Opening the Fal aims to remove three redundant weirs (Trenowth, Melbur and Treviscoe), reconnecting approximately 35 km of upstream river habitat on the River Fal in Cornwall, UK, for migratory fish including Atlantic salmon, trout, European eel and lamprey.
The River Fal rises in mid-Cornwall, South West England, and flows south through farmland, woodland and former China clay quarrying land before reaching the Fal Estuary near Falmouth. Its upper catchment includes Goss Moor, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation supporting nationally scarce and protected plants and animals.
The river and its tributaries provide important habitat for migratory and resident fish, including Atlantic salmon, sea and brown trout, European eel and lamprey. However, the catchment has historically been shaped by mining and milling activity, leaving a legacy of redundant in-channel structures that continue to fragment the river long after their original purpose ended.
| Project status | Live |
|---|---|
| Project type | Dam removal: pre-demolition |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| River | Fal |
| Focal species | Atlantic salmon, sea/brown trout, European eel, lamprey |
| Organisation | Westcountry Rivers Trust |
| Website | wrt.org.uk |
Three redundant weirs (Trenowth, Melbur and Treviscoe) continue to fragment a reach of the River Fal, blocking fish passage, disrupting sediment transport and degrading habitat quality, despite serving no ongoing function. Seed funding is already in place, but is insufficient to cover the full suite of surveys, environmental assessments and engineering designs needed to make each barrier genuinely “shovel-ready” for removal.
Two of the three weirs sit on land owned by Imerys, a minerals company that has committed to funding and delivering their removal once the preparatory work is complete, while the Environment Agency and Cornwall Catchment Partnership are supporting the project’s technical and strategic development. Without this investment, the river would remain disconnected from important upstream habitat, including the Goss Moor SSSI/SAC, and the opportunity for coordinated, catchment-scale restoration will be lost.
This project aims to complete all the preparatory studies and designs needed to bring Trenowth, Melbur and Treviscoe weirs to delivery-ready status by 2027, enabling their eventual removal and the reconnection of around 35 km of the River Fal.
Topographical surveys, heritage and ecological assessments, tree and utility surveys, ground investigations, sediment analysis, and outline and detailed designs will together provide the evidence base and technical specifications needed to secure construction funding and permits for each barrier.
Once removed, the weirs will no longer impede the movement of Atlantic salmon, sea and brown trout, European eel and lamprey, reconnecting them with spawning and refuge habitat in the upper catchment, including the Goss Moor SSSI/SAC.
The project will also restore natural sediment transport and flow processes, reduce flood risk for an affected landowner, and contribute to Good Ecological Status under the Water Framework Directive, Biodiversity Net Gain targets, and the Cornwall Catchment Partnership’s “source to shore” restoration ambitions.
Funded by
