Porter Brook - Part of the Deculverting Process

Picking up from my previous post of the in-channel habitat creation — here are just a few photos to give an impression of the site’s previous states.

This gives a bit more of an idea of how little of the river was allowed to see the open air until pretty recently. Sheffield City Council have been steadily working to expose this buried watercourse…

View downstream from the road bridge note the balcony/​gantry on the right in the foreground



Same view immediately after the in-channel habitat-works (note balcony/​gantry on right of frame in foreground



Starting to remove the brick-arch culverting



At the downstream end of the removed brick culvert — a series of steel RSJs can now be seen spanning the river. These previously supported the concrete floor of a factory that was built on top of the river



Here is a picture of all the RJSs (complete with poetic graffiti)



The same view after the in-channel works and removal of RSJs

So, a great deal of credit deserves to go to Sheffield City Council and their planning/​landscape people. I will be putting together video of this project (which should hopefully include some drone footage to give a good overall impression).

Watch this space…

Paul