Are ‘free-flowing rivers’ a good idea? The challenge of removing barriers from our rivers

Boardman, J. and Foster, I. (2023) Are ‘free-flowing rivers’ a good idea? The challenge of removing barriers from our rivers. Geography. 108(3), pp. 121-129. 0016-7487.

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Abstract:

The removal of barriers from rivers is a controversial topic. Barriers come in many forms including weirs, dams, sluices and bridges. Mills are listed in the 11th-century Domesday Book and shown on early Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, often with their use marked ‘corn’, etc. So, what are the arguments for removing them? As this article shows, these relate to the creation of more natural ﬂow regimes and the re-establishment of a connection between the river channel and the ﬂoodplain. The most obvious practical beneﬁt is that migratory ﬁsh will ﬁnd their upstream passage easier. The disbeneﬁts are provision of access for invasive species and the loss of ﬂood control structures. On the River Rother in West Sussex, UK, the release of sediments stored behind weirs is a potential ecological hazard. In Britain, few barriers have been removed and instead ﬁsh ladders have been installed. In the USA and Europe, dam removal is well advanced. The European Commission (EC, 2020) aims to achieve 25,000km of ‘free-ﬂowing rivers’ by 2030 with a focus on removing ‘obsolete barriers’.

Creators:

Boardman, J. and Foster, I.

Faculties, Divisions and Institutes:

?? ASSCI ??

Date:

2 October 2023

Date Type:

Publication

Page Range:

pp. 121-129

Journal or Publication Title:

Geography

Volume:

108

Number:

Number of Pages:

Language:

English

ISSN:

0016-7487

Status:

Published / Disseminated

Refereed:

Yes