Water Restoration Funding Available

The fund, which has contributed to work at both a local and national level, has provided over GBP1.5 million to projects across the country since 2008 to improve rivers, streams, lochs, wetlands and coastal areas. Money from the Scottish Government to enhance and improve impacted waters in need of restoration is being directed and managed by a Restoration Assessment Group led by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The group also includes Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Government and Forestry Commission Scotland.

A national project has been funded to support the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts Scotland in delivering two Scotland-wide projects. The first is assessing in-stream weirs with the intention of improving fish passage. These individual assessments will be used to develop funding partnerships at each site to deliver recommendations to restore downgraded water bodies. The second project is working to control non-native, invasive bankside species. This spans multiple Scottish river catchments and involves partnership with a significant number of Fisheries Trusts. The long-term aim is to eradicate Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam, Giant Hogweed and Rhododendron ponticum from our watercourses, as these plants have a high impact on the native riparian species.

Other projects have included: creating an area of saltmarsh habitat and saline lagoons; restoring water courses to their natural shape after historic engineering work to straighten them; improving fish passage in rivers with redundant weirs; and restoring a lowland bog by increasing water retention following historic peat extraction.

Julie Tuck, SEPA's restoration specialist, said "The water environment in Scotland is not only an intrinsic part of our landscape but also a vital asset. It fuels our industry, powers our houses and attracts tourists to the country. However, over the years it has been affected by various physical pressures with the result that many of our rivers, lochs, wetlands and coastlines are no longer the pristine water environments they once were.

"The Water Environment Restoration Fund provides an amazing opportunity to secure support and funding to improve the rivers, streams, lochs, and coastal waters for you and future generations. As well as benefiting the environment and local communities, the work being carried out in these projects will contribute towards delivering the river basin management plans, which will improve lochs and rivers across Scotland.

"We encourage any organisation with a project they feel would be suitable to apply for funding as soon as they can. The fund is open to a wide range of interest groups, including community groups, fishery trusts, environmental charities and landowners."

Projects seeking less than GBP10,000 from the fund can be reviewed at any point during the year and are not subject to an application deadline. For those looking for funding above GBP10,000 in 2010-2011, the next deadline for applications is 7 October 2010 (the following deadline is 8 January 2011). Projects should aim to improve the environmental status or condition of a water body by tackling the physical pressures on that system. Projects could be as simple as promoting native bankside vegetation or as complex as tackling catchment-scale pressures.

More information and access to the application form, or contact Restoration Specialist, SEPA, Inverdee House, Baxter St, Torry, Aberdeen, AB11 9QA.