Roeburn Restoration
Project Proposed Actions
There are 4 high priority areas that need work to reduce the erosion effects
and flash flooding of the River Roeburn.
Area A
Colros Beck to the West of
Mallowdale Pike.
This area has deep gullies with active
erosion and no water holding
capacity.
The land above this gully on the East
side going up towards Mallowdale
Pike peak has short grazed grass and
some patches of Bracken. This land will heat up quickly in warm dry
conditions and will shed water very rapidly like cold water on a hot stove. In
places
the
vegetatio
n is bare
and is
landslippi
ng.
The
steep eroding banks are sheep grazed and
the sheep tracks are initiating areas for erosion.
The gully stream bed has sharp angular bends showing the aggressive nature
of the water flow.
A small area of wet land remains at the top of the gully.
The proposal for this area is to sheep fence around the worst part of the gully
and its immediate catchment area
(1.6Km of fence). This will enable the
vegetation to grow and hopefully the
dwarf shrubs such as heather and
bilberry with mosses will give this land
some protection from direct rain
erosion and will cool the land reducing
the speed of run off.
It will remove the additional
destabilisation from sheep tracks.In
the longer term establishing some hawthorn and rowan shrubs would help
keep this land cooler..
In the gully check dams are
needed for a section with a fall of 84 metres over a length of 700
metres.(1:8.3) These will slow down the water flow and reduce erosion.
Holding the water in the landscape will help the water to percolate into the
ground water. In the longer term the aim would be to re-establish the
woodland cover in this Beck. A few remaining trees of rowan, birch, holly,
hawthorn alder and oak still hang on on the eroding banks. Once reestablished this woodland will help cool the water and reduce flooding risk.
Area B
Warm Beck Gill
This gill runs down from Whitmoor
down to Winder Wood. An area above
here was gripped for drainage in the 1950's. This combined with high sheep
numbers may have led to the start
of this erosion.
At the top of this gully there is
active peat erosion extending the
gully Southwards.
The water flows through rushes and
then drops into a 1 metre deep peat
channel for about 30 metres. Then
there is a 2 metre drop into the
gully top. The gill has under cut the
banks and there are many areas of
steep shale banks with active
erosion. A track over this gill is
badly eroded. Because this gill is
South facing the water in it will heat
up rapidly and with heavy cold storm
rain will create horizontal vortices in
the water leading to flooding and
active erosion. The lower area of the gill has been stock fenced and the
vegetated banks planted with trees.
There is still active bank erosion in this area. The fall is 53 metres over a
distance of 430 metres. (1:8.1)Below this area there is gully formation in
Winder Wood.
The proposal for this area is to fence off the eroding area from sheep (0.55km
fence) to prevent further erosion from sheep tracks and to allow the
vegetation to grow higher. In the top peat ditch small dams will help slow
this down and re-establish rushes and mosses to hold and protect the water
and peat.
The 2 metre drop will need a stone face and apron building to stop the gully
extending higher. In other areas of the valley gorse has established on shale
banks. It is suggested that gorse seedlings and gorse seed should be planted
on these eroding areas. In the long term the gorse will provide nitrogen rich
soil where tree seedlings such as hawthorn, holly, rowan, birch alder and oak
can establish.
Check dams along the base of this gully will slow the water flow down
reducing its erosive force and allowing some water to infiltrate into the
ground water.
The above is the minimum needed.
Ideally the sheep grazing numbers could be reduced on the catchment area to
allow the sphagnum mosses and dwarf shrubs to re establish as tussocks and
hold water in the landscape. Another possibility is to re- establish woodland
onto the area that was gripped. Signs of the past woodland are evident in the
eroding peat. This would help both area B and C. These would only happen
with a positive response from the farmer.
Area C
This is an area where the
stream runs off Whitmoor from
a 1950's gripped area between
Little Scar and Back farm.
A concrete culvert pipe put through
under the Roeburndale West Road
replacing a stone culvert was
consructed in a way that altered the angle of flow initiating erosion. A leat
which used to supply water to Backsbottom Quarry up to around 1910 is now
about 8 metres above the current stream level. Very rapid erosion.
Fortunately gorse has established in this gully and has stabilized most of the
bank. The stream bed is still eroding and where it enters Back Wood it is
undercutting the bank and causing bad landslip Above the woodland the fall is
50 metres over a length of 240 metres (1:4.8) within the woodland the fall is
84 metres over 580 metres down to Miller Paddock.(1:6.9).
In Miller paddock the original stream bed altered during the Wray Flood
1967.
This used to be an excellent spawning ground for the sea trout. This stream
dried up in 2010 for the first time in over 50 years. During flood conditions
large quantities of shale are deposited on the banks.
It is proposed that the stream bed is stabilized and water flow slowed down
with check dams.
Within the woodland bank stabilization will be tried with both gorse seeding
and planting of fresh alder stakes which will grow and help reduce the
erosion.
Area D
This is a steep eroding bank within Roeburndale Woods SSSI.
This bank was under cut by the 1967 flood and has been eroding ever since.
The heavy trees on the bank were felled around 2007 to reduce the tree
weight pulling the landslip into the river. The landslip is still active.
Proposal to dig a ditch at the top of the slope to divert the small water flow
at the top of the landslip in a different direction.
At the base of the slope alder logs should be laid and pinned to the bank.
These should take root and stabilize this area. Another area further down the
river has been protected in this way.
On the eroding slope this may be stabilized with gorse seeding and fresh
alder stakes.
Other areas for action.
More check dams and sheep fencing.
There are many other landslip and gully areas within Roeburndale which
would benefit from addition of check dams and sheep fencing. Detailed survey
to identify these areas in conjunction with farmers and landowners will be
carried out.
Pond creation.
More water needs to be held in the
landscape to help fill the ground
water which feed the deep springs.
The proposal is to work with farmers
and landowners to identify suitable
sites for creating 5 ha of deep ponds.
Ideally these will be in positions
where water can be led into them
with swales removing the water from
eroding streams. One area has been identified on lower Whitmoor.
Creation of U shaped river bed with deep pools.
The river bed is flat in most of Roeburndale. The placement of boulders in
the river bed to encourage the creation of deeper pools and a more U shape
to the river bed will be explored. The would be based on the work of Otman
Grober in Austria.
Other actions
 Fencing and hedge planting along the contours will help slow water flow
down.
 Spiking the ground helps water to sink into fields holding the water over
dry periods.
 Contour swales will help water penetrate into the ground.
 Woodland creation helps to catch water.
 Low grazing levels allowing tussocky growth helps hold water.
Overall Aims
To build 400 check dams.
To create 5 ha of ponds.
To erect 6 km of stock fencing and gates to protect land from grazing
erosion.
Monitoring Project
In order to monitor the success of the project the following monitoring would
be useful:
Regular survey of Macro invertebrates in the river.
Fish survey.
Water flow and depth monitoring in the river.
Rain and river water temperature.
Number of times the river floods.
Survey of otters to indicate the health of the river.
Education
The problems that occur in Roeburndale are similar to those in disaster flood
areas. The Cockermouth floods source can be identified from a washed out
area of mires.
Middle Wood Trust will develop educational resources using a combination of
science and arts to help promote an understanding of water flow in the
landscape and how it is affected by temperature.
This understanding is needed for future generations as well as agencies active
with water management.
It is evident that there is a lack of knowledge in this area.
Middle Wood Trust and Backsbottom Farm are organising a water gathering
in August 2012 to work with Open Space organisation to start to develop this
educational side. Science, music, sculpture, art and puppetry will be
included.
The aim will be to run a Water Festival in 2013.
Water education would become part of the HLS educational visits for
Backsbottom Farm.
Dr Rod Everett
Backsbottom Farm,
Roeburndale West,
Lancaster,
LA2 9LL
015242 22214