Salmon and trout are very important to the Welsh economy and their complex life-cycle involves migration up and down rivers.
To sustain their populations they need unrestricted access to their spawning areas, but many man-made obstructions such as dams, weirs and mills, restrict this access.
This was the situation at Felindre Mill on the River Severn where a weir was proving to be an obstacle for migratory salmonids and eels. The fish passage improvement scheme was delivered as part of the Salmon for Tomorrow (Eog at Yfory) programme, which is funded by the European Fisheries Fund and the Welsh Government.
Halcrow, as designer and site supervisor, delivered a cost effective fish pass solution which maintained the character of the location. A section of the weir was replaced and a single flight “Larinier” fish pass and eel bristle pass added. A series of pool and traverse pre-barrages were constructed in the natural rock falls immediately downstream of the weir to aid fish migrating over the weir.
The solution was in compliance with the Waterwork Framework Directive.