River & Stream Restoration & Revertment

Chalk rivers and streams are a valuable resource, supporting rare plants, invertebrate and fish communities. It is increasingly rare to find a chalk river in good condition.

Chalk rivers and streams are formed by either rising or flowing over chalk for a substantial distance. Most are fed from groundwater aquifers, producing clear waters and a generally stable flow and temperature regime.

Nationally, some chalk rivers are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. A few of these are Special Areas for Conservation (SACs) under the EC Habitats Directive.

In Lincolnshire, there are no large chalk rivers but there are a number of chalk streams rising in the Wolds. All Lincolnshire’s chalk streams have been seriously degraded over the last century, and particularly so in the last 50 years.

Creative Nature UK Ltd has extensive knowledge and practical experience in the restoration of chalk streams. We have already improved large stretches of stream with practical measures such as:
• Riverbank stabilisation using timber faggots & pre-planted coir rolls
•Silt removal and the re-establishment of gravel stream beds
for trout spawning
• Flow deflector installation to help remove stream bed silt
and expose gravels
• Native aquatic planting to improve bank stabilisation and biodiversity