Video: ‘Turn filthy Bradford Beck into a nature reserve’

Of the 11km of Bradford Beck which flows through the city, the majority is either hidden underground or forced to run through deep artificial culverts. Many of these date back to the 19th century, when it was renowned for its high levels of pollution, despite being the country’s richest city at the time. Culverts were built to hide the sight and smells of the river from the Bradford’s burgeoning population.

But now there are hopes that the river could become healthy again and be a real asset to the city. The final report of the Bradford Beck project, published today, outlines ambitious plans to clean up and improve the river, allowing wildlife to thrive.

The project, one of 25 pilot projects looking at new ways of managing and improving rivers, tested water quality in the river and mapped its route through the city, to identify how and where the cleanliness and appearance of the river could be improved. Led by the Aire Rivers Trust, with the support of the University of Sheffield Faculty of Engineering, the project has also involved others including the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water, Bradford Council and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Although the water quality of Bradford Beck is not as bad as might be imagined from its appearance, David Lerner, Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Sheffield, who tested over 70 samples taken from the river, says pollution problems still remain.

“Changes in the industry in the city over recent years have reduced pollution levels in the beck, though it could still be improved,” he said. “Our tests showed that there are some significant discharges of sewage into the river, most likely from wrongly connected or badly operating sewers. Some industrial sites are also allowing pollutants to drain into the beck. However, these are all problems which could be easily rectified, making the restoration of Bradford Beck a very achievable goal.”

A bigger challenge, also laid out in the report, is to improve the ecology of Bradford Beck, turning it from a drainage culvert back into a natural river which can support wildlife.

As part of the project, a feasibility study was conducted on how to naturalise the stretch that runs from the city centre out to Shipley. This area is targeted by Bradford Council for redevelopment and the project team believes this could offer an excellent opportunity to restore the river at the same time.

“Much of this stretch of the river runs in a straight line in a brick culvert between two high stone walls, and the speed of the water makes it impossible for wildlife to get established,” said Prof Lerner, also a member of the Aire Rivers Trust.

“By taking down one of the walls and creating a natural river bed and river bank, with twists and turns and pools which slow down the water, Bradford Beck could start to support wildlife, such as trout and kingfishers, and also be visible and accessible for people to enjoy.”

Other measures highlighted in the report include setting up nature trails, foot and cycle paths and running educational activities to ensure local people can enjoy the river. The report also suggests that sections of the river which have to remain underground could be marked by paving, panels or with glass roofs, to help people be aware of Bradford Beck as an integral part of the city.

To encourage local people to get involved the Aire Rivers Trust has already established a Friends group and is creating a website - www.bradford-beck.org - to inform people about the river and the plans. The report also calls on all those involved in the city’s water system to take action to ensure the plan is put into practice.