Case study:Restoration of the Erft-river in Weilerswist

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Location: 50° 45' 5.50" N, 6° 49' 53.63" E

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Project overview

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Status	Complete
Project web site
Themes	Economic aspects, Fisheries, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Monitoring, Spatial planning, Water quality
Country	Germany
Main contact forename	Volker
Main contact surname	Gimmler
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	Erftverband
Contact organisation web site	http://www.erftverband.de/
Partner organisations
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

Before (left) and after (right) restoration

Project summary

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The Erft River was heavily trained in the 1960s to provide a higher discharge capacity for flood prevention and to make it easier to mechanically maintain the river. High dams were built along the river banks and the river bed was secured with large rocks. This river training resulted in a river with few structures ans a low morphological diversity. The restoration project has been implemented in Cooperation of the Landesbetrieb Straßen NRW (the state road authority) and the Erftverband (water board in the Erft watershed) to compensate the impact on nature and environment caused by the construction of a new road. The measure has been necessary to reach the Good Ecological State of the Erft required by the WFD. By adressing the need for compensation with a river improvement measure, inefficiencies in public spending has been avoided. The project started in April 1995 and aimed at developing a structure-rich, ecologically permeable stretch of the river with regularly flooded meadows and a high potential for self-development. About 10 hectares of cropland were bought and turned into a meadow on the left hand side of the river, towards the lowest part of the valley. The dam along the Erft separating this meadow from the river has been removed. The rocks securing the river bed on that side have been removed and groynes have been built in the river bed to add morphological diversity and initiate lateral erosion. The groynes have been designed in cooperation with the local fishery association, and according to their observation, young fish which have been drifted away by floods in the past are now able to stay in the area.

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Image gallery

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Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Site Edit site Name WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name Pre-project morphology Reference morphology Desired post project morphology Heavily modified water body National/international site designation Local/regional site designations Protected species present Invasive species present Species of interest 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) 100100 m <br />0.1 km <br />10,000 cm <br /> Project started 2002/04/01 Works started Works completed Project completed 2009/12/31 Total cost category 500 - 1000 k€ Total cost (k€) 717000717,000 k€ <br />717,000,000 € <br /> Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Landesbetrieb Straßen NRW (the state road authority) and the Erftverband (water board in the Erft watershed) 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 Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Flood risk management Hydromorphology Quantity & dynamics of flow, Continuity for organisms, Continuity of sediment transport Biology Macrophytes, Macrozoobenthos Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Floodplain / River corridor Planform / Channel pattern 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 Macrophytes No Yes No Yes No Invertebrates No Yes No Yes No Angiosperms No Yes No Yes No 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 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