Project

Resilient River

Partners

National Lottery Heritage Fund, Environment agency, Nene Valley Catchment Partnership, Nenescape LP & Peterborough & District Angling Association. 

Objectives: 

• Improve the gravel bed topography and the quality of spawning habitat through clean gravel introduction in 7 locations.
• Increase in-stream woody habitat; provide fish and invertebrate refuges; improve conveyance; and reduce the risk of channel blockages by hinging and pinning selected riverside trees and securing fallen tree limbs.
• Reduce the impact of sediment inputs, in particular because of erosion caused by livestock and public access. Plant new trees to provide shade over the water to improve cover for fish and reduce water temperature. 
• Improve access for anglers. 
• Improve overhead cover by installing floating woody refuge. 

Our Solution

The Nassington Backchannel scheme comprised of 5 activities. The activities were: 

• Activity 1 – Hinging and pinning overhanging trees and pleaching small riverside trees to increase in- stream woody habitat and create flow variation to improve the natural cleansing of the gravels. 
• Activity 2 - Tree planting to increase shade over the river and suppress the growth of emergent vegetation. 
• Activity 3 – Protect banks from future damage by erecting livestock fencing. 
• Activity 4 – Introducing fresh gravels to enhance spawning habitat and adjust flow dynamics. Activity 5 – Create overhead cover for fish species in an area where currently they are exposed. 

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