Part of a West Cumbrian stream, which has been underground since the mid-19th century, will be returned to the open air.
West Cumbria Rivers Trust will start work this week to restore around a kilometre of a buried channel near Lorton, creating a new habitat for wildlife including fish and aquatic species, trees, birds and insects. The stream feeds into the River Cocker.
Jodie Mills, director of West Cumbria Rivers Trust, said: “We conducted electrofishing surveys of the watercourse immediately above the culvert in 2021, finding no fish at all; we fully expect this to change as we work to make the watercourse more renaturalised and open.
“We are very excited at the prospect of salmon, trout and other fish using this new channel in the future and look forward to the benefits this project will bring to wildlife and the wider landscape.”
West Cumbria Rivers Trust said it anticipated its contractor will finish the project by the middle of next month, weather permitting.
This project is being funded and supported by the Environment Agency through its River Restoration Strategy, with additional help and guidance from Natural England.
Oliver Southgate, Cumbria’s river restoration programme manager at the Environment Agency, said: “This project will bring new life to the River Cocker, offering many benefits to the environment. The work, sponsored by the Cumbria River Restoration Programme, is yet another example of how removing barriers and improving habitat for wildlife, can help restore our watercourses.
“Restoring this section of the river will improve water quality and habitat for some of our most iconic fish species and help to decrease flood risks in the area, while also protecting the Derwent Special Area of Conservation”.
