A project intending to help rare eel species thrive in a Northumberland stretch of the River Tyne has begun.
Screens are being installed in the River Tyne between Wylam and Ovingham with the aim of protecting European eel species. The work, which involves an £11 million investment, is part of a recovery plan which could result in returning eel stocks to sustainable levels, with screens enabling safer journeys up stream for eels and ther migratory fish.
The eel screens work follows a £5m in the area targeted at helping resilience of supplies. The project is being carried out by Northumbrian Water and partners Mott MacDonald Bentley, and ther ewill be a very large crane on the site with deliveries over a two-week period beginning on June 5 2023.
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Tina Robinson, project manager for Northumbrian Water, called the project important and said: "It’s important for us to invest in the wildlife in our region – and hopefully over the next decade we will see a flourish in European eels. The local community have been incredibly patient while we have carried out work here recently to our pumping station, and we would like to thank them again as we start this new section of work."
Ms Robinson also claimed that the project could help Northumbrian Water to ensure that local resources could continue to be resilient as we face hotter summers each year. The project is estimated to be completed by spring 2025.
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