Case study:River Rhee
This case study is pending approval by a RiverWiki administrator.
Project overview
| Status | Complete |
|---|---|
| Project web site | |
| Themes | Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology |
| Country | England |
| Main contact forename | Nick |
| Main contact surname | Elbourne |
| Main contact user ID | |
| Contact organisation | River Restoration Centre |
| Contact organisation web site | http://www.therrc.co.uk |
| Partner organisations | |
| Parent multi-site project | |
| This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
Prior to the restoration works, the River Rhee was a typical example of a degraded lowland agricultural river. The river, a base fed brook, had become lost in its channel and was suffering severe siltation problems. Also, the populations of wild brown trout had been in a state of decline.
The restoration project aimed to increase velocities to allow scour and maintain a central, silt-free channel, diversifying the habitat whilst ensuring there was no increase in flood risk. This was achieved through re-grading of the bank to create a shelf as an aquatic plant habitat and a spawning area for a number of fish species. The shelf also narrowed the channel, increasing flow and clearing silt. Stretches of the river were also re-meandered to further diversify flow and, on existing bends, wetlands were created on the inside bend to provide a new habitat. Finally, a backwater was created to provide fish with a refuge during high flows, and habitat for fish fry and invertebrates.
Monitoring surveys and results
Lessons learnt
Catchment and subcatchment
Site
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| Heavily modified water body | |
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| Protected species present | |
| Invasive species present | |
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| Dominant hydrology | |
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| River corridor land use | |
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Project background
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| Project started | |
| Works started | |
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Cost for project phases
| Phase | cost category | cost exact (k€) | Lead organisation | Contact forename | Contact surname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation and design | |||||
| Stakeholder engagement and communication | |||||
| Works and works supervision | |||||
| Post-project management and maintenance | |||||
| Monitoring |
Reasons for river restoration
| Mitigation of a pressure | |
|---|---|
| Hydromorphology | |
| Biology | |
| Physico-chemical | |
| Other reasons for the project |
Measures
Structural measures
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| Bank/bed modifications | |
| Floodplain / River corridor | |
| Planform / Channel pattern | |
| Other | |
Non-structural measures
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| 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 | ||
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| Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative | |||
Physico-chemical quality elements
| Element | When monitored | Type of monitoring | Control site used | Result | ||
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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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before measures | After measures | Qualitative | Quantitative | |||
Monitoring documents
Image gallery
Additional documents and videos
Additional links and references
| Link | Description |
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Supplementary Information
Edit Supplementary Information
