Yorkshire Water are this week breaking ground on an innovative scheme investigating whether improvements made to rivers can have a positive impact on river water quality.

The pioneering project in South Yorkshire is one of very few across the country investigating whether restoration of river habitat can deliver benefits to water quality. Yorkshire Water is planning to collect four years’ worth of data in a bid to test this.

If successful the results could revolutionise the way the water industry approaches meeting river water quality standards close to waste water treatment works. The work will involve digging out a dried reed bed and creating a new double meander in Sandybridge Dyke near Royston.

The new river route has been designed to take key detours to ensure it doesn’t damage the existing water vole population or any other of the local inhabitants.

Yorkshire Water Biodiversity Advisor Kathryn Turner said:

 “We are keen to discover if habitat restoration can help streams like Sandybridge dyke recover from their industrial heritage and be more resilient in the future. Our work on this may help to inform future investment and may result in the use of habitat restoration to address poor water quality in areas where multiple pressures are acting.”

Once finished, it is hoped the restoration will create a visible increase in indicators of good water quality, such as plants and invertebrates, as well as speeding up the flow of the river and adding oxygen into the water.

The habitat restoration is being trialled at the dyke, which runs through Rabbit Ings country park, as a partnership between Yorkshire Water, landowners The Land Trust and Barnsley Council and managing agents Groundwork Dearne Valley.

The stream runs through land formerly used to store waste from the nearby coal mine and a closed municipal landfill site. The stream is mostly man made, in poor condition and the perfect case study for the research.

The new waterway route was designed by Yorkshire Water partners ARUP and will be delivered by MMB and Groundwork Dearne Valley, with the guidance and support of the Cudworth stakeholder group.

Ian Kendall, Estates Manager of Land Trust said:

 “At Rabbit Ings The Land Trust and our partners Groundwork are dedicated to providing a place where people can enjoy a wide variety of our native wildlife. Therefore we are delighted to be involved in this ground breaking project and are very grateful for the massive investment that Yorkshire Water are making to improve such an important habitat.”