Objective

The objective of this project was to help improve the ecological status of Beverley Brook, which runs through Richmond Park on its way to join the River Thames.

Solution

As part of Beverley Brook Catchment Partnership plans a Downstream Defender® was installed to remove litter, oils, and fine and coarse sediments from urban road run-off, preventing them from polluting the Beverley Brook.

Hydro-Logic® Smart Maintenance monitoring was added to the Downstream Defender® to measure sediment and water levels in the chamber and provide alerts when maintenance is required.

Beverley Brook is a 14.3km-long river that is currently failing its target of ‘Good Ecological Potential’ under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) (WFD), as a result of extensive physical modification resulting in a straightened, widened and deepened channel ,and domestic and urban discharge, which affects water quality and the survival of aquatic organisms.

Research has shown that urban road run-off, which includes heavy metals, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nutrients, is the cause of major fish kills in Beverley Brook as well as a major contributing factor to failing WFD status.

As part of Beverley Brook Catchment Partnership plans to improve the status of the Beverley Brook, a range of restoration and mitigation measures have been carried out in the park by the South East Rivers Trust (SERT) over several years. Projects have been funded by The Coca-Cola Replenish Fund, DEFRA (Environment Agency), The Royal Parks, and The Friends of Richmond Park.

This was one of three projects delivered via the Rivers Trust and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-UK), funded by the Coca-Cola Replenish Initiative which seeks to safely return the full amount of water used in finished beverages and their production to communities and nature.

More recently, the Downstream Defender® at Richmond Park has also been the first to use and test Hydro-Logic® Smart Monitoring to measure sediment and water levels in the chamber to help determine when maintenance visits were required. In this particular location, the Hydro International team was able to configure the alarm system to account for the unexpected high volumes of organic matter that entered the chamber and were initially triggering the maintenance alarm before settling and decaying.

The Hydro-Logic® Smart Monitoring system at Richmond Park comprises a sediment probe to indicate when a cleanout is required, a water level sensor that also indicates each time a storm event occurs, and a HydroLogic® Flexi Logger 300Ex data logger and telemetry platform, all ATEX-certified.

The Hydro-Logic® Flexi Logger 300Ex water level monitor provides real-time situational insight as well as longer-term data capture required for analysis, modelling and forecasting.

An integrated approach, using a combination of CWTT and Downstream Defender® would incorporate the benefits of both for maximum effect. The benefits of an integrated approach include combined treatment efficiencies and an easing of CWTT maintenance requirements.