Case study:Meades water garden regeneration project

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Location: 51° 42' 6.07" N, 0° 36' 41.97" W

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Habitat and biodiversity, Monitoring, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Nick
Main contact surname	Elbourne
Main contact user ID	User:NickRRC
Contact organisation	River Restoration Centre
Contact organisation web site	http://www.therrc.co.uk
Partner organisations	Chiltern Chalk Streams Project
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Looking upstream at the restored river

Project summary

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Two weirs were removed and the site allowed to drain. A temporary dam was built at the top of the site and river flow was piped around the working area. Working from the upstream end, a new channel was dug through the accumulated silt following the line of preferential flow. Nicospan was installed to provide support to the new channel sides and to ensure separation of the silt from the gravel infill, which was imported to form the new river bed. It was important to allow at least 500mm of gravel to provide the depth that chalkstream invertebrates require for their life stage. Excavated silt was distributed around the site within the boundary of old ponds. The new channel was tied into the original course of the river which flowed around the back of the island in the lower pond. A low-lying bund was installed in place of the weir to create a wetland feature. Following completion of the river restoration work, new paths were laid in the gardens and an interpretation board installed.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Lessons learnt

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Catchment and subcatchment

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Catchment

River basin district	Thames
River basin	Colne

Subcatchment

River name	Chess
Area category	10 - 100 km²
Area (km²)
Maximum altitude category	200 - 500 m
Maximum altitude (m)	278278 m <br />0.278 km <br />27,800 cm <br />
Dominant geology	Calcareous
Ecoregion	Great Britain
Dominant land cover	Improved grassland
Waterbody ID	GB106039029870

Site

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Name	Meades Water Garden
WFD water body codes	GB106039029870
WFD (national) typology
WFD water body name	Chess
Pre-project morphology	Single channel, Straight, High width:depth
Reference morphology	Single channel, Sinuous, Step-pool, Pool-riffle
Desired post project morphology
Heavily modified water body	Yes
National/international site designation	UK - Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Local/regional site designations
Protected species present	No
Invasive species present	No
Species of interest
Dominant hydrology	Groundwater
Dominant substrate	Bedrock, Gravel
River corridor land use	Urban
Average bankfull channel width category	5 - 10 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
Average unit stream power (W/m²)

Project background

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Reach length directly affected (m)	120 m0.12 km <br />12,000 cm <br />
Project started	2007/01/01
Works started
Works completed	2008/01/01
Project completed
Total cost category	50 - 100 k€
Total cost (k€)	78 k€78,000 € <br />
Benefit to cost ratio
Funding sources

Cost for project phases

Reasons for river restoration

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Mitigation of a pressure	Reservoir impoundment
Hydromorphology	Quantity & dynamics of flow, Flow velocities
Biology	Macrophytes, Invertebrates
Physico-chemical
Other reasons for the project	Habitat enhancement

Measures

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Structural measures
Bank/bed modifications	Planting, Introduction of gravel, Two weir removed
Floodplain / River corridor	Removal of diseased vegetation, Wetland created
Planform / Channel pattern
Other
Non-structural measures
Management interventions
Social measures (incl. engagement)
Other	Public consultation, Information provision