Eddleston Water: Peebles, Scotland, United Kingdom

Developing the most comprehensive flood management monitoring network in the United Kingdom. Part of the River Tweed basin in the Scottish Borders region, the Eddleston Water’s catchment spans 70 square kilometers, flowing 19 kilometers south to join the Tweed in the town of Peebles. Begun in 2010, the Eddleston Water project is the Scottish government’s long-term study on the effectiveness of natural flood management to reduce risks to downstream communities and to improve habitats for wildlife. After installing in 2011 the most comprehensive catchment-scale monitoring network in the United Kingdom, the team identified locations to reconnect the Eddleston with its floodplain and reduce flood risk to the surrounding community. Since 2012, Tweed Forum and partners have worked with 20 farmers to deliver a range of natural flood management measures, including 207 hectares of woodland planting with over 330,000 native trees, 116 large high-flow log structures on upper tributary streams, 28 upstream ponds to act as flood attenuation features, 2.9 kilometers of remeandered river with adjacent flood banks removed, and a large floodplain pond able to store water during intense rainfall events. Initial analyses of the impact of these measures show reductions in flood risk and improvements to riverine habitats.