River Thames to be fully restored over 3 years

Wet civil engineering firm Land & Water has secured a contract for works along the entire length of the River Thames, which is the second longest river in the country at 215 miles.

The Thames Water River Restoration Project aims to improve fish passage, habitats and resilience with the river from its source in the Cotswolds, western England, to where it empties into the North Sea at the Thames Estuary.

Work will include weir removal or modification, channel bed re-profiling, riverbank re-profiling and replacement with softer, natural options. 

“Barriers to fish passage will also be overcome, with pass channels and other solutions such as rock ramps and in-channel gravel to allow fish to lay their eggs,” says divisional business manager Fiona Moore. ”As custodians of the environment, it also ensures that we are safeguarding habitat for the flora and fauna for years to come.”

The project is being run by Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and waste water service provider, with a 15 million customer base.

Clodagh Pickavance, media relations manager for Thames Water, said a project to restore seven river stretches and four fish passages would run until March 2025, when further similar projects would be drawn up.

Land & Water is one of the first companies to be awarded a contract.