Eden Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

• See: an enhanced living landscape with wildlife in and around our rivers (like salmon, otters, kingfishers, water vole and water crowfoot); more rivers that wiggle; more wetlands that hum with life; more healthy bogs in the uplands (fewer bare peat patches) with species like cotton grass, cranberry and bog asphodel; more trees and scrub of all ages; lots of hedges and dry stone walls in good condition; more busy insects pollinating our wildflowers.
• Hear: more delighted voices by the river; more curlews, lapwings and songbirds; the buzz of many insects in summer; less traffic; the sound of septic tanks being emptied regularly.
• Feel: safe from flooding when it rains heavily; that exploring our beautiful rivers, lakes, streams and countryside is easy for everyone.
• Live in: thriving communities who respect and love the river from source to sea; where farmers can make a living from nature alongside food production; where everyone tries to reduce their carbon footprint; where every child has the opportunity to go river dipping for mayfly and stonefly nymphs; where everyone appreciates the value that the River Eden gives to our health and wellbeing.

Related websites

Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.

• Eden Catchment Partnership webpage
• Catchment Management Plans on CaBA website

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Upper Eden:

• River restoration projects completed and several fencing projects to improve riparian habitat.
• Ecological networks, flooding, water quality, low flows, carbon storage.
• River re-meandering, new wetlands, riparian habitat on formerly straightened river.Eamont:
• Removal of weirs and easement of barriers.
• Ecological networks improving, flooding, water quality, low flows, carbon storage.
• River re-meandering, new wetlands, riparian habitat and rapids/riffles.
• Flood management capital works.Irthing:
• Habitat restoration, tree planting, heather moorland regeneration, peat restoration, Countryside Stewardship schemes on surrounding farms.Petteril:
• Improvements to farm infrastructure on two farms for separation of clean and dirty water.
• Improvements to riparian vegetation and limiting poaching through fencing and tree planting.Caldew:
• Fluvial Audit, river and floodplain restoration opportunities mapping, peatbog restoration and drain blocking.
• Slow the Flow project working with landowners to increase use of flood options in Countryside Stewardship, leaky dams, kested hedges, soil aeration.Lower Eden:
• Various Countryside Stewardship & private planting schemes.

Partnership development plans

The Catchment Partnership was established to bring together flood risk and environmental outcomes. Along with our partners, we will work by the following principles: Collaborative working, catchment approach, integrated solutions, community focused decision making, evolution and learning.