Implementing river restoration taking into account constraints of water supply protection: the case study of the Bocq River at Spontin

In the Bocq basin, eastern tributary of the Meuse, restoration works consist of making 20 obstacles passable to improve the free movement of fish and sediment. This presentation focuses on a particular case study involving river restoration in a groundwater abstraction zone.In the sixties, a reach of more than 600 meters of the Bocq was completely channelized in order to avoid any risk of contamination of the nearby important drinking water well field area. Ecological quality was consequently impoverished due to the loss of natural habitats (streambed and banks made of concrete and masonry). In addition, the hydraulic conditions (high flow, low depth) make it totally insurmountable for fish. The restoration project started with a 3-year period of consultation with the water abstraction owner to finally reach an agreement on a restoration project taking into account the need of protection of the water abstraction.The project consisted on building rock weirs at regular interval in order to create a succession of 23 steps and pools. Furthermore, various habitats schemes were implemented such as fish shelter, rock berms for aquatic vegetation, and spawning gravel introduction. In addition a small dike and an expansion area for flooding have been completed to protect the water abstraction.This project is being monitored on the basis of geomorphological and ecological analysis. Geomorphological monitoring focuses on the bedload transport with an analysis of flood and the clogging of the gravel layer. Ecological monitoring is based on two indicators (macroinvertebrates and fishes) as well as the analysis of microhabitats. The first results show an improvement after 1 year.