Morphological Restoration to Deliver Water
Framework Directive Environmental
Objectives
Dr Greg Whitfield* and Ellis Selway
Technical Advisors
Environment Agency Geomorphology Technical Services
* Email [email protected]
Morphological Restoration
Morphological pressures
What does this mean for the Water Framework
Directive?
Where does restoration ‘fit in’?
How does the Environment Agency
Geomorphology Service view restoration
schemes?
Why restore? WFD and RBMPs...
Scheme proposal
Impacts to RBMP
GES/GEP objectives
Hydromorphology Impacts
Geomorphology
Scheme
proposal and Hydrology
Physico-chemical Impacts
Impacts to Biology
WFD Compliant?
Chemical Impacts
WFD and RBMPs...
No deterioration (from baseline)
Aim to achieve Good Status or Good Potential
by 2015, 2021 or 2027
Mitigation measures in HMWBs
Morphological Restoration
‘Natural functioning’ of river systems
Flow
Sediment transport
Erosion/deposition
Development of planform
Morphological diversity
Flow diversity
Biodiversity
Morphological Restoration
We’ll look favourably at schemes that:
Address pressures at source (the ‘cause’ not the
‘symptom’)
Deliver multiple benefits for multiple WFD quality
elements over long timescales
Deliver benefits for multiple water bodies
Help to mitigate the effects of climate change and flood
risk
Contribute to conservation objectives of SACs, SSSIs
etc
Benefit multiple sectors / user groups
Morphological Restoration
Success criteria must be linked to ecology
Post project monitoring (geomorphology, ecology) is
very important
Success criteria must be realistic
We shouldn’t expect restoration to address all of the
pressures causing WFD failure
We shouldn’t expect ecological response overnight... It
may take decades
Cost vs. Confidence
High cost low confidence
Low cost high confidence
Weir removal
What are the potential
consequences of weir removal?
-and –
How should this inform
restoration planning?
January 2007
September 2007
Cosgrove Weir failure
River Yare enhancement...
To conclude... Morphological
Restoration
We’re very positive about river restoration – but
this means different things for different people
We advocate a ‘joined up approach’ that links
morphology and ecology to deliver GES/P and
positive benefits for stakeholders
We believe that there are many improvements
that can be made with a relatively small budget
Involve a geomorphologist
Monitoring is crucial
14TH ANNUAL NETWORK CONFERENCE
Scaling up our Aspirations for
River Restoration and
Management
The RRC would like to thank the sponsors of the RRC Annual Conference 2013
who support discounted places
[email protected]
01234 752979
www.therrc.co.uk