Rainworth Water - Three Rivers Restoration Project

During Autumn 2024, 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 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.

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.