This section of bank above the weir at Great Meadow on the Silverburn River had previously been protected using stobs and mesh back-filled with stone. Failure of the revetment had left a sheer, rapidly eroding bank and the potential for the stream eventually to migrate such as to bypass the weir.

In September 2006, employing a design produced by Salix River & Wetland Services Ltd., the then Land Drainage Section of the Department of Transport (now the Flood Risk Management Team, Water & Sewerage Authority) repaired the bank using ‘soft’-engineering techniques, which provide a more aesthetically pleasing and wildlife-friendly result. Such methods can also prove very durable and cost-effective. The use of faggots helps to absorb energy from the water flow, while the geotextile matting preserves the integrity of the bank as vegetation re-establishes.

After passing the test of a very wet winter, a selection of Manx native trees and shrubs were planted along the site in February 2007 to further increase the bank’s stability and wildlife value.

Wildlife potential was further enhanced by the incorporation of a small backwater, seeded with a mixture of native marginal plants.

Coir roll is usually installed pre-established with marginal plants, which themselves act as an anti-erosion barrier. However, imported pre-established rolls would have entailed introducing plants not of Manx genotype so, for this repair, Manx native marginals raised by the Wildflowers of Mann project were planted behind the rolls in early spring.

An area has now been set up at Mullen-e-Cloie by Andree Dubbeldam of Wildflowers of Mann to pre-establish coir rolls ready for similar techniques to be employed by the Water & Sewerage Authority elsewhere on the Island.

The faggots used at Great Meadow were sourced from the UK. A more sustainable supply was subsequently identified in the form of willow faggots produced by the Manx Wildlife Trust. The Trust’s management of the Close Sartfield Nature Reserve had, for some time, involved a willow coppicing regime but, as there had previously been little use for the cut material, most of it was burned on site. The extra funds received by the Manx Wildlife Trust as a result of this initiative will further contribute to conservation on the Island.

In September 2011, Forestry staff and the River Management Project Officer installed a short section of Log & 'Xmas Tree' revetment, a technique used extensively in Ireland, on the right bank of the Silverburn downstream of Silverdale Cafe. A double row of lodgepole pine logs protects the toe of the bank while conifer tops attached to the logs dissipate the energy of the flow and collect silt during high flows. The work was able to be done by hand thereby minimising costs and disturbance to the riverbed. Bay willlow slips were planted along parts of the section in November. If this small trial proves successful in stabilising the bank, further such sections will be installed at appropriate locations.

The lower reaches of several of the Island's rivers have been straightened in the past, which can reduce the diversity of in-stream habitat to the detriment of fish populations. For instance, such channels tend to be dominated by shallow riffle and glide sequences, and contain fewer pools than one would find on a naturally meandering river.

Overhanging vegetation provides valuable cover for fish. However, extensive stretches of heavy shade can limit salmon and trout populations by reducing the growth of algae on which many of their invertebrate prey feed. The reduced light can also limit the growth of herbaceous plants, which keep the banks stable. During winter 2007/2008, students and staff from Ramsey Grammar School helped the River Management Officer to coppice and trim bankside trees along parts of the Santonburn and River Neb.

This weir on the Santon Burn has been a major obstacle to migratory fish for over 200 years. Fish surveys and anecdotal information gathered during a farm watercourse survey in the catchment indicated that, in recent years, it had become almost completely impassable due to changes in the nature of the stream bed. Following consultation with the landowners and the Department of Transport (DoT), a proposal was submitted by the River Management Officer for building a bypass channel utilising the disused mill race adjacent to the weir. This was constructed by the Works Division of the DoT in March 2009, reopening several miles of excellent river habitat to salmon and sea trout.