River Restoration - Soft Engineering The River Cole, Oxford
River Restoration - Soft Engineering
The River Cole, Oxford
The River Cole forms part of the border between the counties,
Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. It is a tributary of the River Thames and joins it near Lechlade. Many mills have altered the river by straightening and polluting it. Much of its upper course has been built over due to urbanisation and so the exact location of the source is unknown. It also flows through
National Trust land.
The River Cole had become very polluted and needed restoration.
Restoration is returning a river to its natural state after artificial alteration. The river needed restoration in order to change the water course, improve the water quality and manage the bank-side vegetation. In 1994, River
Restoration Project was set up in order to show how contemporary restoration techniques could help damaged ecosystems thrive. The project was run by the RRP (River
Restoration Project), the
Environment Agency, English
Nature, the National Trust, the
Countryside Commission and the
EU. Using the EU LIFE money, three demonstration projects were set up, helping to restore over a 2km stretch of the
River. The project was completed in 1996.
In order to bring the river bed back in line with the floodplain, the river bed below Coleshill
Bridge was raised. More gravel riffles (fast flowing midstream ridges) were introduced, as well as some small weirs (small barriers allowing pools to form behind them).
Due to the redevelopment of the river bed, it ran at a higher level than a large stretch of the river. A new meandering channel was cut allowing the water to travel at the same height. Parts of the old river were kept and acts as backwaters. During high flows, this provides shelter for fish, birds and insects, adding to the growing biodiversity of the river.
The meanders also cause more regular flooding of the neighboring fields, creating water meadows and increasing agricultural productivity.
The ancient course of the
The River Cole, Oxford
The River Cole forms part of the border between the counties,
Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. It is a tributary of the River Thames and joins it near Lechlade. Many mills have altered the river by straightening and polluting it. Much of its upper course has been built over due to urbanisation and so the exact location of the source is unknown. It also flows through
National Trust land.
The River Cole had become very polluted and needed restoration.
Restoration is returning a river to its natural state after artificial alteration. The river needed restoration in order to change the water course, improve the water quality and manage the bank-side vegetation. In 1994, River
Restoration Project was set up in order to show how contemporary restoration techniques could help damaged ecosystems thrive. The project was run by the RRP (River
Restoration Project), the
Environment Agency, English
Nature, the National Trust, the
Countryside Commission and the
EU. Using the EU LIFE money, three demonstration projects were set up, helping to restore over a 2km stretch of the
River. The project was completed in 1996.
In order to bring the river bed back in line with the floodplain, the river bed below Coleshill
Bridge was raised. More gravel riffles (fast flowing midstream ridges) were introduced, as well as some small weirs (small barriers allowing pools to form behind them).
Due to the redevelopment of the river bed, it ran at a higher level than a large stretch of the river. A new meandering channel was cut allowing the water to travel at the same height. Parts of the old river were kept and acts as backwaters. During high flows, this provides shelter for fish, birds and insects, adding to the growing biodiversity of the river.
The meanders also cause more regular flooding of the neighboring fields, creating water meadows and increasing agricultural productivity.
The ancient course of the