The paper summarises research into the geomorphological and hydrological effects of river training and improvement measures taken 45 years ago in the Nida valley. Positive and negative effects were identified, the latter including an increased flood exposure in half of the study area. The study aimed to find a feasible solution that would mitigate the flood risk. The valley is protected as a landscape park and belongs to a network of environmental corridors of national importance. Prior to the training measures, the River Nida, down from the confluence of the Czarna Nida and Biała Nida, ran in an entirely meandering channel with a minimal gradient causing long-term stagnation of the floodwater in the floodplain. The training and melioration measures were aimed at mitigating the flood risk, accelerating flood water drainage and draining part of the valley that had been used solely as meadows and pastures (Fig. 1). Vast wet marsh areas prone to cyclical channel avulsion were predominant along the braided reaches, such as near Umianowice (Fig. 2). As the engineering project started in the upper river course and continued downstream, the channel reaches directly below the newly deepened reaches became shallower. The process was documented by records of minimum ...
