Natural Water Retention Measures
Restoring & Enhancing Natural Processes in Rivers
Four year (2019-2023) collaborative project funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Office of Public Works (OPW).
The research will assess the benefits of Natural Water Retention Measures (NWRM) for agricultural catchments in Ireland.
Using GIS-based mapping techniques, topographic indices, hydrological modelling, and full-scale field demonstrations to develop a portfolio of potential approaches and methodologies to reduce flood risk and generate co-benefits including sediment and nutrient attenuation and ecosystem enhancement.
Demonstration sites will show how to design, build and instrument NWRM. Scaling up methodologies will use hydro-geomorphic patterns to investigate NWRM in other Irish catchments, at a range of spatial scales.
The project outputs will specifically provide recommendations for the management of specific catchment types relevant to the Irish environment by quantifying the magnitude of NWRM required to reduce flood peaks.
The research will underpin policy by identifying across scale measures that are most effective at targeting flood flows, providing beneficial ecosystem functions whilst having minimum effect of farm economics.
NWRM Videos
NWRM Presentations
NWRM Resources
Casestudy: The Cork Bund