THE MAGAZINE FOR THE DRAINAGE, WATER & WASTEWATER INDUSTRIES
FLOODS & SUDS
“Our plan is to create over 30,000 m3 of water storage,” explains Project Officer Hannah Haydock. “This will be achieved through the construction of 16 ponds and other work to re-establish wetlands and deliver a number of important benefits. For example, in addition to the reduction of flood risk, wetlands improve carbon sequestration, protect water quality and enhance biodiversity.”
Windermere and Coledale have both suffered historic flooding and were particularly impacted by Storm Desmond in 2015. Hannah says, “Our objective with NFM is therefore to ‘slow-the- flow’ by restoring wetlands, planting trees and by removing or blocking the culverts and drains that previously accelerated the removal of water.”
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, so initiatives such as the Cumbria Riverlands Project are designed to improve climate resilience.
Water monitoring
In order to be able to define the scope of works for the project, it was first necessary to develop a model including the hydrology and geomorphology of the catchments. Such models rely heavily on real-world data on rainfall, water level and flow. Networks of raingauges and water level monitors were therefore installed toward the end of 2024. These monitors have two main purposes. First, by installing them several months before the proposed start of construction, it becomes possible to establish baseline data. Second, once the NFM measures have been established, the monitors will enable the project team to measure how successful they have been at slowing the flow.
The water monitoring equipment included two OTT logging raingauges to supplement two existing Environment Agency raingauges. In addition, OTT HydroMet engineers installed 9 ecoLog water level monitors above Windermere, and 6 ecoLogs in Coledale.
The OTT ecoLog 1000 is a complete all-in-one water level monitor, designed for long-term deployment in challenging environments. Operating on very low power, with replaceable battery life up to 10 years, the ecoLog 1000 measures water level with a robust, vented ceramic sensor in a stainless-steel housing with a kevlar-reinforced cable. OTT ecoLogs are generally installed in boreholes for groundwater monitoring, and in lockable stilling wells for surface water applications.
The ecoLogs take measurements every 15 minutes and store the data internally, and with wireless Bluetooth communications, National Trust Rangers are able to visit the monitors on a monthly basis to collect the data rather than transmit data with the device’s integrated modem. “We could have chosen to use the ecoLogs’ built-in telemetry,” Hannah explains, “but by saving money with manual data collection we were able to purchase more monitors, and our Rangers are on- site regularly in any case.”
The National Trust also purchased an OTT MF Pro portable water flow meter, and OTT engineers provided 6 National Trust Rangers with training on how to use the MF Pro to measure flow rates in small streams. Consequently, it was possible to
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automatically translate the ecoLog level measurements into flow, so that both water level and flow could be recorded.
In addition to water level monitoring, the project will also include ecological surveys to assess the effects on biodiversity, and volunteers will conduct citizen science water quality spot- checks every month.
Looking forward
With widespread local support, Hannah is confident that the scheme of works will receive appropriate planning permission. “By the time NFM works are complete, we will probably have collected over a year of data,” she says. “So far, the monitors have worked extremely well, and we have 100% data integrity, so we are excited to learn what our initiatives will ultimately deliver.”
In addition to the environmental, sustainability and climate resilience effects of the project, Hannah says: “One of the major objectives will be to demonstrate how nature restoration and environmental protection can work hand in hand with commercially viable farms. So, we plan to take the lessons learned from the Cumbria Riverlands Project and apply them elsewhere.
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