Case study:The River Deerness Project
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Project overview
Status | In progress |
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Project web site | http://www.wear-rivers-trust.org.uk/content/deernessrestoration |
Themes | Habitat and biodiversity, Water quality |
Country | England |
Main contact forename | Steve |
Main contact surname | Hudson |
Main contact user ID | |
Contact organisation | Wear Rivers Trust |
Contact organisation web site | http://www.wear-rivers-trust.org.uk/ |
Partner organisations | Durham County Council, Durham University |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
Hedleyhope Burn, The River Deerness Project 2 |
Project summary
The Deerness catchment, located west of Durham City, covers 53 km2 and includes the small colliery towns of Ushaw Moor, Esh Winning and Cornsay. Land use is largely agricultural, with woodland cover and several reclaimed open cast and landfill sites. A significant part of the catchment fails the Water Framework Directive for fish, due to the cumulative effects of barriers to the upstream and downstream movement of all fish spe-cies and also because of water quality issues (principally phosphate) reflected in altered phytobenthos.
The Old Durham Beck catchment, to the east of Durham City and covering 55 km2, has been heavily modified by mine workings and railway infrastructure and is one of the most intensively farmed Wear tributaries. It is categorised as having moderate to poor ecological status, failing for fish, ammonia and phosphate. Walkovers identified a series of culverts obstructing fish passage. In November 2011 approximately 50 congregating salmon were observed unable to make their way upstream.
The Wear Rivers Trust operates fish and invertebrate surveys to assess fish populations and water health in both catchments. Under CRF a Durham University PhD student, with WRT and volunteer support, will survey below and above each obstruction both before and after restoration activities to measure impacts on those animal groups. Changes in invertebrate communities are not expected as a direct result of the restoration activities but they can inform on the wider food web for fish feeding opportunities, and provide biotic indices of water quality, giving wider insight into local environmental quality. Waste water management is significant across the Lower Wear system, including these two catchments. Supplementary projects, based on a separate volunteer walkover programme, will be developed under the auspices of the Wear River Catchment Management Plan to identify and address point and diffuse sources of pollution, in order to augment CRF actions for improvement to fish movement within these catchments. The outcomes of the project are the following: enhanced habitat connectivity throughout both catchments allowing all fish species, migratory and non-migratory, maximum scope to spawn and feed; improved knowledge of fish populations and behaviours through baseline and post-implementation monitoring and evaluation; progress toward/achievement of Good Ecological Status and focus on any residual water quality issues required to achieve good status; establishment of partnership working and joint delivery to be ex-tended under the auspices of the Wear Catchment Management Plan.
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Catchment and subcatchment
Site
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Project background
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Cost for project phases
Phase | cost category | cost exact (k€) | Lead organisation | Contact forename | Contact surname |
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Monitoring |
Reasons for river restoration
Mitigation of a pressure | |
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Hydromorphology | |
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Measures
Structural measures
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Bank/bed modifications | |
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Monitoring
Hydromorphological quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Biological quality elements
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Physico-chemical quality elements
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative |
Monitoring documents
Image gallery
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
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Supplementary Information
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