Case study:Platt Brook Restoration
Project overview
Status | Complete |
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Project web site | http://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/nia/projects/platt-brook-restoration-project |
Themes | Social benefits, Water quality, Urban |
Country | England |
Main contact forename | Will |
Main contact surname | Groves |
Main contact user ID | User:Wgroves |
Contact organisation | Environment Agency |
Contact organisation web site | http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk |
Partner organisations | Birmingham City Council, Environment Agency, Birmingham and Black Country NIA |
Parent multi-site project | |
This is a parent project encompassing the following projects |
No |
Project summary
The project aims were to improve the aesthetics, water quality and biodiversity of the Platt Brook in Sheldon, Birmingham. The focus of the project was a section of the brook flowing through public land surrounded by high density housing.
Before the project, the brook was much neglected and suffered from silt build up, flytipping and pollution from misconnections and other sewer misuse.
During the restoration works silt was removed and its banks were pulled back to recreate a more natural river channel. It is hoped that the scheme will help the brook to self-cleanse and re-oxygenate, providing much needed urban habitat for wildlife and making the brook more accessible for people.
The project was delivered in 2013.
Since the end of the project the brook has been adopted by a community based WatersideCare group - http://www.keepbritaintidy.org/watersidecare/689
This project was delivered by the Birmingham Brooks Partnership and is a sister project to the Short Heath Brook project - http://restorerivers.eu/wiki/index.php?title=Case_study%3AShort_Heath_Brook_Project
Engagement with local community leading to adoption by WatersideCare group.
Monitoring surveys and results
Water quality monitoring is showing improvements in dissolved oxygen since the restoration work - see DO chart below.
Invertebrate monitoring undertaken in Spring 2012 before works commenced gave a very low BWMP score of 7/200. Biological sampling will be repeated in Spring/Summer 2014.
Changes in public opinion of the brook prior to and after the restoration scheme have also been recorded - see survey results below.
Lessons learnt
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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
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Additional links and references
Supplementary InformationEdit Supplementary Information
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