Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
andsurfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
The literature refers to capital costs of €0.4M/km of river, for river re-meandering.
Additional costs are linked to land acquisition and compensation.
D
esign
The functional area of a river in a meandering system is the minimal space
required for meanders to reach the maximum amplitude they would reach under
natural conditions. River re-meandering is mostly implemented in
lowlands
(less
than 200m elevation), in areas where slopes are around 0.5 - 1% (i.e. conditions
in which meanders naturally occur). River re-meandering is commonly implemented
along with floodplain and wetland restoration and management.
S
cale
Meanders may be present on small
streams as well as on large rivers.
A river meander is a natural bend in the river, which increases the river length and allows it to decrease flow velocity. In the past, rivers have been straightened
and channelised to, for example, gain land for cultivation, facilitate log floating and/or speed up the drainage of water and control/limit the river bed movements.
River re-meandering involves creating a
newmeandering course
or
reconnecting
cut-off meanders, therefore slowing down the river flow. The new form
of the river channel creates new flow conditions and often has a positive impact on sedimentation and biodiversity. Newly created or reconnected meanders
provide habitats for a wide range of aquatic and land species.
Case studies:Restorationof riverHermance, France; Floodplain restorationof the riverSlampe, Latvia
HYDROMORPHOLOGY
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