River Went

The River Went

The River Went, which runs through Ackworth, Wentbridge and into the River Don, has been heavily modified by human activity over the years. The loss of its natural twists and turns has had severe consequences for its water, making it slow moving and heavy with sediment, and this has had negative impacts for the wildlife that live in and around it. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has been working on the river since 2014, aiming to provide long-term benefits to the river’s habitat, wildlife and water quality.

Key Aims

We are working to restore habitat, provide direct and indirect benefits to wildlife and, in turn, impact positively on local people. Previous work also had a focus on helping restore and connect habitat to support water vole populations in the area.

What we are doing

Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, Wild Trout Trust and the Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership, we are restoring some diversity to the beck, by introducing in-channel structures (woody debris) which helps change the flow of the water which improves water quality and therefore wildlife. We are also working to reduce the amount of sediment that enters the water, and will be exploring options of how we go about this, working in collaboration with local landowners.