Case study:Urban River Enhancement Scheme (URES) in Burnley
Project overview
Status | In progress |
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Project web site | |
Themes | Environmental flows and water resources, Fisheries, Habitat and biodiversity, Hydromorphology, Monitoring, Social benefits, Urban |
Country | England |
Main contact forename | Josh |
Main contact surname | Robins |
Main contact user ID | User:JoshRRC |
Contact organisation | River Restoration Centre |
Contact organisation web site | |
Partner organisations | |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
Burnleys industrial past left its rivers in a very poor state. The channels were lined with cobbles, fast flowing and uninhabitable for fish species. This project was commissioned to bring back some of the wildlife that had been lost and to install a higher regard for the environment within the community.
The URES projects two main objectives were to:
- Alter the straight, narrow channels into a more natural river with pool and riffle sequences, as well as enabling fish passage over a large weir.
- Engage the community to show them how valuable the river is to Burnley and to generate a higher regard for the environment.
The project did this by altering the channels cobbled bed to resemble a natural river with pools and riffles. As well as this, a passage was created to allow fish to move up and down the stretch. They hoped that these measures would encourage wildlife back to the area. To engage the community a range of courses, talks, events and shows were organised to get them involved and passionate about their environment.
Monitoring surveys and results
Trout populations have increased significantly following the works as have species such as bullheads and sticklebacks. A heron has also taken residence in the town centre which is of great credit to the project. The slow flows in the pools have allowed sediment to deposit, this will provide an additional food source for the town centre sand martin colonies, dippers and bats. Reports of otter sightings have also become more frequent on the River Calder downstream of Burnley.
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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