Case study:Manthorpe Floodplain Reconnection

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Location: 52° 55' 44.86" N, 0° 37' 44.24" W
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Project overview

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Status Complete
Project web site
Themes Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity
Country England
Main contact forename Matt
Main contact surname Parr
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation Environment Agency
Contact organisation web site http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
Partner organisations Wild Trout Trust, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
Parent multi-site project

Case_study:Upper Witham Restoration

This is a parent project
encompassing the following
projects
No
Project after completion.

Project summary

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This project was jointly undertaken by the Wild Trout Trust and Environment Agency.

There were five components to the scheme:

  • Removal of redundant flood bank, and lowering of the floodplain to create a terraced floodplain with a lower more frequently connected floodplain and a higher terrace of un-lowered floodplain. This gives maximum

benefit to the river and natural processes whilst providing some variation in flood event storage and habitat evolution and variety.

  • Addition of riffles and gravel supply in the form of point bars and islands and splitting of channel into multiple threads creating a more natural form and allowing the river space to adjust to changes in flow but also allow natural processes like silt deposition, channel evolution, less intensive management, woody material to be retained in channel and on flood plain. The gravel raises the bed helping to connect the river into the floodplain reducing the amount of spoil generated to lower floodplain as well as providing rich habitats for riverine wildlife.
  • Creation of floodplain ponds and terrestrial habitat features like habitat piles, stone piles for hibernacular, and woody material on the floodplain to encourage further hydraulic roughness in high flow events
  • Spreading of spoil over the top of the valley sides outside of the floodplain, this was then reseeded with appropriate wildflower grassland mix and provides pollinator benefits.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Brown trout have already been observed spawning on the new limestone gravels. Crayfish monitoring was carried out pre works and showed a very low baseline population with only 6 individuals caught, repeat monitoring of this will be carried out along with repeat bird surveys of the site.

Lessons learnt

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4200m3 of earth was removed from the floodplain during the lowering and removal of embankments. Reconnecting the floodplain has created 19,500m3 of space for water which now reconnects to the lower floodplain frequently after intense rainfall events at a 1 in 2 event magnitude.


Image gallery


New channel evolving.
Wet floodplain in winter.
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Catchment and subcatchment

Catchment

River basin district Anglian
River basin Witham

Subcatchment

River name Upper Witham
Area category 10 - 100 km²
Area (km2)
Maximum altitude category Less than 100 m
Maximum altitude (m) 4646 m <br />0.046 km <br />4,600 cm <br />
Dominant geology Calcareous
Ecoregion Great Britain
Dominant land cover Arable and Horticulture
Waterbody ID GB105030056760



Other case studies in this subcatchment: Aubourn Rock Ramp and Habitat Works, Belton Floodplain Reconnection and River Restoration, Dysart Park, Grantham Habitat Improvement, Grantham Blue Green - Urban Reach, Little Ponton, Papermill Weir Section in-channel restoration, River Witham Great Ponton, Stainby Road, Colsterworth, Syston and Barkston Restoration, Upper Cringle Floodplain Restoration Project... further results


Site

Name Manthorpe Floodplain Reconnection
WFD water body codes GB105030056780
WFD (national) typology
WFD water body name Witham - confluence of Cringle Brook to confluence Brant
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 Yes
Invasive species present No
Species of interest Native Crayfish / Brown Trout
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

Reach length directly affected (m) 325325 m <br />0.325 km <br />32,500 cm <br />
Project started
Works started
Works completed
Project completed
Total cost category 100 - 500 k€
Total cost (k€) 229229 k€ <br />229,000 € <br />
Benefit to cost ratio
Funding sources EA

Cost for project phases

Phase cost category cost exact (k€) Lead organisation Contact forename Contact surname
Investigation and design Environement Agency Matt Parr
Stakeholder engagement and communication
Works and works supervision Wild Trout Trust Rob Mungovan
Post-project management and maintenance
Monitoring



Reasons for river restoration

Mitigation of a pressure Land Drainage
Hydromorphology
Biology Fish
Physico-chemical Phosphate
Other reasons for the project


Measures

Structural measures
Bank/bed modifications Channel modification, Gravel added, Tree Hinging
Floodplain / River corridor Redundant Flood Bank Removed, Floodplain Lowered, Floodplain Roughened, Ponds added.
Planform / Channel pattern Multiple channels added
Other Wild Flower Meadow area created.
Non-structural measures
Management interventions
Social measures (incl. engagement)
Other


Monitoring

Hydromorphological quality elements

Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result
Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative

Biological quality elements

Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result
Before measures After measures Qualitative Quantitative

Physico-chemical quality elements

Element When monitored Type of monitoring Control site used Result
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



Additional documents and videos


Additional links and references

Link Description

Supplementary Information

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