Case study:Greatham Marsh Restoration

Project overview

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Status	In progress
Project web site
Themes	Estuary, Fisheries, Flood risk management, Habitat and biodiversity
Country	England
Main contact forename	Matthew
Main contact surname	Rountree
Main contact user ID
Contact organisation	Environment Agency
Contact organisation web site
Partner organisations	Northumbrian Water, The Hospital of God
Parent multi-site project
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects	No

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Project summary

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The Tees Estuary is one of the most heavily modified and developed estuaries in the UK, with less than 10% of the original intertidal habitats remaining. From 1740, large areas of saltmarsh have been enclosed to form freshwater grazing marsh. However, the industrialisation and systematic land take between 1830 and 1970s has resulted in significant habitat loss. It is estimated that the Tees Estuary has lost over two thirds of its intertidal habitat through waste disposal and infilling over the many years of modification, some 3,000ha, or 30km2.

The Greatham Marsh Restoration project is centred on the restoration of intertidal habitat on the low-lying agricultural land near Greatham Village. Historically, the village was on the edge of the marshes but is now inland from the remaining intertidal areas.

The land is currently protected by flood banks constructed in the 18th century and a tidal structure with tidal flaps constructed in 1980 by the former water authority. The alignment of Greatham Beck was rationalised in approximately 1981 when the original meandering tributary was infilled.

The tidal structure was constructed under a licence that expires on 30 November 2029. A condition of the licence stipulates that on the expiry of the Licence, the structure is removed and riverbanks and foreshore reinstated.

This alone would not restore the full extent of natural processes and habitats. The oversized Greatham Beck would become a deep tidal creek and the floodplain would be inundated for long periods of time as a result of historic embankments and ineffective drainage.

So the Project intends to restore the former meandering channel of Greatham Beck and the network of tidal creeks within the floodplain. Areas of higher land within the field parcel are proposed to be managed as grasslands for conservation purposes. Habitats would be allowed to migrate inland as sea level rises.

The project contributes to achievement of WFD objectives by implementing targets for WFD protected sites found within the conservation objectives of the SPA, and mitigation measures for the Tees Estuary water body.

Monitoring surveys and results

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Water quality improvements

Biodiversity River Units

Biodiversity Area Units – including intertidal habitats and with unrestricted inland migration

Nutrient reduction in Tees catchment subject to Nutrient Neutrality advice from NE

Climate change through reduced operational carbon emissions and sequestration in habitat

SPA SSSI improvement – unfavourable declining SSSI Unit die to excess nutrients, SPA objectives to reduce nutrients and restore extend intertidal habitats

Nature based solution through increased river channel capacity

Lessons learnt

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Project background

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Reach length directly affected (m)
Project started
Works started	2024-09-01
Works completed	2025-11-01
Project completed
Total cost category	1000 - 5000 k€
Total cost (k€)	40004,000 k€ <br />4,000,000 € <br />
Benefit to cost ratio
Funding sources	Environment Agency

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

Supplementary funding information

partnership funding

Catchment and subcatchment

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Catchment

River basin district	Northumbria
River basin	Tees

Subcatchment

River name	Greatham Creek Catchment (trib of Tidal Tees)
Area category	10 - 100 km²
Area (km2)
Maximum altitude category	100 - 200 m
Maximum altitude (m)	149149 m <br />0.149 km <br />14,900 cm <br />
Dominant geology	Calcareous
Ecoregion	Great Britain
Dominant land cover	Arable and Horticulture
Waterbody ID	GB103025076030

Other case studies in this subcatchment: Greatham Managed Realignment Scheme

Site

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Name	Tees Estuary water body
WFD water body codes	GB510302509900
WFD (national) typology	TraC
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	Yes
Invasive species present	No
Species of interest
Dominant hydrology	Estuary
Dominant substrate	Estuarine mud
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)

Supplementary Information

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Construction start date – between September 2024 and January 2025

10 months construction phase

Construction completion date – between July 2025 and November 2025

Dependent on permission and agreements

Marine Licence application submitted January 2024

Planning Permission application submitted April 2024

Landowner Agreement Heads of Terms

Partnership Contribution Agreement

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Location: 54° 37' 58.98" N, 1° 14' 14.75" W

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Reasons for river restoration Edit reasons for restoration Mitigation of a pressure Hydromorphology Biology 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 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