Weir head repairs ‘would serve two environmental objectives in one’
YEARS OF use and recent floods have taken their toll on many of the region’s river management systems, with a crowdfunding campaign now launched to repair one weir head while helping to protect migrating fish.
The weir head on the River Ribble at Bridge End Mill in Settle has fallen into disrepair over recent years, volunteer campaigners said, with damage sustained in floods in 2015 resulting in inconsistent river flows.
Fish who use the river to return to upstream spawning grounds have struggled to negotiate the pass in high or low waters, Settle Hydro members said, as they launched a campaign to raise £15,000 through a GoFundMe online page.
The renewable energy project saw a record February for power generation, and its volunteers said carrying out the work would help to improve its source of clean electricity.
With such a sunny spring, they added, now is a prime time to carry out work while river levels are so low.
“It’s vital that we move away from fossil fuels to clean energy sources like Settle Hydro which can make a real difference to the local environment and our carbon footprint,” said Sandy Todd, one of the volunteer board members.
“This crowdfunding project will serve two environmental objectives in one, helping fish migration to encourage fish numbers and increasing the amount of clean energy we produce for local homes.”
In the long-term, the cooperative initiative hopes to see profits from the sale of Settle Hydro electricity into the National Grid ploughed back into local projects.
It is vital that we move away from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Sandy Todd, Settle Hydro board.