Investigate, Improve, Innovate, and Inspire….iNidd!
Background
Over the past few years, our partners have been working hard to improve the River Nidd and its catchment. The Wild Trout Trust have been working closely with anglers to improve fish habitat across the Nidd’s tributaries, anglers have been busy monitoring water quality as part of The Angling Trust’s citizen science project, and, the Nidd Catchment Anglers Group have been trialling innovative approaches to controlling Himalayan balsam. Shared concerns over water quality resulted in the formation of the Nidd Action group (NAG) in October 2022. This group brought everyone together, including anglers, bathers, walkers, environmentalists, the University of Leeds, politicians, and the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust (YDRT), with the shared aim of identifying local issues and delivering solutions to restore the Nidd.
Summer 2023 saw the beginning of the iNidd programme – a collaborative project which tested water quality across the entire Nidd catchment over two days, in August and then October (see more about the catchment-wide water testing here). As is often the case, the results raised more questions; revealing areas that require further investigation as well as identifying priority tributaries to focus monitoring and river restoration efforts.
Following the iNidd water testing project in 2023, momentum was growing across the community to develop a long-term, catchment-wide programme to improve the Nidd. At YDRT, we started to discuss what this could look like – “what are our next steps?”, “who could be involved?” and “what funds can we apply for?”.
Then news arrived that the largest ever enforcement undertaking (a type of civil sanction where an offender offers to rectify the impact of their offence) had been approved by the Environment Agency in November 2023. Yorkshire Water were ordered to pay £1 million to two charities after polluting Hookestone Beck, a tributary of the Nidd flowing through Harrogate. YDRT was one of the charities to benefit to the tune of £500,000; we are using this money to deliver the iNidd Programme, including projects that restore and improve the Nidd catchment to a better condition than its previous state.
Our Aspirations
Our aspirations for the River Nidd…
- iNVESTIGATE the issues and pressures resulting in poor river condition, identifying appropriate solutions to fix them
- iMPROVE the river and wider catchment by creating and restoring robust and diverse habitat, supporting an increase in biodiversity
- iNNOVATE by developing and implementing cutting-edge technologies and creative approaches to monitor and enhance the health of the river
- iNSPIRE people from all walks of life to take part in restoring and protecting the Nidd catchment and the species it is home to, reconnecting people with the water environment and empowering local groups to play a key part in preserving the river
Trees and dead wood are really important features for healthy rivers, providing and creating habitat for fish and invertebrates, and, providing resilience to rising temperatures detrimental to aquatic life
iNidd Steering Group
The iNidd Programme is steered by a group of interested and expert partners, including the Environment Agency, Nidderdale National Landscapes, North Yorkshire Council, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Wild Trout Trust, Nidd Action Group, Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and key landowners. Facilitated through the Dales to Vale River Network, the group works together to identify collaborative opportunities, steer and prioritise work, and develop partnership projects for the Nidd Catchment. The Steering Group meets on a quarterly basis to update one another on progress and to develop ongoing projects. If your organisation would like to be involved, please contact us.
Completed Projects
iNidd Water Quality Testing
In August and October 2023 ten teams of citizen scientists took water samples from 45 across the entire River Nidd catchment, including some major tributaries, at approximately the same time on the same day. Find out more about the testing here.
Active Projects
Nidd Riverfly Monitoring Programme
We have recruited over 30 enthusiastic and committed volunteers to take a lead in delivering our iNidd Riverfly Monitoring Programme. Trained volunteers have taken ownership of their own site to monitor aquatic invertebrate populations between May and September annually. Results are submitted online with data freely available through the Riverfly Partnership’s website. Riverfly are an amazing indicator species, and help us to monitor the health of the river. Unlike water samples taken at a single point in time, riverfly populations react to changes in water quality over a longer period of time, helping us to identify those rivers that are struggling the most from regular pollution events. YDRT aim to run further free training in future, to find out more and get involved email [email protected].
Conducting a riverfly survey on a tributary of the Nidd
Big Nidd INNS
YDRT are devising a catchment-wide, long-term strategy for controlling Himalayan balsam on the Nidd. Unfortunately, the Nidd Catchment is plagued by this invasive species. Previous efforts by the Nidderdale National Landscapes in the upper catchment have been successful; Big Nidd INNS aims to ensure the legacy of these works by continuing to tackle INNS across the catchment and prevent further spread. Importantly, the project will conduct control works from up-stream to downstream, with volunteer surveys helping to identify balsam’s most up-stream range. With trained volunteers equipped with pesticide licences, and using efficient mechanical control methods with local contractors, the project will continue to tackle this damaging invasive plant. To find out more about how you can get involved email [email protected], or visit the INNS Mapper website.
Hello Lampost
YDRT have worked closely with the Environment Agency and Nidd Action Group to install 10 interactive, AI-powered, sign-posts across Harrogate. Citizens and visitors can interact with the lampposts to ask questions, report pollution incidents, and to find more information about the River Nidd and its stakeholders. The project is the first of its kind, trialling the use of the ‘Hello Lamposts’ as a citizen science method to collecting data on the health of the river. Signs are located across rivers around Harrogate, including Valley Gardens, Oak Beck Park, The Woodland Trust car-park at Nidd Gorge, Conygham Hall, Harlow Carr, Crimple Beck at Burn Bridge, Hookstone Beck, Oak Beck at Spruisty Bridge and Knaresborough Lido. The project hopes to continue for another year, extending opportunities further up the catchment.
Hello Lampost sign installed next to Oak Beck, in Oak Beck Park
Harrogate Becks
Harrogate Becks is a collaborative project, working together with a wide variety of stakeholders and organisations to assess and restore the tributaries around Harrogate to good ecological health (including Bilton Beck, Oak Beck and Crimple Beck). The programme is working together with experts in the field such as the Wild Trout Trust, trained volunteers, and local action groups, to map pressures including habitat degradation, invasive non-native species, pollution, and river modifications. By working with local communities to undergo training in MoRPh Cit Sci, mud-spotter, and INNS Mapper, as well as in the use of hand-held water testing devices, the project will deliver restoration activities that are well-evidenced and targeted. Harrogate Becks is creating a lasting change across the local community by up-skilling groups and enabling self-led delivery, with an expert support network established through the Harrogate Partnership. The programme will increase capacity and scope of what is possible over a large project area by igniting enthusiasm, establishing a network, and creating a movement across Harrogate for restoring and taking care of our local urban rivers and wider habitats.
The project is in its early stages, with river habitat assessments underway and volunteers undergoing training opportunities to apply on their local river. If you would like to get involved, please contact us
Volunteers undergoing the MoRPh Cit Sci training for river habitat assessments
Conducting river habitat assessments across Oak Beck, Harrogate, with the Wild Trout Trust
Operation Outfall
Many of our urban rivers suffer from pollution as a result of misconnections in the wastewater and surface water drainage network. Misconnections occur when wastewater pipes are incorrectly connected to a clean, surface water drain (which are only designed to collect rainwater before diverting it to a nearby watercourse). This can happen when home owners unknowingly install a new washing machine and wrongly connect it to their surface water drainage or, in serious cases, where developers wrongly connect a new housing development’s wastewater network to a surface water drain. Misconnections are detrimental to aquatic life because they result in direct inputs of waste, chemicals, household products, and food into the river, by-passing the usual wastewater treatment works that would otherwise remove all these pollutants from the system.
YDRT are working on a project to help identify these misconnections. Working with Yorkshire Water and the North Yorkshire Council, we will assign trained volunteers stretches of watercourse to survey during dry weather, seeking signs of misconnected outfalls, and taking water samples to collect evidence. Results will be shared with the local authorities, including the Environment Agency, where misconnections are expected. Operation Outfall will help to devise a plan for rectifying misconnected drains, and for working with the local community to promote correct wastewater management at home, alleviating pressure on our urban rivers around Harrogate and Knaresborough.
Polluting surface outfall on Oak Beck, Harrogate
