Soft Engineering - River Cole

Question 1

Where is it?

Answer 1

Southern England

Question 2

What types of intervention?

Answer 2

Heavily modified for 100 years

Straightened for milling

Dredged + widened to ↓ flooding

Question 3

What is the result of alterations?

Answer 3

The quality of water + biodiversity in the area has fallen sig

Question 4

What happened in 1995?

Answer 4

Project set up to restore River Cole to its original course

Question 5

Who was it funded by?

Answer 5

EU

River restoration center

Environmental agency

National Trust

Question 6

What was done to restore the river to its natural course?

Answer 6

Old map of channel used

New channel was created that flowed 1.2m above the current channel as the current channel had been dredged + was lower than original

Given meanders

Old channel = blocked off so river would flow through new one

Question 7

What was the outcome?

Answer 7

SUCCESS

Recreated wetlands = help ↓
risk of flooding + allowed the river to flood naturally = improve fertility of surrounding land + prevent floods downstream

New wildlife + plants have started to inhabit = environment more pleasant

Question 8

Was there any backlash?

Answer 8

FP surrounding river used as agricultural land + many farmers unhappy to have marshland developing nearby

Farmers lost land because meanders take up more room

Allowing the river to flood = inundate + damage growth