Anglian Water to restore sixteen Suffolk rivers including River Lark to natural shape as part of £7 million scheme
Suffolk’s rivers are set to be restored to its natural shape as part of a £7 million scheme.
The project, introduced by Anglian Water, will see sixteen rivers in the region ‘re-wiggled’ to their natural shape to improve drought resilience and the flow of water.
The scheme, which will focus on work carried out in the Lark catchment at points in Tuddenham, Cavenham, Linnet, Lee Brook and Kennet Lee Brook, is part of the company’s wider Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP).
Across East Anglia, work will also take place in Norfolk, Buckinghamshire, the border of Worcestershire and Lincolnshire.
John Bolton, WINEP project manager, said: “Environmental prosperity is at the heart of everything we do.
“We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to support nature and protect the environment, particularly as the impacts of climate change and a growing population are adding increasing pressures on our precious water resources.”
The restoration project will use gravel and large woody debris to recreate the natural state of the river.
Overtime these features will embed into the riverbank, creating more energy through the channel alongside other features like riffles and pool sequences.
Protecting and restoring rivers is part of the company’s wider Get River Positive programme, which also aims to create new habitants for wildlife, improve water quality and ensure sewage treatment work does not harm the rivers.
Click here to find out more about Get River Positive project.
This year, Anglian Water is investing more than £156 million into its schemes and expects all of them to be completed by December 2024.
John added: “Improving river health across our region is important not only to our customers but also to us.
“As part of our Get River Positive Commitments, we’ve promised that our activity will not be the reason for unhealthy rivers, the work being carried out across these schemes are just some examples of how we’re helping our region’s watercourses and wildlife thrive.”
