Three internationally recognized river restoration projects

1. Three internationally recognized river restoration projects Niles Brinton

2. Regulated Rivers

3. Skjern River

5. Skjern River Overview • Restoration began in 1997 • Last 14 miles of river and delta • Farmland no longer productive • River was polluting Fjord with nutrients and sediment • Pumping costs were high • Fewer Atlantic Salmon • Environmental concerns increased over time • Much of the area now used for grazing • Funded by EU and Danish Government

6. The final design was based on the following objectives: • Restore meandering and natural dynamics • Improve conditions for flora and fauna including the Atlantic Salmon • Ensure high water quality in the river system and the Fjord (promote fishing) • Improve the basis for outdoor leisure.

7. Economic Viability

8. Total Costs of the Skjern River Restoration Project (million €)

9. Kissimmee River

12. Kissimmee River Overview • Restoration began in 1997 • Army Corps of Engineers made canal to drain land for farming and to reduce flooding • Massive public and environmentalist outcry upon finishing C-38 canal • Desire for improved water quality • Desire for improved habitats • 43 of 52 canal miles restored (106 river miles originally) • Funding came from state and federal governments

13. Kissimmee River • Restoration Goals • Use natural and free energies of the river system • Restore of natural seasonal water level fluctuations of river and surrounding lakes, marshes, and floodplains • Re-create conditions favorable to increases in production of wetland flora and fauna • Restore lost environmental values

14. Costs (million $)

17. Chyeonggyecheon

18. Headwaters

19. Overview • Project began in 2003 • 6 km in highly urban area • Terrible Seoul traffic was dealt with by removing arterial roadway, improving transit system • Elevated roadway was in disrepair • Economic development was slower in this region of the city • Goals were community based

20. Restoration Goals • Transform Seoul into an environmentally friendly city by restoring urban ecology • Enhance the cultural image of the city • Revitalize the surrounding sections of Seoul • Provide green space for the community

21. Costs (million £)

22. Comparison • Skjern • Environmental concerns and large financial expenditure coupled with a lack of agricultural productivity triggers restoration. • Kissimmee • Public outcry based on environmental concerns triggers restoration. • Cheonggyecheon • A crumbling freeway above a once “clean stream” and a simultaneous global green movement result in a restoration project to revitalize Seoul.