y
l
IT
ABI
n
AI
SUST
21
Innovative river restoration
KArEn
WhITE
Environmental
Scientist
in an urban environment
STrATEGy,
ASSESSMEnT &
MAnAGEMEnT
T: 01372 756127
Atkins has recently completed an award- Phase 2 (2006) – restoring natural river processes karen.white@atkinsglobal.com
winning river restoration scheme for the and promoting biodiversity. The team restored
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of the a 300m reach of the once straight and embanked
“ Atkins has helped
Environment Agency. The river ray restoration drainage channel back to its historical meandering
Scheme is an excellent example of cutting-edge river form. Atkins’ design enabled a return to natural
the partnership
river restoration design and construction within floodplain processes to the area by allowing the river
of organisations
an urban park. to overtop onto the floodplain at key locations. This
involved restore a
not only improves river processes but also reduces
once hidden river
Atkins has been involved in this flagship project flood risk for the properties downstream in Swindon.
since 2003, responsible for developing the detailed
into a valuable
design using specialist river restoration and Phase 3 (2008) – reconnecting the local community
community asset.”
geomorphological techniques. This ambitious scheme to the river. The design centred on increasing the
involved the restoration of a 1.2km reach of the River recreational value of the park. The teams’ design
Neil Pullen, Wiltshire
Wildlife Trust
Ray through an urban area in the centre of Swindon. included re-meandering the river, constructing a formal
pathway, creating easy and safe access points for the
The scheme consisted of three phases: community, creating pools and riffles for habitat and
Phase 1 (2004) – designing a ‘habitat haven.’ focal points along 500m of the river.
Atkins’ innovative design consisted of creating a two
stage ‘mini floodplain channel’ using features such as The return of winter wading birds to the area, the
berms, pool riffle sequences and floodplain ponds to natural regeneration of marginal plants and the
add biodiversity within a reach with a highly modified frequent inundation of the floodplain for the first
hydrologic and geomorphic regime. The restoration time in years are just a couple of the success stories
of natural processes also reduced the requirement of from this scheme. The project has also won the Highly
costly maintenance by the Environment Agency to Commended Award in the prestigious Biffa Awards
maintain flow conveyance. against 170 competing projects nationwide. n
Left: Trapezoidal channel of
River Ray (2005).
Far left: The River Ray
transformed into a meandering
channel three months after
construction (2006).
Top: Marginal vegetation
creating diverse habitat along
the River Ray two years after
construction (2008).
solutions | Autumn 2008
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