1 of 4 Flora and fauna near the river have recovered quickly Photo: VICTORIA GILL/BBC Flora and fauna near the river have recovered quickly Photo: VICTORIA GILL/BBC
“Nature needs chaos,” says Lee Schofield from the British environmental organization Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
He sits on the banks of Swindale Beck, a stretch of river near Haweswater Reservoir in the English town of Cumbria.
Chaos and nature returned to the area after being lost for two centuries.
Around 200 years ago, the community of Swindale began an ambitious project to straighten this section of the river with the aim of speeding up the flow of water in the valley and increasing the surrounding agricultural area.
This had unintended consequences. The water flowed faster, as desired but too fast for fish like salmon and trout to spawn.
The waterway also began to transport more sediment downstream, becoming murkier.
Then, in 2016, the RSPB and its partners including the water company that owns the land launched a project to “destratify” the river.
2 of 4 Small fish, in addition to salmon and trout, again benefited from vegetation cover in the river Photo: BBC Small fish, in addition to salmon and trout, again benefited from vegetation cover in the river Photo: BBC
After surveying the valley to locate the river’s original course, a team of excavators was commissioned to recreate this winding channel which is now around 180m longer than the straight line that bisected the valley for two centuries.
The transformation, Lee says, was almost immediate.
“About three months after the dredgers left, salmon and trout started spawning in the river again,” he remembers.
The restored winding curves have slowed the flow of water, creating aquatic habitat at every turn.
“We now have vegetation in the river where young fish can find shelter,” explains Lee. “There are gravel bars, deep pools and rapids.” There are shallow and turbulent parts of the river where the water absorbs oxygen. All of this benefits the entire food chain.”
“Now it’s like a living thing is moving through the valley, while the old straight river looks like a sad canal.”
Restoring the 1km stretch cost £200,000 (around R1.2 million), an amount shared by the RSPB, the water resources company that owns the area, United Utilities and two government agencies responsible for the environment.
3 of 4 Swindale meadows in bloom — Photo: DAVID MORRIS Swindale meadows in bloom — Photo: DAVID MORRIS
The UK government funds several conservation projects like this under the Landscape Recovery Scheme. Farmers can receive funding to promote biodiversity on their land, for example by restoring their rivers or reforesting forests.
For the company United Utilities, the “dectification” of the river brought about a positive change by making it “clean” itself.
Artificially straightened rivers flow faster and absorb more sediment. The bends slow the current and allow the river to deposit its sediments on the banks.
The slow current also reduces the risk of flooding downstream (towards the mouth).
Ironically, the environmental damage that water utilities cause can become a source of funding for restoration projects like this.
UK Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey recently announced that companies responsible for discharging wastewater into nature could be fined and these funds would be reinvested in a new water cleanup fund and used for water conservation projects.
4 of 4 A highland cow in Swindale Photo: BBC A highland cow in Swindale Photo: BBC
It was recently revealed that United Utilities discharged raw sewage into rivers more often than any other company in the industry in England in 2022.
John Gorst of United Utilites, who worked on the Swindale project, told BBC News: “There are problems and we are solving them.”
“[Mas] This landscape is crucial for us as a company. The reservoir is our largest source of supply, so we are investing in these river basins and managing them in a way that protects water quality and brings all of these additional biodiversity benefits.”
The RSPB runs its own agricultural production in this valley and claims to have shown that conservation and agriculture can work together and benefit each other.
Lee Schofield says it’s inspiring to see the river’s clear, meandering waters and the return of wildlife.
“We as a species can rebuild and restore places like this. We can give nature space.”