Case study:Washwalk Wetland

Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site
Themes	Habitat and biodiversity, Land use management - agriculture, Land use management - forestry, Social benefits, Water quality
Country	England
Main contact forename	Patrick
Main contact surname	Hadow
Main contact user ID	User:Stabilize7399
Contact organisation
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

December 2023, photo of slow moving water during flash flooding

Project summary

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Rewetting a 906m stretch of floodplain on the River Gara by felling trees into the river. Started in 2022, this project aims to slow water flow, enhance habitats, and improve floodplain resilience.

Monitoring surveys and results

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1. Baseline Surveys:

Objective: Establish pre-restoration conditions of the River Gara, providing a reference point for future comparisons.

Methods:

Hydrological Monitoring: Measurement of river flow rates, water levels, and sediment transport.

Water Quality Sampling: Analysis of nutrient levels, pollutants (e.g., nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals), and pH.

Biological Surveys: Surveys of aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish populations, and riparian vegetation to assess biodiversity and habitat quality.

Habitat Assessment: Evaluation of physical features such as channel morphology, bank stability, and the presence of instream habitats (e.g., riffles, pools).

Key Findings:

Flow regime heavily altered due to upstream water abstraction.

Elevated nutrient levels (particularly nitrates and phosphates) detected, likely from agricultural runoff.

Decline in fish populations, with limited spawning habitat available due to sedimentation and channel modifications.

Reduced riparian vegetation cover, leading to increased bank erosion and poor habitat diversity.

2. Post-Restoration Monitoring (Ongoing):

Objective: Assess the effectiveness of restoration interventions and track improvements over time.

Methods:

Repeat Hydrological Surveys: Monitoring of flow dynamics post-intervention (e.g., flow increases, changes in sediment transport).

Water Quality Improvements: Testing for reductions in nutrient and pollutant levels after riparian planting and buffer zone creation.

Fish and Invertebrate Surveys: Tracking population recovery and habitat use.

Vegetation Surveys: Assessing recovery of native riparian plants and reduction in invasive species.

Preliminary Results:

Flow Regime: Initial observations suggest a slight improvement in flow variability after partial reconnection with the floodplain.

Water Quality: Early results indicate a decrease in nitrate concentrations due to riparian buffer zone restoration.

Biodiversity: Increased macroinvertebrate diversity noted, with new riffle and pool habitats attracting key indicator species.

Riparian Zone: Enhanced vegetation cover is stabilizing riverbanks, reducing sediment input, and improving shading for aquatic species.

3. Long-Term Ecological Impact Surveys:

Objective: Evaluate the ecological outcomes over a longer period (3–5 years post-restoration).

Focus Areas:

Resilience of fish populations (spawning success, recruitment).

Overall biodiversity improvement, including aquatic plants and wildlife.

Sustainability of restored hydromorphological processes.

Expected Results: Ongoing habitat improvements, increased connectivity for migratory species, and further reductions in pollutants as riparian zones mature.

Lessons learnt

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1. Adding Woody Debris Accelerates Improvement: A key lesson from this project is that the introduction of woody debris quickly enhances river health. By creating varied flow patterns and improving habitat complexity, the addition of wood supports biodiversity, stabilizes banks, and promotes sediment deposition, leading to rapid ecological benefits.

2. Simplicity Can Be Effective: Simple, low-cost interventions such as strategically placing wood in the river can lead to significant improvements in a short time, proving that complex or expensive solutions aren't always necessary to achieve positive outcomes.

3. Continuous Monitoring Ensures Success: Regular monitoring has proven essential for observing changes and adjusting restoration efforts. This helps ensure that the interventions are working as intended and provides data to support ongoing improvement.

Reasons for river restoration

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Mitigation of a pressure	Invasive species, Agricultural Runoff and Pollution, Abstraction, Flood Protection Infrastructure
Hydromorphology	Connection to groundwaters, Substrate conditions, Flow velocities, Continuity for organisms
Biology	Fish, Invertebrates: Diversity, Fish: Abundance
Physico-chemical	Nutrient concentrations
Other reasons for the project	Landscape enhancement, Bank erosion, Recreation

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Location: 50° 20' 29.04" N, 3° 41' 51.18" W

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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) Project started Works started Works completed Project completed Total cost category Total cost (k€) Benefit to cost ratio Funding sources 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 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 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