River Chelt Restoration
Client: The Environment Agency
Value: £48,000
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The Environment Agency are developing many schemes to improve river quality and the River Chelt has been identified as having a poor ecological status as a result of previous works and their deterioration.
The restoration runs through a 16 ha site downstream of the A38 at Norton Mill, 5 miles north of Gloucester. Birch Brothers contract under the Environment Agency’s Minor Works Framework involved removing a weir structure and straightened sheet piled channel and creating a new meandering river profile incorporating natural pool and riffle features together with additional habitat creation in the form of low lying wet areas and ponds. Before switching flow the fish were removed by the EA electro fishing and Birch Brothers transferred the natural river gravels, silts and flora to assist the naturalisation and settling in of the new channel.
The contract was valued at £48,000 works were completed to programme in September/October 2011 and the River Chelt now sits comfortably in its new channel with improved fish passage and habitat.
