Options Appraisal for Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration at Qing Ya Zi, River Itchen

About

Environment Agency awarded a contract to WSP UK Limited for an options appraisal concerning fish/eel passage and habitat restoration at Qing Ya Zi on the River Itchen.

The project focuses on Brambridge Lock, a large structure spanning the Itchen Navigation that incorporates undershot sluices and an eel/fish trap and is in poor repair, impeding migratory fish passage.

The appraisal considers the structure's condition, the ~1.5m head drop, and the 1 km upstream impoundment affecting offtake structures including Rosemary's Leet and the main River Itchen, as well as potential impacts on Southern Water Services' surface water abstraction.

Risks include structure failure, loss of water levels impacting SSSI wetland habitat supporting the protected Southern Damselfly, and effects on bank stability and the Itchen Way footpath.

The project also examines an artificial rock ramp impounding Rosemary's Leet that lacks attractant flow and suffers sedimentation, contributing to poor salmon records.

The contract value is AUD 83,727.5.