Case study:River Cole- Life Project

0.00

(0 votes)

To discuss or comment on this case study, please use the discussion page.

Location: 51° 38' 22.09" N, 1° 39' 46.08" W

Edit location

Loading map...

Left click to look around in the map, and use the wheel of your mouse to zoom in and out.

Project overview

Edit project overview

Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Martin
Main contact surname	Janes
Main contact user ID	User:NickRRC
Contact organisation	River Restoration Centre
Contact organisation web site	http://www.therrc.co.uk
Partner organisations	Environment Agency, National Trust, Countryside Commission, English Nature
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

The restored Cole river

Project summary

Edit project overview to modify the project summary.

The river Cole has been realigned, straightened, and enlarged for over 900 years. Originally straightened for milling, the downstream section has more recently been enlarged to safeguard agricultural production from flooding. Above the mill the channel was realigned 200 to 300 years ago to form the present mill leat. This type of historical management is typical of many other rural rivers in the United Kingdom.

Upstream of the mill the river was restored to its original course (retaining a small flow in the mill leat) to join the old surviving mill by-pass channel. This new smaller channel encourages beneficial flood storage on the fields and allows fish to pass the mill weir. Downstream the river was reduced in size and remeandered across the old course to a more natural profile, retaining existing mature riverside trees. The restoration of bed level, water level and flood regime was achieved by cutting the new meandering river at a much higher level, similar to that prior to the last major deepening scheme of the 1970s.

Monitoring surveys and results

This case study hasn’t got any Monitoring survey and results, you can add some by editing the project overview.

Lessons learnt

This case study hasn’t got any lessons learnt, you can add some by editing the project overview.

Catchment and subcatchment

Select a catchment/subcatchment

Edit the catchment and subcatchment details
(affects all case studies in this subcatchment)

Catchment

River basin district
River basin	Humber

Subcatchment

River name	River Cole
Area category
Area (km²)
Maximum altitude category
Maximum altitude (m)
Dominant geology
Ecoregion
Dominant land cover
Waterbody ID

Other case studies in this subcatchment: The River Cole and Tyseley Energy Park: Creation of Community Commons

Site

Edit site

Name	River Cole
WFD water body codes	GB106039023730
WFD (national) typology
WFD water body name	Cole (Bower Bridge to Thames) including Coleshill
Pre-project morphology	Straight, Single channel
Reference morphology	Sinuous
Desired post project morphology
Heavily modified water body	Yes
National/international site designation
Local/regional site designations
Protected species present	No
Invasive species present	No
Species of interest
Dominant hydrology
Dominant substrate	Bedrock, Boulders, Gravel
River corridor land use	Extensive agriculture
Average bankfull channel width category	2 - 5 m
Average bankfull channel width (m)
Average bankfull channel depth category	0.5 - 2 m
Average bankfull channel depth (m)
Mean discharge category
Mean annual discharge (m³/s)
Average channel gradient category
Average channel gradient	0.0008
Average unit stream power (W/m²)

Project background

Edit project background

Reach length directly affected (m)	2000 m2 km <br />200,000 cm <br />
Project started	1996/08/01
Works started
Works completed
Project completed	1996/12/31
Total cost category	100 - 500 k€
Total cost (k€)	175 k€175,000 € <br />
Benefit to cost ratio
Funding sources

Cost for project phases

Reasons for river restoration

Edit reasons for restoration

Mitigation of a pressure	Flood defence
Hydromorphology	Quantity & dynamics of flow, Channel pattern/planform, Width & depth variation
Biology	Invertebrates: Abundance, Fish: Species composition
Physico-chemical
Other reasons for the project	Landscape enhancement, Habitat diversity

Measures

Edit Measures

Structural measures
Bank/bed modifications	Planting, Depth modification
Floodplain / River corridor	Floodplain spillways
Planform / Channel pattern	Introduction of sinuosity, Creation of secondary channel, Backwaters created
Other	Livestock access, New crossings
Non-structural measures
Management interventions
Social measures (incl. engagement)
Other