Ten years restoring rivers through the Water Environment Fund
Summary
Agency board report number: SEPA 27/23 - May 2023
SEPA’s Water Environment Fund has been improving Scotland’s rivers for 10 years. This paper gives an overview of those achievements.
16 FTE are currently developing, delivering, providing management and oversight of WEF with five FTE from ecology and flooding and one from Corporate Legal Services providing technical expertise.
There are currently 2 vacant posts.
Due to a funding shortfall from Scottish Government, WEF will be able to deliver only half of the RBMP objectives for urban physical condition and redundant fish barriers.
WEF projects have a positive impact on the environment and are actively seeking ways to reduce their carbon impact.
For Noting
Public
- Alan McCulloch (WEF Unit Manager)
- Rachel Harding-Hill (WEF Senior Manager)
- David Harley, Acting Chief Officer Circular Economy
Introduction
Scottish Government provides the Water Environment Fund (WEF) to SEPA to deliver a programme of improvements to Scotland’s water environment. Funding has been provided since 2013 to directly deliver against the targets set out in the River Basin Management Plan, the statutory framework for protecting and improving the water environment. Over the last ten years, £27m of WEF funding, often matched by other funding streams, has contributed to around 90 projects nationwide.
The priorities for the Water Environment Fund, and how we fund, has evolved over this period so that funding can focus where it can be the most impactful in delivering RBMP objectives and best value for money for the public purse.
This work requires significant cross agency working. Although projects are led by staff in the WEF Unit, staff from across the Agency provide vital technical expertise, including Ecology and Flooding, Procurement, Corporate Legal Services.
Background
The priorities for WEF, as agreed with Scottish Government, are currently:
- Improvements to the passage of migratory fish by the removal or easement of redundant structures such as weirs, and;
- Repairing damaged urban rivers where additional multiple benefits such as improved access to blue-green space, reducing localised flood risk and achieving biodiversity benefits.
The WEF programme of work and budget is agreed annually with Scottish Government. In 2023/24 the programme budget is £3.6M.
To directly target the fund on prioritised RBMP improvements, rather than wait for applications for a grant from a third party, SEPA through WEF, now directly commissions fish barrier projects which typically take three years to complete, at a total cost for each project of approx. £700k.
SEPA indirectly deliver the projects to restore rivers in our towns and cities by working in partnership with, and providing a grant to third parties, often Local Authorities. We work with partners to develop the projects which, after initial scoping and feasibility stages, are then led by third parties, with technical input from SEPA (WEF and technical specialists). These urban river restoration projects take 6-7 years to complete at a cost of approx. £2M for the river restoration element. These projects always deliver multiple benefits alongside the river restoration element and match funding from partners is a requirement.
Robust industry standard project management (RIBA - Royal Institute of British Architects) is used to manage the delivery of these often large-scale and complex muti year construction projects with stages including scoping, technical feasibility, design and build.
Achievements
Over the last ten years WEF has contributed resource or funding to around 90 projects. This includes 20 directly WEF managed river restoration projects, improving more than 18km of urban rivers, with associated multiple benefits of improved access to better quality blue-green space, active travel, and access, biodiversity, and increased resilience to climate change through localised reduced risk to flooding. 70% of projects are within 20 minutes of deprived urban areas, with 100,000 Scots now within 1 mile of a completed project. Recent examples of completed projects are:
- The Garrell burn in Kilsyth; working in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council, the river was redesigned so that it floods more naturally into Dumbreck Marsh nature reserve, and two fish passes installed creating access to 1.5km upstream habitat to migratory fish.
- The East Tullos Burn in Aberdeen; working with Aberdeen City Council in an area surrounded by urban and industrial development and high levels of unemployment and deprivation, 500m of previously straightened channel was improved to create a 700m sinuous channel with associated wetlands providing a valued area for the local community.
- The Lyne burn restoration project, Dunfermline; working with Fife Council a 500m straightened channel was restored providing multiple benefits to ecology and local communities.
The Water Environment Fund has delivered 28 projects to improve access for migratory fish, re-opening hundreds of kilometres of Scotland’s rivers to wild fish like Atlantic salmon, sea trout, eel, and lamprey. Recent examples include:
- Bronie Burn Weir in Aberdeenshire was removed and fish can now freely access 22 km of upstream habitat for first time in over 100 years.
- Gateside Mill Weir on the River Eden in Fife was removed, and fish can freely access upstream habitat for first time in over 120 years, providing 17.6km of habitat for migratory fish including salmon and sea trout.
- Almond Barriers is a catchment scale project opening up 300km of river to migratory fish by tackling seven redundant fish barriers. Work at six of the weirs is complete with a variety of solutions used such as full removal, rock ramp construction, installation of a technical fish pass or creation of a fish bypass channel. Further work is underway on the final barrier at Dowies Mill.
In 2023-24 WEF will progress 14 morphology projects and 12 fish barrier projects across Scotland. There are 6 projects profiled at construction stage: The Glazert Water in Lennoxtown, Crossmill weir on the River Leven, Davington weir in Dumfries and Galloway, Garlogie dam removal on the River Dee, Phase 1 of the River Leven and barriers restoration project in Fife and Upper Nith restoration near New Cumnock.
A map of projects is in Annex A and a selection of recently completed projects are detailed in Annex B.
In addition to delivering on statutory River Basin Management Planning targets, WEF projects also contribute towards delivery against climate and biodiversity targets. Projects restoring urban rivers deliver multiple environment benefits on climate adaption and mitigation including creating more resilient river systems that reconnect flood plains and wetlands and planting thousands of native trees. WEF fish barrier
easement projects increase opportunities for salmon to access cooler headwaters, increase biodiverse habitat and enables fish and eel population growth. More recent projects have had a focus on NetZero targets and have trialled the use of carbon calculators and innovative sustainable construction techniques.
WEF projects also deliver against Scotland’s biodiversity targets and the Wild Salmon Strategy, creating new habitat in urban spaces as well as increasing the length of rivers that can be accessed by migratory fish.
We have been working to understand the current programme and resource to deliver the River Basin Management Plan WEF objectives for 2027. This is particularly challenging for the Water Environment Fund (which is funded by Grant in Aid), against a backdrop of reducing resource. We are working across the Agency and with Scottish Government to consider how we might adjust some of the ways to deliver the activities most effectively for which SEPA is responsible.
Recommendations
The Board is asked to note the content of this paper.
Annex A – Current and Completed projects
View a map of current and completed projects.
Annex B: Information on a selection of completed projects
2022, Garrell Burn, Kilsyth
A partnership with North Lanarkshire Council to create a new 600m long meandering channel as part of a landscape scale river corridor and fish population restoration project. The river can now more naturally flood into the Dumbreck Marsh nature reserve: an extremely popular greenspace for local communities. Fish have improved river habitats and can now access upper reaches of the burn over two newly installed fish passes.
2022, Levern Valley river restoration project-Barrhead
Working in partnership with East Renfrewshire Council, the 1.5km of river in Calibar Park has been restored with multiple benefits of river restoration, vacant and derelict land remediation and work is ongoing to
provide fish passage at two structures.
2022, Bronie Burn Weir
SEPA directly commissioned works on this tributary of the River
Ythan, to remove the weir and carry out bank reprofiling to ensure a natural and stable river reach and allow access of 22km of upstream habitat for first time in over 100 years. View the Bronie Burn Weir case study.
2022, Gateside Mill Weir
River Eden in Fife: SEPA directly commissioned works to completely remove the weir, allowing migratory fish to freely access 17.6km upstream habitat for first time in over 120 years. The project had a focus on sustainability and trialled the use of a carbon calculator at design and the end of works, helping to significantly reduce Carbon use.
2022, Lyne burn restoration project, Rex Park, Dunfermline
Working with Fife Council, a 500m straightened channel was restored providing multiple benefits to ecology and local communities.
2020, Tollcross Burn, Glasgow
Work was carried out to restore 525 metres of the Tollcross Burn. The Burn was previously diverted into a below ground culvert and had not been visible in the park for around 70 years. The restoration provides benefits to the local urban community through enhanced path and bridge access and amenity greenspace, as well as natural flood management, climate resilience and enhanced habitat and biodiversity.
2019 to date, Nith
Working with landowners, the Nith Project aims to restore the River Nith from Sanquhar to New Cumnock, approximately 6km.
2019, Gotter Water Weir
Quarriers Village: Fish passage was enabled by installation of a fish pass to allow salmon to spawn upstream for the first time in over 120 years. Easement of the weir opened 9km of habitat and juvenile salmon were found upstream within 6 months by the local fishery trust.
2018, Seven Acres Weir and Garden Weir
On the Lugton Water were over 160 years old and a complete barrier to migrating fish. This was eased by installation of a baffle fish pass and eel passes and now salmon are successfully spawning upstream. The completion of the two projects has restored access to the almost 70km of river across the catchment.
2017 – to date, Almond Barriers
A catchment scale project opening up 298km of river to migratory fish by tackling 7 key fish barriers. Work at 6 of the weirs is complete with a variety of solutions used such as full removal, rock ramp construction, installation of a technical fish pass or creation of a fish bypass channel. Further work is underway on the final barrier at Dowies Mill.
2016, Tarff Creamery Weir, Twynholm
Was removed and salmon are spawning upstream for first time in over 100 years.
2016, Fernegair Weir, South Lanarkshire
WEF and RAFTS worked together to deliver this fish pass at on the River Avon in South Lanarkshire. The Clyde River Foundation provided support and local expertise to this project which tackled two fish barriers and opened around 100km of upstream habitat in this major River Clyde tributary.
2015, East Tullos Burn
Located in the Torry area of Aberdeen, East Tullos burn is surrounded by urban and industrial development, with high levels of unemployment and deprivation. The 450m straightened channel has been improved to create a 700m sinuous channel with associated wetlands improving the physical structure of the river, surface water management, increased biodiversity, aesthetic appeal, and recreational use. The project came top in the Herald Society Awards in the Environmental Initiative of the Year category 2015 and Highly commended in the RSPB Sustainable Development Awards 2015.
2013/15 Stane Gardens, Shotts
Working in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council, a straight & lifeless concrete conduit of the South Calder Water was restored into a meandering urban gravel-bed stream alongside contaminated land removal, greenspace creation & installation of new footpaths through a once inaccessible & degraded area.
WEF have contributed, and continues to contribute to projects all over Scotland.
Some of these include: Esks barriers, Crossmill Weir, Garlogie Dam, the Levern, Black Stank Burn, Kelvin Tribs, Capelrig/Auldhouse Burn, Burdiehouse Burn, Back Burn, Biggar Water, Aberarder, Allt a’Mharaidh, Fernegair Weir, Auchlossan Wetland, River Ruel, Crooksmill Burn, Peffrey, River Cowie, Seven Lochs Wetland, Halter Burn, Brothock, Den Burn, Goval Weir, Fisherie Burn, Rottal Burn (winner of the RRC River prize 2023 reach scale award) Bervie Water, Lunan Water, Eddleston, Mashie, Inch of Ferryton, Kemplton, RAFTS quick hits, Dee Obstructions, River Cowie, Culburnie Bridge Apron, Balmaleedy Burn, Corrie Burn, Bathgate, Candren Burn, Glazert, Leven, Morsgail, Preston Mill, Pow Burn, Tullynessle, Tyne Barriers, the Dee and the Lemno.