Foot Meadow hydraulic modelling
25 Jul 2017
Foot Meadow Island is located in the centre of the City of Northampton, England. It is a 620 m long island formed in the 12th century when a leat (channel) was cut from the River Nene to feed a mill. The leat forms the northeast channel around the island. The more meandering southern channel from the A4500 south is part of the original course of the river. The site of the mill lies under where Towcester Road Bridge cuts across the southern tip of Foot Meadow Island.
The river and leat have been classified under the Water Framework Directive as heavily modified and moderate status. Issues associated with water quality, weed invasion and provision of habitat for fish and invertebrates have been identified.
The River Nene Regional Park have proposed a range of remediation measures aimed at improving the instream habitat, mitigating flooding and reducing danger to the public. Key aspects of the proposal include removal of some sheet piling, regrading of parts of the river bank around Foot Meadow Island and the installation of coir rolls. Read more about the project here.
The proposed works aim to make Foot Meadow Island a safer and more environmentally friendly place. The project aims to help increase in-channel morphological diversity as well as improving floodwater capacity and reducing the risk to the public of injury or drowning. The completed works could be used as a demonstration site for other potential river habitat improvement projects, as well as an educational resource for schools and universities.