Rivers in Urban Environments
More than 50% of the world's human population lives in cities. For these people, urban rivers provide drinking water; sanitation; transport; and open space in which to relax, take exercise and view wildlife.
Many of these uses conflict with one another and centuries of urban and industrial development have degraded urban rivers, seriously threatening their ability to deliver all of these services.
River managers are faced with balancing these pressures, making optimal decisions about river improvements, and restoring rivers to a healthier state. The Urban River Survey provides information and tools that help to assess and improve the quality of urban river systems.
News and Training
We are offering two URS training packages for 2013:
2-day initial training package:
- assumes no prior training in URS or RHS;
- 1 day theory on URS applications, method and data entry;
- 1 day practical to field test the URS method on two urban river stretches;
- personal log-in for the URS web site to upload and browse survey data;
- half day refresher field/office meeting by mutual agreement within 3 months (usually 6 weeks) to troubleshoot surveyor queries.
1-day refresher training package:
- ideal for RHS or URS surveyors needing a refresher course;
- 1 day theory on survey methodology and use of the web site.
Bookings are available by request. The maximum course size is 10 people.
Bookings and enquiriesThe Urban River Survey
The Urban River Survey is a scientific assessment method and suite of tools that supports the work of river managers in urban environments. The survey, which is a development of the Environment Agency's River Habitat Survey, records information on the physical structure of 500m stretches of urban rivers and their margins.
Indices calculated from survey data are used to assess the relative physical quality of individual surveyed stretches within the range achievable in an urban environment.
The Urban River Survey does not evaluate chemical or biological quality. It does assess the quality of the physical structure of riparian and aquatic vegetation.
Non-Native Plants
Non-native plant species are frequently found along river corridors in urban areas. A few of these can become invasive to the extent that they cause significant problems for native vegetation.
URS Plants is an initiative to monitor the occurance and spread of non-native species with in urban river environments.
