In September 2024, the first restoration measure in the Improve Aquatic LIFE project was completed. In the Pjältån Nature reserve, located in the northeastern part of Östergötland County, a 60-meter-long and 200-tonne concrete culvert was removed.
At the same time, water was redirected back into a 250-meter long natural channel that had previously run parallel to the culvert.
The opening ceremony attracted around 70 local visitors. Many of whom took the opportunity to enjoy a lunchtime walk to see the major change in situ. The culvert was built in the early 1970s in connection with the construction of the nearby highway. The new solution is nature-based and provides both more and better habitats for trout and river lamprey – two characteristic species in the area.
Important for migratory fish species
Pjältån, about five kilometers long, is a coastal estuary that flows into Bråviken. It is important for fish species that migrate from the sea to freshwater to spawn. The clean and clear waters of the Pjältån River provide ideal conditions for species such as trout and river lamprey. For trout, the Pjältån functions as an important nursery habitat, where the young fish spend their first years before migrating to the sea as smolts.
The clean and clear waters of the Pjältån River provide ideal conditions for species such as trout and river lamprey.
Good spawning and nursery habitats
River lamprey is a diadromous species, which means that it migrates between freshwater and saltwater. As adults, they return from the sea or large lakes to rivers and streams to spawn in fast flowing waters.
– Now both trout and river lamprey have improved spawning and nursery habitats, says Mathias Ibbe, project coordinator at the County Administrative Board of Östergötland.
The 200-ton concrete culvert is now gone.