Case study:Cudworth dyke restoration project

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Location: 53° 36' 11.80" N, 1° 25' 23.83" W

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Project overview

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Status	Planned
Project web site	http://http://www.yorkshirewater.com/our-environment/biodiversity/river-restoration-programme/cudworth-dyke-restoration-project.aspx
Themes	Environmental flows and water resources, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Monitoring, Social benefits, Water quality, Urban
Country	England
Main contact forename	Kathryn
Main contact surname	Turner
Main contact user ID	User:Dr Turner
Contact organisation	Yorkshire Water
Contact organisation web site	http://http://www.yorkshirewater.com/our-environment/biodiversity/river-restoration-programme/cudworth-dyke-restoration-project.aspx
Partner organisations
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects

Pre works photo of area

Project summary

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Sandybridge dyke is a small stream in the upper segment of Cudworth dyke, near Royston in South Yorkshire where we're trialling an innovative project to see whether habitat restoration can improve river water quality.

The stream runs between Rabbit Ings nature reserve, which was previously a colliery spoil heap, and a closed municipal land fill site and on through an industrial estate to reach it confluence with the River Dearne. As a result of its historical neighbours, the dyke is mostly man made, and in poor condition.

Yorkshire Water are undertaking research at this site, looking at natural ways to improve the quality of the water body. Due to its history and poor state, Cudworth Dyke makes the perfect case study for this research.

In 2013 we carried out an initial project to look at the pressures acting on this water way, including our own, and what could be done to improve water quality. We did this in conjunction with the Cudworth Dyke stakeholder group, our design specialists ARUP and government agencies such as the Environment Agency.

Following this research several practical habitat restoration actions were suggested. We will be trailing these in the upper section of the stream called Sandybridge dyke.

The Restoration of Sandybridge Dyke

Existing research published by the Journal of Applied Ecology suggests that restoration of rivers will deliver benefits to water quality. However due to the long term nature of the data sets required this has only rarely been demonstrated.

The restoration of Sandybridge Dyke will provide much needed data on whether river restoration can improve water quality.

With the kind permission and help of the landowners, The Land Trust and Barnsley Council, and with the support of Groundwork Dearne Valley who manage Rabbit Ings, we will be carrying out this restoration work from February 2014.

This will involve creating a new double meander in the dyke, altering a weir and digging out a dried reed bed, to bring faster flows and more oxygen to the waters. The new river route has been designed to take key detours, so that we don't damage the existing water vole population or the favourite roosting trees of key owl species who take up residence in the winter.

We are investiating how to best tend this type of work to reach key specialist contractors and partners to provide us with high quility outputs and the lowest cost. We have two year post monioring of key water quality metrics chemistry, macroinvertebrates, macrophytes and fish and aim to publish our findings good or bad to share this important test of river restoration to improve water quality.

Environmental Science in Action.

A key component of this project is monitoring of the water quality and the number and type of residents living in the river.

For two years before and two after our habitat restoration work on Sandybridge dyke, we have been and will continue to undertake detailed monitoring to be able to assess the impact of habitat restoration on water quality.

The data will contribute key evidence to support river restoration as a means to improve our post-industrial Yorkshire streams.

Monitoring surveys and results

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We now have two years pre work monitoring chemistry, macroinvertebrates, macrophytes and fish which demonstrates that this section of the dyke is in poor condition . These will form a baseline for comparisons with two years post works assessment.

Lessons learnt

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Origional cost estimates for the feasisbility and design of this work (180k) were too low, cost are now alomst double this value using our framework of providers. The use of tendering is now being investigated to allow us to procure directly to smaller more specialist providers and will provide a comparison for our future investment in approx 20 fish passage projects, when compared with other river restorations such as our projects at Ingbirchworth and Swinsty reservoirs that are being delivered down our corporate framwork.

Image gallery

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Edit the catchment and subcatchment details (affects all case studies in this subcatchment) Catchment River basin district Humber River basin Don and Rother Subcatchment River name Cudworth Dyke from Source to River Dearne Area category 10 - 100 km² Area (km2) Maximum altitude category 100 - 200 m Maximum altitude (m) 116116 m <br />0.116 km <br />11,600 cm <br /> Dominant geology Calcareous Ecoregion Great Britain Dominant land cover Arable and Horticulture Waterbody ID GB104027063230 Site Edit site Name Rabbit Ings WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body Yes National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Yes Invasive species present Yes Species of interest Water Vole 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 Average channel gradient Average unit stream power (W/m2) Project background Edit project background Reach length directly affected (m) Project started 2011/01/10 Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category 500 - 1000 k€ 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 100 - 500 k€ Yorkshire Water Kathryn Turner Stakeholder engagement and communication 1 - 10 k€ Yorkshire Water Laura Frudd Works and works supervision 100 - 500 k€ Yorkshire Water Sarah Gledhill Post-project management and maintenance 1 - 10 k€ Groundworks Mick Birkenshaw Monitoring 10 - 50 k€ Yorkshire Water Kathryn Turner Supplementary funding information Funding has come from Yorkshire Waters National Environment Programme. Which investigates solutions to address reasons for failure under the water framework directive. Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Biology Macroinvertebrates, fish and macrophytes Physico-chemical Ammonia, Dissolved oxygen and Iron Other reasons for the project To see if restoration can improved water quaility status Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern Creation of a double meander Other Non-structural measures Management interventions Social measures (incl. engagement) Other Monitoring Hydromorphological quality elements Edit Hydromorphological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Biological quality elements Edit biological quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Invertebrates Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Macrophytes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Fish: Species composition Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Physico-chemical quality elements Edit Physico-chemical quality elements Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Oxygen balance Yes No No No No Specific non-synthetic pollutants Yes No No No No Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic Edit Other responses Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative Monitoring documents Upload monitoring documents Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information