River and Floodplain Habitat Management and Restoration on the River Caldew, Cumbria: A Feasibility Study

The River Caldew is part of the River Eden and Tributaries Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation. The site has been designated for its river habitats and geomorphology, lake, alluvial alder woodland and many species including salmon, lamprey species, bullhead, white-clawed crayfish and otter.

The River Caldew and much of its floodplain has been greatly modified in the past through land drainage and historic modifications to the river including straightening, embankments, dredging and other flood defence activities. Riparian habitat is also grazed by both sheep and cattle. For this reason the condition of the SSSI/SAC is unfavourable.

In 2010, Natural England and the Environment Agency completed a restoration strategy for the River Caldew (Jacobs 2010). This included various river restoration option for the River Caldew, including reconnection of paleochannels and removal of bank reinforcements to promote natural processes with a more sinuous channel planform.

There is now an opportunity to restore the river, hydrology and associated floodplain habitats on the Church Commissioners landholding in the near future, within a bold and ambitious scheme.

The aim of this project is to better understand the hydrology and geomorphology of the River Caldew on the Church Commissioners land holding, including the floodplain, both in their reference states and current states, to inform habitat restoration and to specifically determine the practical management measures required to achieve this.

This study includes two key components - to review and assess the feasibility of different options to achieve the aim, and to provide more detailed plans on the preferred options.

This investigation project is being funded by Natural England, with advice also provided by the Environment Agency regarding geomorphology, biodiversity and flood risk.