3 Rivers project in Sherwood Forest

This project is a partnership between the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) and Severn Trent (ST) to deliver a programme of essential measures to improve the water environment in three rivers within the Idle Catchment, for which NWT are the Catchment Hosts. The rivers are Rainworth Water, Vicar Water and the Bevercotes Beck.

Background to the Project

Rainworth Water, Vicar Water and the Bevercotes Beck are included in the project covering an area from Mansfield to the A1 south of Retford with the A614 at its heart.

There are many pressures on wildlife and habitats in the Sherwood sub-catchment of the Idle Catchment, including:

• Channel modification

• Poor water quality (both chemical and physical)

• Loss of habitat through vegetation clearance

• Low flows

• Barriers to fish passage

• Invasive non-native species

The three rivers suffer from low flow conditions and loss of water in parts of their length into the underlying sandstone. Consequently, the rivers are in poor or only moderate ecological condition and so are failing to meet WFD objectives. These rivers have been identified as a high priority for ST to address these problems, as part of a wider programme within their area of operation.

Preparatory work has already been undertaken by AECOM on behalf of Severn Trent to consider a number of options for the rivers, and this has led to the selection of some potential preferred options for each river.

Project milestones

The construction phase of the project will address the issues of:

Low flows due to leakage from the riverbed
The need for enhancement of channel form and location
Removal of structures that compromise channel integrity and reduce fish passage

The aims of this project are to:

Address the low flow issues and to prevent water losses as far as is feasible
To increase the ecological resilience of the watercourses, through a wide range of measures.

Project updates

A number of outputs have been completed as highlighted below per river.

Rainworth Water

An 'up and over' eel pass has been installed alongside the weir at Rufford Mill to assist eels to migrate further upstream.

The eel pass includes a timber and concrete section with mounted pebbles in mortar screed running alongside the water from the weir. It then adjoins the up and over structure which uses polymer studs for the eels to ‘wriggle’ up through to be able to join the lake above the weir which is fed by the river at the opposite side of the lake.

Rufford Mill eel pass (https://youtu.be/UmW1VVWY2ZM)

Credit Sophie Bell Photography

Rufford Country Park
The river channel at Rufford Country Park has become heavily silted causing most of the water to flow through a drainage channel instead of through the main river channel. To overcome this, a 165m stretch of the river has been desilted and reprofiled with berms and riffles. This causes the water to move more quickly and reduces the chance of silt being deposited.

Work to improve the nearby wetland has also been underway. Large amounts of vegetation has been cleared, with the wetland de-silted and reprofiled revealing large stretches of open water. The creation of leaky dams and a low flow channel in the wetland will protect it from drying out in the summer, helping it to stay wetter for longer.

The work that has been completed at this site is being enhanced through further restoration of a 350m stretch of river directly down stream. Further desilting, bank reprofiling and tree work has been completed to enhance the area for water voles and has been funded through the Trust's Water Vole Project.

wetland landscape — Rufford Wetland credit Ian Higginson

Rainworth Wetland
Rainworth Wetland has been experiencing natural succession over the last couple of decades. This has caused the wetland to start to dry out as reed beds develop and scrub starts to encroach in from the surrounding areas. This project is "turning back the ecological clock" by removing areas of reed, creating new channels, planting wetland species and adding leaky dams. Areas of cleared reed bed will grow back at different rates, creating more habitat complexity. This work will increase the diversity of habitats within the wetland and help it to retain water during dry periods.

The river channel has also been excavated allowing the river to flow better. The riffles and wiggly side channels and cascades put in help oxygenate the water which will benefit fish, invertebrates and kingfishers.

Wetland reprofiling with machinery — Rainworth Wetland re-profiling credit Ian Higginson

Vicar Water

Vicar Water Country Park had issues with low water flow but re-profiling work has helped to overcome this along a stretch flowing into the park and the main lake.

Approximately 800m of river has been restored through the Park including re-meandering, putting in berms and leaky dams, as well as new ponds and scrapes. There has also been approximately 700 native plants included along the newly engineered channels and pools.