A NEW project aims to improve water quality and wildlife habitats on tributaries of the River Swale.
The project – covering Hartforth, Gilling, Skeeby, Bedale, Scorton and Brompton (Northallerton) Becks – has attracted a £24,000 Environment Agency Grant.
It has been developed by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and its partners in the Dales to Vale Rivers Network.
Rita Mercer, senior project officer, said the watercourses included all suffer from siltation and water quality problems which impact both locally and downstream on the River Swale itself.
She said: "Thanks to the efforts of our Rivers Trust volunteers, who have made a good start on surveying these becks, we are building up a more detailed picture.
"Once their work is complete we will be talking to local farmers and landowners to get their views and help to find simple, low-cost options for reducing erosion and creating better habitat for fish and other wildlife.
"We will also be applying for other grants to supplement the Environment Agency cash so that we can tackle as many improvement schemes as possible. A future part of the project will investigate the potential of using Natural Flood Management techniques to reduce the risk of flooding."
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