4 minute read
Eddleston Water
Peebles, Scotland, United Kingdom
Developing the most comprehensive flood management monitoring network in the United Kingdom. Part of the River Tweed basin in the Scottish Borders region, the Eddleston Water’s catchment spans 70 square kilometers, flowing 19 kilometers south to join the Tweed in the town of Peebles. Begun in 2010, the Eddleston Water project is the Scottish government’s long-term study on the effectiveness of natural flood management to reduce risks to downstream communities and to improve habitats for wildlife. After installing in 2011 the most comprehensive catchment-scale monitoring network in the United Kingdom, the team identified locations to reconnect the Eddleston with its floodplain and reduce flood risk to the surrounding community. Since 2012, Tweed Forum and partners have worked with 20 farmers to deliver a range of natural flood management measures, including 207 hectares of woodland planting with over 330,000 native trees, 116 large high-flow log structures on upper tributary streams, 28 upstream ponds to act as flood attenuation features, 2.9 kilometers of remeandered river with adjacent flood banks removed, and a large floodplain pond able to store water during intense rainfall events. Initial analyses of the impact of these measures show reductions in flood risk and improvements to riverine habitats.
Article cover: Lake Wood in 2019, six years after restoration. (Photo by Tweed Forum)
Producing Efficiencies
The team’s detailed scientific measurements and technical investigation underpin the Eddleston Water effort. By installing a comprehensive monitoring network two years prior to beginning the natural flood management strategy, the team created a baseline for assessing changes in flood flows and habitats. This information helps to more accurately assess the efficacy of engineering with nature. The results are guiding a flood alleviation scheme for the downstream community of Peebles, assessing the potential for engineering with nature to work alongside structural measures to reduce flood risk emanating from the Eddleston catchment.
Using Natural Processes
This project used a variety of natural engineering techniques: native tree planting in the headwaters, a series of engineered log structures in the upper tributary streams, and floodplain ponds downstream. These natural flood management features reduce flood risk and improve wildlife habitats at a landscape scale, and using the entire range of natural flood management measures will maximize the project’s benefit to the region. The monitoring network’s data will also help to determine how many of these measures are necessary to make a significant impact on flood risk and where within the catchment deployment could be most effective.
Broadening Benefits
The study aims to test the effectiveness of engineering with nature measures to reduce flood risk and to improve riparian habitats. As farmer involvement in the project is voluntary, working closely with landowners and the local community is likewise important—not only to ensure the continuing sustainability of businesses in the valley but also to incorporate other project benefits, such as water quality, carbon management, and recreation. As a continuation of the project, a new cycle route up the valley, alongside the restored river, will benefit locals and tourists alike and will provide other opportunities to engineer with nature.
Promoting Collaboration
A project of this scale and length required public outreach and continuous collaboration with local landowners and the surrounding community. The project team, managed by Tweed Forum, worked with 20 different farmers to gain access to the sections of the river where they wanted to undertake restoration activities. Scientists and managers from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Borders Council, University of Dundee and British Geological Survey also worked together on different aspects of the project. Numerous funding partners, including the Scottish Government and the European Union’s Building with Nature program were key to the project’s progress.
