Eel Beck
Eel Beck, September 2009
Eel Beck at Rimington is a small tributary of Swanside Beck, which feeds directly into the River Ribble. Despite being a very small beck it is nonetheless vital to the Trust as streams like these constitute the ideal spawning grounds for fish, in particular Salmon and Sea Trout. Unfortunately there was a rather high, redundant concrete weir situated on Eel Beck which made it impossible for any species of fish to migrate further upstream.
Not only this, but the weir unnaturally retained the smaller substrate upstream and caused substrate scouring further down.
The proposed plan of action was to completely demolish the weir, breaking it up into large blocks so as to keep sediment and dust to a minimum. Once the weir was removed, gravels and substrate taken from upstream of the weir were selectively replaced on the stream bed with the aim of allowing the beck to return to its natural state. The removal of the weir has opened up a larger area of spawning ground for fish, consequently producing an increase in biodiversity.
Eel Beck, May 2010
