Restoration, Construction and Protection of Wetlands

February 2, 2022

Wetlands are an important part of our natural ecosystem but account for only 3% of the UK’s surface area. Over the last 100 years, the UK has lost 90% of wetland habitats that are crucial to the survival of 10% of all UK species (2021 River Basin Management Plan). As a natural solution to help combat climate change, this World Wetlands Day, Envireau Water joins the call to ‘take action’ for wetlands.

Restoration

Wetland restoration requires careful planning and a detailed understanding of hydraulic interactions to achieve a beneficial result and successful solution. Within the Quarrying sector, once mineral extraction is complete, restoration plans often feature the development of wetland areas as a regulatory requirement.


To date, one of our largest projects has been the restoration of a 500-ha sand and gravel quarry site to a conservation wetland. The main challenge was to find a solution to that would provide sufficient water to sustain habitats during dry periods, whilst being able to attenuate very large volumes of water, moving at high velocities, through wetland cells during storm events.


Following our delivery of a cost-effective and technically robust model that successfully showed that the system would support the proposed wetland and not increase flood risk, planning and design were able to progress. With good management and protection, the restored wetland has the potential to make positive contributions to UK Biodiversity goals and targets.

Protection

Across the north and west of the UK in particular, blanket bog (peat wetland) is an extensive upland habitat and provides a vital form of flood resilience for lowland areas. The same habitats are also prime development areas for wind farms, which like any other development, requires careful planning to achieve the maximum benefits for society whilst protecting and, where possible, enhancing the natural environment.


For many years we have supported developers and regulators to assess the risks of windfarm developments on the natural water environment. By thoroughly understanding these sensitive shallow water environments, and how they are supported, negative impacts can be mitigated to create the minimum impact on locally and nationally important groundwater dependent terrestrial ecosystems (GWDTEs).


Take Action

Recognising the value of wetlands is the first step to ‘take action' this World Wetlands Day. Whether you require regulatory support to restore a wetland, design guidance for construction of something new, or a robust understanding of the natural water environment to fully consider the impacts of a development, call us on 01332 871 882 to see how we can help you with your project.

Construction

Constructed wetlands are artificially created and an increasingly important technique for effluent and wastewater treatment. These systems, often referred to as reed bed treatment systems, provide naturally occurring filtration that improve water quality, without chemicals, before discharging the wastewater into the environment.


One of our clients, a large woodland charity with a strong environmental ethos chose this solution to meet regulatory requirements. As a type of passive treatment that relies on natural processes, treatment time can be slower than that of more active systems that use chemicals and other techniques; however, they have lower operational costs, minimal environmental impacts and can enhance local biodiversity.

Share

Recent Environment Agency Updates

By Rachael Plant • April 8, 2025
Since December 2024, the Environment Agency (EA) have released a series of flood and coastal erosion risk assessment updates, offering a clearer, more comprehensive picture of both current and future flood risk across England. What makes these updates so important? With approximately 6.3 million properties in England at risk of flooding and 3,500 properties at risk of coastal erosion by 2055, these updates are absolutely critical in order for you to protect and enhance your developments against the threat of climate change and extreme weather events. Whether a commercial or residential development, Envireau Water specialise in flood risk management and sustainable drainage solutions across the UK. By leveraging our technical expertise and deep knowledge of the UK regulatory system, we are known for achieving a positive outcome for even the most complex of challenges. Keep reading to find out what these updates mean for you.

World Water Day 2025

By Rachael Plant • March 21, 2025
Climate change is an urgent issue we cannot ignore, and requires the collective action of communities across the globe if the worst effects are to be mitigated. From rising sea levels, extreme weather events to a loss of biodiversity, the potential impacts are widespread. However, this world water day, the focus is rightly on glacial preservation - our planet's largest natural freshwater reservoir. Why is it important? At Envireau Water, we recognise the widespread impact that glacial meltwater has across the whole planet, leading to the escalation of more extreme weather events as a result. Not only does this impact the environment with the disruption of ecosystems and water cycles, but also has a profound impact on society and industries reliant on a stable water supply. As a team of water scientists, we have witnessed first-hand the undeniable impact that flooding and drought events have had on the mineral, agricultural, industrial and development sectors, from failing crops and flooded farmland to a halt in distilling operations and delayed development projects, the ripple effects of these events are felt across communities and businesses alike.

Setting up for Regulatory Success

By Rachael Plant • March 18, 2025
It is safe to say that Envireau Water have had a long line of success stories over our years of operation across our four sectors of expertise, with permitting and licensing being just one of our many service offerings. So, what has fuelled our success? To get some insight, we turned to our Specialist Water Resources team for their perspective. Penny , can you expand on Envireau Water's success in this area? 'Water is a vital resource across many industries, without which they would not be able to operate effectively. However, this does not come without certain regulatory constraints, which must be abided by. That's where we come in.
Show More

Recent Environment Agency Updates

By Rachael Plant • April 8, 2025
Since December 2024, the Environment Agency (EA) have released a series of flood and coastal erosion risk assessment updates, offering a clearer, more comprehensive picture of both current and future flood risk across England. What makes these updates so important? With approximately 6.3 million properties in England at risk of flooding and 3,500 properties at risk of coastal erosion by 2055, these updates are absolutely critical in order for you to protect and enhance your developments against the threat of climate change and extreme weather events. Whether a commercial or residential development, Envireau Water specialise in flood risk management and sustainable drainage solutions across the UK. By leveraging our technical expertise and deep knowledge of the UK regulatory system, we are known for achieving a positive outcome for even the most complex of challenges. Keep reading to find out what these updates mean for you.

World Water Day 2025

By Rachael Plant • March 21, 2025
Climate change is an urgent issue we cannot ignore, and requires the collective action of communities across the globe if the worst effects are to be mitigated. From rising sea levels, extreme weather events to a loss of biodiversity, the potential impacts are widespread. However, this world water day, the focus is rightly on glacial preservation - our planet's largest natural freshwater reservoir. Why is it important? At Envireau Water, we recognise the widespread impact that glacial meltwater has across the whole planet, leading to the escalation of more extreme weather events as a result. Not only does this impact the environment with the disruption of ecosystems and water cycles, but also has a profound impact on society and industries reliant on a stable water supply. As a team of water scientists, we have witnessed first-hand the undeniable impact that flooding and drought events have had on the mineral, agricultural, industrial and development sectors, from failing crops and flooded farmland to a halt in distilling operations and delayed development projects, the ripple effects of these events are felt across communities and businesses alike.

Setting up for Regulatory Success

By Rachael Plant • March 18, 2025
It is safe to say that Envireau Water have had a long line of success stories over our years of operation across our four sectors of expertise, with permitting and licensing being just one of our many service offerings. So, what has fuelled our success? To get some insight, we turned to our Specialist Water Resources team for their perspective. Penny , can you expand on Envireau Water's success in this area? 'Water is a vital resource across many industries, without which they would not be able to operate effectively. However, this does not come without certain regulatory constraints, which must be abided by. That's where we come in.

Achieving Nutrient Neutrality

By Rachael Plant • March 11, 2025
Achieving nutrient neutrality is a challenging task, and is one that developers all over the country have battled to achieve over the last 5-6 years. In March 2022, Natural England issued a directive to Local Planning Authorities, County Councils, the Environment Agency, the Planning Inspectorate, Natural Resources Wales, and DLUHC stating that, in specific river catchments, developments should not be permitted if the LPA cannot definitively ensure that it will not adversely impact protected environmental sites due to increased levels of nitrate and/or phosphate. While the current approach is efficient, robust, and objective, it can also be slow, costly, and overly complex—leading to potential project delays and increased expenses for housing developers. To address these challenges, the government released the Planning Reform Working Paper in December 2024. This initiative aims to unlock approximately 28,000 homes across seven areas in England that had been stalled due to nutrient neutrality concerns, backed by £47 million from the Local Nutrient Mitigation Fund.
Show More