Our work includes the monitoring, management and protection of watercourses and waterbodies and we provide input to river restoration and waterbody creation/ restoration projects, including assessing water quality, flow gauging and design of river diversions or restoration measures.
When advising our clients, we draw upon our in-depth understanding of water-related issues, often integrating the related fields of groundwater (hydrogeology), surface water, water-supported ecology, nutrient and soil management, regulatory and flooding issues.
Working with partner organisations, Hafren Water has provided advice on the rehabilitation of numerous country park water features not only at the feasibility stage but also through to delivery and construction. Necessary consents for working in watercourses are obtained and land drainage assessments and water management plans are written.
We are also experienced in hydro-ecological studies. Hydro-ecology combines the disciplines of hydrology and ecology. It describes how hydrology influences biological processes and operates across a range of scales. Such studies may include impact assessments for developments, quarry or landscape restoration for the purposes of habitat creation, or the design of remedial measures to resolve issues of poor water quality in rivers. Restoration or habitat creations studies include options and feasibility assessments for the development and improvement of water-supported habitats and associated increased biodiversity.
The Environment Agency identified that Rookery Brook was failing the Water Framework Directive (WFD) status for Macroinvertebrates, with phosphorous also implicated as an issue. Hafren Water collaborated with Reaseheath Agricultural Development Academy (RADA) in a CPAF-funded project to undertake an assessment of Rookery Brook, to ascertain the causes of the deteriorating water quality.
Whether the scheme is to improve ecological habitat or enhance water quality, river restoration and waterbody restoration projects require an integrated approach such as that employed by Hafren Water to combine hydrological, ecological and geomorphological principles.
We are active in the local River Basin Management Catchment Partnership, the Weaver Gowy. We have worked with associates and landowners in Cheshire to improve water quality through better management of soil and nutrients, especially during periods of high rainfall. In-line and off-line river sediment control measures were designed and constructed.
Our work is pragmatic, highly focused and based on prolonged experience. This results in pragmatic solutions and cost-effectiveness. We frequently work collaboratively with specialists from other disciplines (for example ecologists and landscape architects) to achieve project objectives.
