Ulrika Åberg from the RRC writes about the field visit.

In May 2013 the UK River Restoration Centre and the Finish Environment Institute organised a joint RESTORE field visit to Germany and Switzerland. 28 participants from ten different European countries took part.

Particpants on field trip to River Isar

In 2010 Thames 21 visited the Cody Dock Reedbed, close to the mouth of the River Lea (UK), it was instantly clear what a wonderful place it was and how damaged it had become. In amongst the reeds it was beautiful and peaceful, but it was calf-deep in rubbish and Japanese Knotweed had grown across the reedbed, eating out its heart.

As part of the Love the Lea campaign,  Thames 21  commissioned a study into the use of  reedbeds along the Lee (or Lea) Navigation to improve water quality, boost the biodiversity value of the area and improve green space.

By Paul Brotherton

As part of a training course on river restoration sponsored by the RESTORE project, I recently visited the Waal River, a main branch of the Rhine River, flowing through the Netherlands. Here the Dutch are making ‘Room for the River’, restoring floodplains to reduce the risks of floods and creating benefits for people and nature. On the heels of recent catastrophic floods in Central Europe, this approach deserves a closer look if Europe is to meet many of its growing environmental and social policy challenges, including climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

The Evironment Agency has produced draft guidance to assist the economic assessment of works or measures that affect the water environment. This can be used for River Basin Management Planning and other disciplines where relevant.

Any comments on the guide would be greatfully received:

Environment Agency

Some fish such as salmon need access to freshwater but obstacles such as dams and hydropower plants can act as barriers and prevent them migrating and spawning.

However, rivers in Switzerland, which are all regulated, have benefitted from some innovative solutions to reduce the impact of hydropower plants and dams on fish. To solve this challenge, bypass channels or fishways have been built at almost at every dam and weir.