The Eddleston Water Project

Who is involved? • 13 leaky ponds created (5000 square metres). These wetland features have The project is a partnership initiative led by a good deal of ‘free board’ built in so Tweed Forum, with Scottish Environment that they will store water during intense Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish rainfall events. Government and University of Dundee. The Eddleston Other key partners include British Geological Waterbody status under Water Survey, Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Framework Directive classification system Natural Heritage, the Forestry Commission, has gone from ‘Bad’ status to ‘Poor’, to National Farmers Union (Scotland) the ‘Moderate’ in recent years. Water Project Tweed Foundation, Forest Carbon and the

Woodland Trust. The Forum works closely We have a number of similar schemes in with landowners and the local community the pipeline that will be rolled out in the so that everyone can contribute ideas and next few years. follow the project’s progress.

Project results so far Monitoring the effects of these measures is an important part of this project. Working with land managers we have been A network of rain gauges, groundwater able to introduce subtle changes to current land and river level gauges have been installed management practices in order to slow water throughout the valley to collect data on flow from the hills, create floodwater storage how the changes affect river flows and areas and reconnect the river with its floodplain. flood frequencies. Other monitoring

programmes will reveal what changes occur So far we have carried out the following to the river’s habitats and wildlife such as on 12 separate farms: fish, aquatic invertebrates and vegetation. • 66 hectares of riparian woodland Detailed monitoring and modelling of the created which will help increase rainfall groundwater has also been undertaken at a interception, evapotranspiration, soil site close to Eddleston village. infiltration and slow overland flow. • 16,000 metres of fencing erected and Spreading the word about River over 70,000 native trees planted • 1.8km of river re-meandered. This has Restoration and Natural Flood increased river length, reduced the slope Management. and speed of the water flow and provided The project will continue to work with local more space for flood waters, as well as schools, colleges, scientists, policy makers, creating new habitats and improving advisory services and farmers by hosting field the landscape. trips and study tours to show what can be • 56 ‘high flow restrictors’ installed that achieved on the ground to reduce the effects Image: Re-meandering of the Eddleston Water at Lake Wood Image: Re-meandering of the Eddleston Water will encourage out of bank flow and hold of flooding and achieve multiple benefits in a back water in the headwaters working landscape. This leaflet summarises a partnership project led by Tweed Forum which aims Full details of the project are available at: to restore the Eddleston Water for the benefit of the local community and www.tweedforum.org/projects/current-projects/Eddleston wildlife. A series of practical works are now taking place throughout the The project wishes to thank the farmers and landowners in the Eddleston Water catchment for their help catchment as part of an overall plan to restore the river and valley and are and enthusiasm in taking this initiative forward. being closely monitored. We would welcome your comments and ideas. Please contact: • Luke Comins – Tweed Forum, South Court, Drygrange Steading, Melrose, Roxburghshire, TD6 9DJ (Tel: 01896 849723) • Professor Chris Spray – UNESCO Centre for Water, Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, DD1 4HN (Tel; 01382 388362) Eddleston Water – Project Sites

Project aims The Eddleston Water is a small tributary of The three main aims are to: the River Tweed, flowing 20 km north to south before reaching the main river in the town of • Investigate the possibility of reducing the risk of Peebles. Over time, the course of the river has flooding to the communities of Eddleston and been extensively altered and long sections were Peebles by restoring some of the original natural straightened in the early 19th century. Other changes in land management, both in the river features of the catchment. valley and on the surrounding hill slopes, have also • Improve the river habitat for wildlife altered how the land drains. and fisheries. Together, these changes have resulted in an • Work with landowners and communities in the increased risk of flooding to Eddleston and Peebles, Eddleston valley to maximise the benefits they as rainfall and flood waters travel ever more quickly and directly from the hill slopes and along the river would gain from such work, while maintaining channels towards these communities. At the same the profitability of local farms. time, these changes have also damaged the river environment itself, leading to the loss of over a quarter of the river’s original length, and habitat loss for plants and animals, including salmon and trout, as well as rare and protected species such as otters and lampreys.

Installing woody debris flow restrictors, mimicking fallen trees, to hold back high flows.

Extensive riparian planting on the Shiplaw Burn.

Eddleston

Monitoring site - Riparian and hillslope planting on the stream stage recorder. Longcote Burn which will slow down overland flow and increase infiltration. Key

Eddleston Catchment Boundary

Existing Forestry

Completed Projects Flow Restrictors/Engineered Log Jams

Leadburn Community Woodland

Native Tree Planting

Pond

Re-Meandering Works

Monitoring Sites Peebles

Stream Stage Recorder Re-meandering completed in 2013 on the Eddleston Water at Cringletie. Tipping Bucket Raingauge

SEPA Hydrometric Monitoring Stations Forestry Commission Monitoring Stations N

Groundwater monitoring stations