Dam Removal Programme Haugh Head Ford
The European Biodiversity Strategy released last year aims to restore 25,000 kilometres
of free-flowing EU rivers by 2030
Experts agree that this target can only be achieved by removing thousands of barriers, of which most no longer fulfil their original purpose or are even completely abandoned. And there is ample choice to pick from: According to the recently concluded EU-funded AMBER project no fewer than 1.2 million barriers are still blocking Europe’s rivers.
And of all those obstacles, a staggering number of almost 200,000 (around 17%) are considered obsolete.
Amongst these redundant barriers are the so-called “low-hanging fruits” – and here is where our Dam Removal Europe programme comes in.
The mission is to scale up dam removal as a river restoration tool for river managers, water authorities, practitioners, and other stakeholders. We are supporting assessment, prioritization and ultimately removal of these barriers and as such facilitate restoration of rivers and streams.
The Wooler Water in Northumberland, UK is part of the Tweed Rivers Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), both of which are in ‘Unfavourable Declining’ condition.
The river is also failing to achieve the environmental objectives set by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and represents the last major artificial barrier to migratory salmonids on the Tweed system which is the best Salmon River in Britain.
The project has already raised 2/3 of its projected costs and Ark 2030 are aiming to complete this funding to enable the project to be executed in early 2022