Valuing the regeneration of urban ecosystems in the Irwell
At United Utilities, the water and wastewater provider to the North West of England, we are part of the EU Life IP funded partnership Natural Course. The partnership is aiming to build capacity to protect and improve our North West water environment, now and for the future. The main focus for the early phase of the project is on the densely populated urban Irwell catchment, which is home to major water bodies including the Irwell, Croal, Roch, Medlock, Irk and their tributaries.
We are aiming to support the improvement and regeneration of urban ecosystems in the Irwell and quantify the positive impact of green and blue infrastructure to the health and wellbeing of local communities (our customers). The aim of this placement call is to support the development of United Utilities understanding of opportunities in the Irwell. Included in this will be the need for collaboration with Natural Course and its partners to prioritise, plan and deliver regeneration schemes (e.g. river daylighting and access), supported by a robust evidence based approach. Consequently this placement will provide United Utilities with a greater appreciation of the benefits of integrated projects targeted at addressing primary water quality drivers whilst delivering urban regeneration.
The placement will be based at United Utilities offices in Lingley Mere, Warrington, working closely with our Integrated Catchment Strategy Team and our Natural Course lead. There will be a significant number of engagement requirements with both internal stakeholders and other Natural Course partners.
For more information about Natural Course, visit http://naturalcourse.co.uk/