Case Studies

The Don Regulators comprise three strategically important regulator gates on the River Rother that are owned, operated and maintained by the Environment Agency (EA). The purpose of the regulators is to reduce the risk of flooding to settlements within the Don catchment, by attenuating flows in the River Rother. JBA-Bentley, in a joint venture relationship, […]

During the industrial revolution, pollution and weir constructions in Yorkshire resulted in the rapid decline of river standards and loss of once abundant species such as salmon, trout, and grayling. The rivers were wiped of ecological habitats and the number of species found in the river declined by 83%. In 1999 Yorkshire Water installed the […]

Operated by South Staffs Water (SSW), Hampton Loade Water Treatment Works is located five miles from Bridgnorth, Shropshire and supplies around 700,000 customers. Constructed in the 1960s, the site comprises the treatment works, an intake on the River Severn and a regulating reservoir at Chelmarsh which stores the abstracted river water. The river intake is […]

When constructed in 1979, as part of the Kielder Transfer Scheme, Riding Mill Pumping Station was the largest pumping station in Britain. Abstracting flows from the River Tyne, it enables Northumbrian Water (NWG) to transfer water from Kielder Reservoir to the Derwent, Wear and Tees rivers, whilst supporting the operation of Mosswood WTW. The site […]

Eel populations have seen a sharp decline since the 1980s and whilst the exact reasons are unknown, legislation in the form of the ‘Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009’ was brought in to provide eels with extra protections. Within the regulations there is a requirement to prevent eels becoming trapped within raw water abstraction systems. […]

Portsmouth Water’s River Itchen Water Treatment Works (WTW) is located to the east of Southampton Airport near to the picturesque Itchen Valley Country Park and abstracts water directly from the River Itchen for treatment. The River Itchen is 28 miles long and runs from mid-Hampshire near Cheriton through Winchester to Southampton at Mansbridge and is […]

The Eels (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 came into force on 15 January 2010 to support the UK in implementing EC Council Regulation (1100/2007). The regulations require all surface water abstractions of more than 20m3/d to be fitted with suitable eel screens by 2021. A batch extension was granted to Severn Trent until end of […]

All freshwater fish species in England undergo migration in one form or another, ranging from movements pertaining to feeding and refuge habitats over the course of a day, to longer journeys (for example, between freshwater and marine habitats) on a less frequent basis. Between 2015-2020, Yorkshire Water, in partnership with the Environmental Agency as part […]

Loch Venachar Reservoir is located near Callander in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The reservoir was formed in 1859 under the direction of civil engineer John Frederick Bateman (1810-1889), when the existing loch level was raised by the construction of a masonry dam across the outlet from the loch known as the Eas […]

Tophill Low Water Treatment Works supplies Hull and surrounding areas with clean water abstracted from the River Hull at Hempholme. The lock, which is managed by the Driffield Navigation Trust, is a very busy passage for narrow boats during the spring and summer months. The raw water intake capacity is managed by Yorkshire Water in […]

The River Beane is a chalk stream that flows through the county of Hertfordshire and is 30.3km in length from its source at Roe Green. As a tributary of the River Lea, it rises to the south-west of Sandon, in the hills northeast of Stevenage, and joins the Lea at Hartham Common in Hertford. Chalk […]

Battlefield Brook catchment encompasses farmland, Catshill Marsh (which used to be a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation; SINC), urbanised reaches adjacent to the M5 and Sanders Park; a public amenity facility owned by Bromsgrove District Council. The section of the brook through Sanders Park was lined with concrete in the 1960s. Despite its urbanised […]

The River Blythe is a tributary of the River Tame east of Birmingham – neither of the rivers are at good ecological status. Although reasons for failure under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) are complex, the Environment Agency (EA) identifies barriers to fish and eel passage as part of the problem. Severn Trent has gravity […]

Yorkshire Water, in partnership with the Environment Agency as part of a much wider programme of work to comply with the National Environment Programme, will see a total of £10m invested between 2015-2020. Such investment will see the creation of 14 new fish passes across the Yorkshire region. The primary driver is compliance with the […]

Abandoned metal mines pollute approximately 1,500km of rivers in England and contribute about 50% of the cadmium, lead and zinc in surface waters despite most closing in the early 20th century. The WAMM (Water and Abandoned Metal Mines) Programme is a partnership between the Environment Agency, the Coal Authority and the Department for Environment, Food […]