Evenlode Catchment Partnership creates new wetlands

The project has resulted in a total of four and a half hectares of new wetland habitats adjacent to the Cornwell Brook in the Evenlode Valley, near Chipping Norton.

The brook had historically been straightened and dredged, likely for better land drainage.

However, this change had separated the river from its floodplain.

Rivers connected to their floodplains can slow moving water, reducing flood risk in the valley and downstream communities.

Multithreaded channels can be seen forming in the upstream wetland (Image: Supplied)

They can also naturally filter sediments and nutrients, offer refuge from high flows for fish, and create species rich wetland habitats.

Paul St Pierre, Environment Agency geomorphologist, said: "Working with catchment partners, their network of experienced landowners and long-standing members of the community is a very effective way of delivering these massive projects.

"So many thousands of hectares of wetlands have been lost over the past hundred plus years that it’s incredibly rewarding and exciting to recreate them again."

Sections of the floodplain were lowered with large excavators, and the old channel filled in, encouraging the river to flow across the floodplain and create various flow pathways.

Project manager from the Evenlode Catchment Partnership, Ann Berkeley, explained: "We created three different wetland types.

"In the upstream wetland we removed a substantial amount of subsoil, creating riffles, pools and backwaters from the in situ gravel terrace materials.

"The middle wetland simply had the topsoil stripped and the beginning of channels formed to get the water out into the floodplain.

"The lower wetland had channels created at the start and return of the brook to direct the water into a permanent pasture, no soils were stripped."

Woody debris obtained onsite helps to create diverse habitats, such as refuges for fish (Image: Supplied)

St Pierre said: "It will be interesting to monitor how these channels develop and how the rewetted floodplain soils start to provide a network of valuable wetland habitats.

"In some areas where we didn’t lower the floodplain, we cut away the banks, allowing the river to find its way across the old grassland meadow, before re-entering the existing channel.

"This has created a large area of slow flowing open water that already attracts large numbers of wading birds and wildfowl."

Alex Ward, a local landowner, said: "I’ve been amazed by the birdlife which the new wetland has attracted.

"Within six months this wetland has turned unquestionably the least attractive part of the farm into a paradise for ducklings, ringed plover, sandpiper, yellow wagtail and wheatear."

All materials were sourced and reused on-site, reducing the carbon footprint.