervision | 3333 k€ <br />33,000 € <br /> | Salix | |||
Post-project management and maintenance | |||||
Monitoring |
Supplementary funding information
Works split into €20k for revetment work and €13k for fencing
Reasons for river restoration
Measures
Structural measures
| |
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Bank/bed modifications | Bank stabilisation |
Floodplain / River corridor | Control of riparian vegetation, Creation of wetlands |
Planform / Channel pattern | Channel narrowing |
Other | |
Non-structural measures
| |
Management interventions | Fencing |
Social measures (incl. engagement) | |
Other |
Monitoring
Hydromorphological quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Biological quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Physico-chemical quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Monitoring documents
Image gallery
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
Link | Description |
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http://www.therrc.co.uk/case studies/rrn%20issue%2023.pdf | River Restoration Centre news article |
Supplementary Information
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