25 Jun 2024

By Guglielmo Sonnino Sorisio, PhD Candidate in Ecohydraulics, Cardiff University and Catherine Wilson, Professor in Environmental Hydraulics, Cardiff University. The European eel Anguilla anguilla, a sleek, snake-like fish with a fascinating life cycle, once teemed in rivers. But their numbers have plummeted by over 95% since the 1980s. Behind this dramatic decline is a combination of threats, including […]

17 Apr 2024

Europe removed a record number of dams and other barriers from its rivers in 2023, a report has found, helping to restore its disturbed waterways to their natural states. Nearly 500 barriers were taken out of European rivers last year, according to figures compiled by Dam Removal Europe, an increase of 50% from the year before. France led […]

25 Oct 2023

The BBC reports how hundreds of deliberately leaky dams made of wood have been installed along a stretch of river as an innovative measure to prevent flooding. Researchers from the University of Worcester said the dams could have a dramatic impact on flooding in places including Bewdley and Ludlow. During Storm Dennis, the dams along […]

15 Sep 2022

The way rivers function is significantly affected by how much sediment they transport and deposit. River sediment — mostly sand, silt and clay — plays a critical ecological role, as it provides habitat for organisms downstream and in estuaries. It is also important for human life, resupplying nutrients to agricultural soils in floodplains and buffering […]

18 May 2022

Interesting report, covered in the Guardian At least 239 barriers, including dams and weirs, were removed across 17 countries in Europe in 2021, in a record-breaking year for dam removals across the continent. Spain led the way, with 108 structures taken out of the country’s rivers. “Our efforts to expand dam removals across Europe are […]

13 Jul 2021

Bristol Water will monitor all 15 of their dams from space with HR Wallingford’s pioneering DAMSAT system, the first commercially available technology of its kind. The move demonstrates its continued commitment to protecting downstream communities and will help the water company comply with the recommendations in the Balmforth review, published recently in the wake of […]