Organisations from across the South Tyne area have been brought together by 22 projects to improve the local environment and river health in local communities.
‘The South Tyne Holistic Water Management Project’ started in April 2020, partly in response to flooding experienced by downstream Tyne communities during extreme weather, and partly to address fine sediment in river water which was affecting water pumps near to Ovingham.
Northumbrian Water takes river water near to the village and the pumps were regularly inundated with fine sediment, especially during storms and heavy rainfall. The project looked at addressing sources of the sediment, focusing on a huge upland area of 880km2 or 774400 football pitches, which is sparsely populated, experiences high rainfall and dynamic rivers, as well as being home to unique species and habitats.
The project, led by Northumbrian Water, has included many different schemes from scientific studies to find the biggest sources of fine sediment, to ‘slow-the-flow’ schemes, all the way to full-scale river restoration all with the aim of improving the health of the River Tyne.
Working with organisations across the area, alongside farmers and landowners, NWL offered grants for river restoration schemes, ‘slow-the-flow’ measures, farmyard and track improvements, tree planting and habitat creation.
Partner organisations used NWL’s financial support to leverage additional funding - for every £1 the water company spent, farmers, partners and landowners contributed 74p. The water company’s funding meant a dedicated officer could be employed by the North Pennines National Landscape Partnership, to engage with farmers and develop projects to be funded by the Farming in Protected Landscape (FiPL) grants offered by the Government. The FiPL Officer was able to call on the extensive knowledge and experience of the rest of the North Pennines National Landscape Partnership team to reach farmers across the protected area.
The funding of the FiPL Officer alone has brought in additional grant funding of £440,000 for 17 separate projects, including farmyard improvements to reduce diffuse pollution of watercourses, woodland and scrub creation and regeneration, livestock exclusion from rivers and crossing points, hedgerow restoration, scrape and pond creation/restoration, and hay meadow restoration.
Steve Gillott, Catchment Advisor at Northumbrian Water, said: “We challenged ourselves to work in a novel way; instead of taking a traditional engineering route, we trialled a new approach that gives wider environmental benefits for rivers and nature, while also building in climate change resilience for the natural environment. By holding water back in upland areas, this helps to reduce flood peaks and improves water quality, which in turn benefits our local communities.
“The project has been far more successful than we ever envisaged. From the start we benefited from an enthusiastic and knowledgeable partnership of organisations which helped steer the project, brought ideas to the table, and worked hard to see projects delivered on the ground.
“We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved alongside farmers, landowners and partner organisations, and we owe them our thanks for coming on this journey with us.”
The five-year project has been so successful that Northumbrian Water is planning to continue this work in the North Tyne catchment, and to support river restoration schemes across the whole of its operating area. Improving the environment is one of Northumbrian Water’s highest priorities while achieving the aim of improving water quality and reducing the amount of treatment needed before we send clean water to homes and businesses.
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