Case study:Bocking Blackwater River Restoration
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Project overview
Status | In progress |
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Project web site | |
Themes | |
Country | England |
Main contact forename | Kieren |
Main contact surname | Alexander |
Main contact user ID | User:KierenAlexander |
Contact organisation | Essex Wildlife Trust |
Contact organisation web site | http://www.essexwt.org.uk |
Partner organisations | |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
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Project summary
Currently, the River Blackwater (Pant, upstream) is classed under the WFD framework as being heavily modified with poor potential. It is this assessment that drives the restoration project. This project is funded by the Environment Agencies Catchment Restoration fund and is part of the Essex Healthy headwaters scheme. Physical earthworks are due to commence in Winter 2014/15
The two main aspects the first is to repair river banks to reduce erosion, poaching and silt inputs, the second is to improve riparian habitat diversity by sensitively thinning tree's and installing a new wetland area including ponds and sedge beds at an area known locally as the Spreads.
The river banks will be restored using a mixture of bioengineering schemes including Coir roles, willow spiling and bank re-profiling, the aim is to restore 466 metres of bank, establishing emergent vegetation, decreasing silt input from the eroding banks and reducing the poaching effect from dog walkers.
New wetland habitat will be created at an area know as the spreads. This will involve creating three new ponds and diverting an existing land drain.
Monitoring surveys and results
Fixed point photography will be used to monitor physical changes both post and pre work. In addition a baseline survey of macrophytes, invertebrates and water quality surveys – data gathered will include – turbidity, sediment, Ammonia/Dissolved Oxygen/Phosphate using field phosphate sampling equipment. This project site will be resurveyed against baseline at the conclusion of the project in 2015.
Lessons learnt
Image gallery
Catchment and subcatchment
Site
Project background
Cost for project phases
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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