Yorkshire Water is leading a project group which has started pioneering work in South Yorkshire to reinvigorate wildlife in a section of the River Dearne catchment by using clever engineering to transform the water’s flow.
The project group, headed up by Yorkshire Water, includes members from the Environment Agency, Dearne Valley Greenheart Nature Improvement Area, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Rivers Trust, in addition to landowners The Land Trust and Barnsley Council and managing agents Groundwork in South Yorkshire.
If the project is successful, it could revolutionise the way the water industry approaches meeting river water quality standards close to waste water treatment works.
Yorkshire Water Project Manager Sarah Gledhill said:
“Looking after the environment is important to us and we are keen to understand if habitat restoration can help streams like Sandybridge dyke recover from their industrial heritage to be more resilient in the future.
“This project could help shape the way in which we invest in the region in future and even revolutionise how we attempt to improve water quality.”
The innovative scheme will transform a stagnant, straight section of the stream that passes through Rabbit Ings Nature Reserve into a faster moving S-shaped channel. It is hoped that introducing this movement will clear away sediment and make the water cleaner for local wildlife.
The project is thought to be one of the first in the country to investigate whether restoring river habitat directly impacts water quality and the results will be reported in 2017.
An expert delivery partnership of Willowbank Services, Peter Brett Associates and Hull International Fisheries Institute will be carrying out the work, which involves a new meandering route for the stream to increase the flow and improve oxygenation.
Once finished, it is hoped the restoration will create a visible increase in indicators of good water quality, such as plants and invertebrates, as well as encouraging Yorkshire freshwater species such as shrimps, mayflies and brown trout to return. Yorkshire Water is collecting four years’ worth of data, both before and after the scheme, in a bid to assess its impact.
The habitat restoration is being trialled at the dyke largely due to its history. The stream runs through land formerly used to store waste from the nearby coal mine and a closed municipal landfill site. The stream is mostly man made, in poor condition and the perfect case study for the research.
Anthony Downing, Environment Officer for Don and Rother Water and Land Team, added:
"The design of this particular scheme works with natural processes to both address water quality problems and create greater diversity of river habitat which will be of benefit to plant and animal species.
“We have been delighted to be part of this project, which not only has provided a good model for partnership working and water quality improvements, but hopefully it will also provide a sound evidence base to support future projects addressing water quality problems around water company discharges."
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