A Lake District waterway has been restored to its former glory, thanks to a major project.
Wasdale Beck, in the eastern Lakes, had been heavily modified and straightened over time but has undergone a huge comprehensive revitalisation process to restore its natural functioning bends, pools, riffles and point bar features to create suitable habitat for spawning fish.
OpenSpace, a Cumbrian-based nature conservation and habitat land management company, worked with Lonsdale Settled Estate on the project, which saw the beck remeandered and reconnected to the floodplain and wetland and peatland restoration work undertaken.
OpenSpace’s dedicated nature conservation team used specially modified machinery to make sure restoration efforts were not only effective but also aligned with environmental preservation principles.
Jonathan Rook, OpenSpace owner and director, said: “Our team’s collective expertise and commitment have resulted in a successful restoration effort and now we wait to allow the river to complete its work by reshaping the features we have installed.
“Over the next two years the river will start to function naturally again and that will have a positive and lasting impact on the local river ecosystem.”
OpenSpace was supported by South Cumbria Rivers Trust, which performed a fish rescue and river consultants SK Environmental, supported by Lev Dahl, of the Eden Rivers Trust, provided turbidity monitoring to ensure the impacts to the river ecosystem were kept to a minimum.
The company’s transparent and proactive approach ensured that all aspects of the project were executed with the utmost professionalism and precision.
