Case study:Watercress Farm Rewetting Project
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Project overview
| Status | Complete |
|---|---|
| Project web site | |
| Themes | Environmental flows and water resources, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity, Land use management - agriculture, Social benefits, Water quality |
| Country | England |
| Main contact forename | Kate |
| Main contact surname | Miller |
| Main contact user ID | User:kate.miller |
| Contact organisation | Ecosulis |
| Contact organisation web site | http://ecosulis.co.uk |
| Partner organisations | Belmont Estate |
| Parent multi-site project | |
| This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
At Watercress Farm, which lies on the very northern edge of the Somerset Levels, Ecosulis worked with Belmont Estate on the creation of a new wetland. The intention was to enable the river to reclaim its former floodplain, creating a new, more sinuous path, which will deliver benefits for both people and nature. The project was designed to trap runoff sediment, pollutants and nutrients, while this degraded former arable field develops into a biodiverse wetland, supporting abundant wildlife.
Our main objectives for the Watercress Wetland creation project were to re-connect the flood plain at the Watercress Farm landholding, maximize the area of semi-permanent and ephemeral water and improve the hydro morphology and biodiversity of the Land Yeo River.
The project was set out to achieve these objectives through creation of a new 400m wetland stream and 1.74hectares of wetland scrapes, blocking existing straight/steep sided ditches, the creation of numerous ephemeral scrapes of varying sizes and shapes, and the creation of numerous areas of permanent water, either within a scrape or as backwater ponds with shallow gradients.
Between June and September 2023, Ecosulis undertook extensive transformative works, focusing on the Land Yeo River channel and its surroundings. The west side of Watercress Wood saw the elevation of water levels in the existing channel, with the creation of four clay and gravel riffle impoundments, diverting flows into a newly designed 400m optimized wetland stream. This stream, boasting various river restoration techniques, now functions as the primary channel, bypassing the re-purposed longitudinal wetland ponds.
Ten wetland scrapes, excavated into arable land on both banks of the wetland stream, offer over 7,800m² of habitat to the Land Yeo River catchment. These features, connected to the wetland stream, adjust water levels based on flow conditions. Gravels extracted on-site were used for bed dressing, bed raising, and gravel riffle installations.
Wetland scrapes upstream of Watercress Wood, both within and outside the floodplain, intercept agricultural runoff, fostering approximately 18,000m² of vital wet meadow habitat. Field ditches have been strategically plugged to maximise marshy wet meadow habitat. Spoil from wetland excavation formed butterfly banks and bunds, enhancing breeding habitat for insects and reptiles across 13,000m².
Land drains were intentionally broken or blocked to retain water on-site, mitigating runoff into the Land Yeo River and neighbouring areas. This comprehensive approach showcases a commitment to environmental restoration, providing diverse habitats while addressing water management and runoff concerns within the catchment.
Monitoring surveys and results
The site will be monitored by Belmont’s ecology volunteer group and will act as the backdrop to their free, nature-based education programme. We will also be working alongside Belmont to continue to capture and record the impacts of site to showcase effective partnership working, to deliver long-term benefits for the local area and beyond.
During the delivery of the project, we conducted daily reporting and assessments of our works and findings, to ensure we were continuing to align with the project objectives and meeting the requirements to protect and restore local biodiversity. This included ECoWs reports, fuel logs, vehicle and machine checks, a desk -based study and contamination report, alongside daily walk-throughs to identify any potential risks and issues.
Lessons learnt
Image gallery
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Catchment and subcatchment
Site
Project background
Cost for project phases
Reasons for river restoration
Measures
MonitoringHydromorphological quality elements
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Any other monitoring, e.g. social, economic
Monitoring documents
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Supplementary InformationEdit Supplementary Information
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