Concepts of River Renovation

new channel creation on the Hampshire Avon (Wiltshire WT)

As World River’s Day approaches you might be shocked to know that only 14% of water bodies in England are in good ecological status. 
Although we can take measurements of rivers in other ways (physical and chemical) it’s really down to the ecology in a river; what can live and thrive in a watercourse, that gives us an indication of river health. In particular, invertebrates, macrophytes and fish species. 
Unfortunately, these freshwater species have seen an 83% decline since 1970 - faster than any other type of habitat. 
With considerable changes made to our waterways over the centuries it’s no wonder they are not in a great state.
We can’t take our watercourses back to their original form – we’ve built houses, roads, entire towns and cities at major confluences.  But we can renovate and make ‘home improvements’ on our rivers in order to bring back the natural river processes. 
Sophie Hocart from Five Rivers Environmental Contracting gives some pointers on how we can make positive changes.
Read more here