Case study:Hills to Levels

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Location: 51° 5' 57.11" N, 2° 57' 52.06" W

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Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site	http://https://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/projects/31_hillstolevels.pdf
Themes	Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Land use management - agriculture, Land use management - forestry, Monitoring, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Joanna
Main contact surname	Uglow
Main contact user ID	User:FWAGSW-H2L
Contact organisation	Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group SouthWest
Contact organisation web site	http://www.fwagsw.org.uk/
Partner organisations	FWAG SW, Somerset Rivers Authority, Environment Agency, RSPB, Somerset Wildlife Trust
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects

Hills to Levels Logo

Project summary

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Following the devastating floods in Somerset winter in 2013/14, ‘Hills to Levels’ was set up as a collaboration between the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) SouthWest, Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT), RSPB and the Royal Bath & West Society. The work is over five main catchments – River Parrett, River Tone, West Somerset Streams, River Brue and River Axe. Since then, Hills to Levels has come a long way: water quality, erosion reduction and improving habitats have been added to the original project remit and the funders and project partners have changed. Currently, Hills to Levels is supported by and works in partnership with the Somerset Rivers Authority, the Environment Agency, Interreg 2 Seas (Triple C project) and Natural England Catchment Sensitive Farming.

Many streams in the area are failing current standards for inputs of sediment and phosphate and poor fish habitat; and their ecology suffers from being heavily modified through centuries of use. The project uses a holistic catchment approach, providing advice on soil and land use management in order to reduce sediment runoff to the rivers, and improve infiltration and hydrological processes to reduce flooding and improve drought resilience.

Every field, every farm and every stream have a part to play.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Half field trials have been undertaken to assess the effect subsoiling and grassland aeration have on soil infiltration rates. Leaky woody dams are being monitored to assess their effect on the flood hydrograph and in-channel geomorphology and habitats. FWAG SW are working with Bristol University and providing sites to monitor; so far monitoring equipment has been installed in a floodplain storage scheme and other sites are being identified for investigation.

Results to be made available in due course.

Lessons learnt

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Image gallery

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Leaky Pond, South Somerset

Leaky Woody Dams

Soil Assessments and Soil Husbandry Advice

Catchment and subcatchment Select a catchment/subcatchment Site Edit site Name Parrett, Tone, Brue, Axe and West Somerset Streams WFD water body codes WFD (national) typology WFD water body name 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 No Invasive species present No 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) Project started 2015/01/01 Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) £1.25m"£" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property. Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources Local Growth Fund, Peoples Postcode Lottery, Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership, Somerset Rivers Authority, Water Environment Improvement Fund, Interegg Two Seas, Princes Countryside Fund, Environment Agency Grant in Aid 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 Flooding and Water Quality Hydromorphology Biology Physico-chemical Other reasons for the project Measures Edit Measures Structural measures Bank/bed modifications Bank stabilisation, habitat creation Floodplain / River corridor Floodplain reconnection, floodplain scrapes, floodplain woodland planting Planform / Channel pattern Opening long sections of culverts, leaky woody dams Other Run-off interception, diversion, attenuation Non-structural measures Management interventions Soil managment and land use to improve infiltration and water quality Social measures (incl. engagement) Working with Parish Councils and Flood Action Groups 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 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 Hills to Levels - summary of leaky woody dam monitoring Additional documents and videos Upload additional documents Additional links and references Edit links and references Link Description http://https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQzUFXhjlwqsahY4JGQgkWw Suite of videos demonstrating practices adopted across the project area http://http://www.somersetriversauthority.org.uk/ Somerset Rivers Authority formed from the Somerset 20 year Flood Action Plan. Hills to Levels is delivering the Land Management workstream Supplementary Information Edit Supplementary Information