Flooding project will help rivers to meander naturally

A PROJECT to return rivers to a more natural state where they meander “like the branches of a tree” is being brought in to help wildlife and tackle flooding.

The National Trust said the project at Holnicote Estate in Somerset was the first of its kind for the UK and would let rivers flow through multiple channels, pools and shallow riffles, as they would have done before human interference.

It differs from more conventional river restoration projects which bring back the bends, or “meanders”, in a single straightened stream, and aims to reconnect the water courses with their original flood plains.

It is hoped the scheme will reduce the frequency of flooding by slowing the flow of water. It could also help counter drought by holding more water in the landscape, the trust said, and could boost wildlife, such as water voles by improving riverside habitat.

Work has already begun to return a tributary of the River Aller, on the edge of Exmoor, to its original flow to allow natural river and wetland processes to develop across 10 acres of land. If successful, it will be developed across a 33acre site on the River Aller itself.

The approach, based on successful projects in the US, will use diggers to move earth and recreate channels that allow the water’s natural flow, mud and wildlife to rebuild a stream and wetland system.

It is being run in conjunction with a European programme covering England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, and the Environment Agency.