River Beult (UK)
LOCATION + COORDINATES
Kent (UK), Beult catchment (part of the Medway catchment)
Temporary wetland restoration at Shadoxhurst (51.092342, 0.807818)
Remediation of soil degradation at Biddenden (51.118419, 0.657302)
CATEGORY
Demonstration sites for temporal natural water retention
Demonstration sites for infiltration restoration through the remediation of soil degradation
DESCRIPTION SITE
South East Rivers Trust (in collaboration with South East Water, Kent County Council and landowners) restored temporal water retention areas and water infiltration capacity in the headwaters of the Beult tributaries.
Moat Farm lies at the top of the catchment (in Shadoxhurst), in the ‘seasonally wet’ zone of the water system map. Local runoff gives rise to a number of streams that form part of the headwaters of the river Beult.
A small catchment area (~1ha) used to feed a seasonally dry, over-deep woodland channel. During flow periods, this drained water quickly out of a potential wetland, carrying sediment from a byway upstream and contributing to high flows downstream. To restore the retention function, trees were cleared around the channel to bring light in and make woody material available; 200m of the channel were filled in using clay from the site; a pond was dug and large woody debris was placed across the flow path of water. This has wetted up the woodland area, spilling water into the floodplain and transforming it into a wet water retaining oodland habitat with dense vegetation.
In another subsite in Biddenden, soil remediation measures were implemented.
MEASURES
Temporal wetland creation, Installation of leaky dams, removal/managing drainage infrastructure
Remediation soil degradation
TIMING
2019 - 2022
BUDGET
€ 144 391
PARTNERS
South East Rivers Trust (SERT)
South East Water (SEW)
Kent County Council (KCC)