Presentations on river restoration and WFD implementation

The symposium and field trip on day two of the |General Members Meeting of the ECRR were organised by ECRR’s member, the Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA). It was joined by members of the Dutch Community of Practice for Rivers and Streams. In the morning, after introductions of Ernest de Groot, chairman of the Dutch Community of stream and river restoration and ECRR’s chairman, Martin Janes of the RRC in UK, participants from Finland and Norway presented practices of river connectivity restoration and examples of how river restoration supports the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive. STOWA presented its publication on system analysis as a basis for river restoration. Having a better understanding of the factors influencing aquatic ecosystem functioning can help define policy goals and measures.

During the field trip, the group visited a project on small river restoration at the Renkums Beekdal. The water authority explained how it had integrated ecological and heritage values during the restoration of the stream valley. The next stop along the Waal river showed a more technical solution for reconciling inland navigation and ecology in a large lowland river by the construction of a longitudinal training dam. An explanation was given by Tom Buijse of Deltares, that the dam has been constructed as an experiment under the Room for the River Programme and currently its effects on biodiversity and morphology are being monitored.