the rivers trust autumn conference: day 1 - session 2

Chaired by Jo Diamond & Lesley Newport

Rivers Trust Autumn Conference

The work of Catchment Partnershipsin the South West

Session chaired by…

Lesley Newport EA Environment Programme Manager – Devon & Cornwall

Jo Diamond EA Environment Programme Manager – Wessex



Introduction…

Laurence Couldrick CEO Westcountry Rivers Trust

Catchments provide us with….

– food and materials

– energy / fuel

– drinking water

They regulate the….

– climate gases

– flood and drought

They give us areas for….

– culture

– recreation

– habitat for wildlife

What do we get from our river catchments?

Management Plans

Ellie MantellSomerset

Jeremy TaylorBristol Avon

Russell SpencerHampshire Avon

Ben RaynerDorset

WessexCatchment Co-ordinators

East Devon

North Devon

Gitty Ankers

Tamar

South Devon

West Cornwall and The Fal

North CornwallSeaton Looeand Fowey

Trevor Cronin

Hugh DaveyBrett Grosvenor

Devon, Cornwall and The Isles of ScillyCatchment Co-ordinators



Cornwall Catchment Partnership

Cheryl Marriott Conservation Manager Cornwall Wildlife Trust

River Cober WFD catchment

Loe Pool SSSI

Catchment Partnership fund

Environment Agency

Upstream Thinking

Cober capital grant agreements since April 2015



Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership

Paul Jose Director Wessex Chalk Streams & Rivers Trust

Avon CP Sediment Pathways Project :

Using catchment management to reduce excessive inputs of fine sediment

ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES

1. Sediment2. Low Flows3. Phosphate 4. Organic

Pollution

Walkover surveys

Mitigation measures

www.hampshireavoncatchmentpartnership.org.uk

www.ticp.org.uk

http://www.hampshireavoncatchmentpartnership.org.uk/

http://www.ticp.org.uk/

Lessons learned

• Learn from neighbouring partnerships

• Bourne and Cheriton stream pilot projects in Test and Itchen Catchment delivering mitigation measures.

• Work closely with the farming community, Parish Council, County Council, Highways, NE and EA etc.

• Have a strategic and inclusive plan, engage key partners but focus on delivering integrated long term solutions.

Contacts:[email protected] Avon [email protected] Test/Itchen officer

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Tamar Catchment Partnership

Hazel Kendall Head of Land Management - WRT

Ecosystem Service Approach:• Water Quality• Farming & Land use• Habitats, Species, Ecology• Education & Engagement -

Communities & Citizen Science

• Post-Industrial Mining

Untitled map

Untitled layer

North Wyke (1)

Bowden (2)

Farm 3

Farm 4

Point 5

Farm 6

Farm 7

Farm 8

Farm 9

Farm 10

Farm 11

Farm 12

Farm 13

Farm 14

Farm 15

Sampling Sites

15 Farms -- 40 Fields

Tamar Valley Organic Group (Biology)TVOGb



South & West Somerset Catchment Partnership

Sabine Peukert Catchment Officer - FWAG South West

Mark Robinson (CC 2.0)

South and West Somerset Catchment Partnership

Delivering water quality & flood risk benefits

South and West Somerset

Catchment Overview


Hills to Levels Initiative


Targeting & Scoping


Farm Visits & Advice


Delivered Capital Grants



Poole Harbour & Stour (Dorset) Catchment Partnerships

Nicola Hopkins Catchment Coordinator – Wessex Water

Angus Kirk (CC 2.0)

Nicola Hopkins

Catchment Co-ordinator

Poole Harbour and Stour

Catchments

The challenges

WAgriCo areas

were chosen

because of

their rising

nitrate trends,

many close

drinking water

limits

Why do CP’s

need an

agricultural

group?

Habitat mapping

report 2014

Poole Harbour Agriculture and Land Management Group

What the farmers on the group say about the initiative…..

‘Its all about sowing the seed’

‘We just want you to tell us what we need to do’

‘We feel like we are part of the planning process and that it is a 2 way thing’

‘Opportunity to steer the direction of initiatives’

‘the best person to explain the issues to a farmer is another farmer’

‘it keeps us in touch with what is current in the environment world’

‘we get agricultural advice from CSF and other advisers’

‘it provides scientific evidence of the impacts (of land use)on the environment



North Devon Catchment Partnership

Brett Grosvenor Catchment Coordinator, EA

North Devon Biosphere Catchment Partnership

Nature Improvement

Research Community

Forestry Catchment

MarineGreen Economy

What we have done…

STAGE 1 – Review Organisations – areas & remitPlans – what, where & whenInformation – data and evidence

STAGE 2 – Synthesis What do we all want from the catchment ACTION & FUNDING PLAN

STAGE 3 – Delivery

An integrated delivery programme to ensure the best and most sustainable way to use and manage for our valuable local resources

Current activity

1. Environment Agency’s delivery programme

2. Estuary project – reducing agricultural pollution in the Taw/Torridge

estuary

3. Taw river project – improving water quality and fish health

4. Catchment Sensitive Farming partnership

5. Bankside fencing and management works

6. Culm project – wet grassland creation for flood mitigation

7. Freshwater pearl mussel project – improving river conditions in the

Torridge

8. Coastal Creatures project

9. Countryside Stewardship Facilitation projects in the Torridge, Caen

and Taw

10. Upstream Thinking on the Barnstaple Yeo

Future plans

• Expand our partnership• Deliver our projects• Continue to integrate activity for greatest impact• Keep our Action Plan and delivery programme live• Prioritise funding bids• Work with the North Devon Landscape Pioneer initiative & influence

The 25 Year Environment Plan



South Devon Catchment Partnership

Nigel Mortimer Estuaries Officer - South Devon AONB

Downstream Thinking !

It‘s simple ...we all depend

on cleanand healthy

waters!

DownstreamThinking ...

would youcould you

live downstreamof yourself ?

At home or at work, follow the example of our local farmers ...

• use only the amount of garden fertiliser and pesticides you actually need ... read the instructions!

• always use the brown kitchen waste bin in preference to the sink

• switch to phosphate-free detergents and use the ‘soft-water’ amount

• be responsible with your waste

• be extra careful with oil and fuel

Just because

you can’t see it

... doesn’t mean

it’s not there!

SEA LITTER, BIN LITTER !

THE MOST DANGEROUS SPECIESOF OUR WATERS

SEA LITTER, BIN LITTER!



East Devon Catchment Partnership

Peter Burgess Director of Dev., Policy & Res - Devon Wildlife Trust

East DevonCatchment Partnership

East DevonDiffuse Pollution

Project

Project basics…

• Maize identified as a major issue

• Aim: to improve practice in high risk areas

• £40K CPAF funding

• Consultant (Chantal Brown) plus EA input

• 50 high risk farms chosen by EA

• 2 x advisory visits plus EA audit, fact sheets

• May 2015-March 2016

Results

• Runoff found from all farms

• 63% of farms (19) had ineffective mitigation

• 19% of farms (5) had Category 2 incidents

• 30% of farms (8) also had pollution from slurry

• Low farmer awareness

… demonstrates a serious issue

Culm Crayfish



Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership

Jeremy Taylor Catchment Coordinator - EA

www.bristolavoncatchment.co.uk

Zoe HancockCatchment Coordinator

http://www.bristolavoncatchment.co.uk/

Key Issue Key Drivers Lead partners/responsible?

High Levels of Phosphates

Water Quality, Ecological EA, Water Companies, Farmers?, Industries?

High Sediment Loading

Water Quality, Ecological, Flooding

EA, Farmers, Highways (Local Authorities)

Flooding Ecological, Flood Management, ClimateChange, Growth

EA, Water Companies, Developers, Local Authorities (LLFA’s)

Low Flows Water Resources, Ecological, Climate Change

EA, Water Companies,Abstractors

Habitats & Ecology

Ecological/Biodiversity, Climate Change

NE, EA, Nature Partnerships, Farmers

Growth & Development

Population Growth, Climate Change, Water Resources,

Local Authorities, NE, EA, LEPs, Business, Water Companies, Communities

What has the BACP achieved?

• Stakeholder engagement process to identify key issues and solutions in the catchment

• Published Catchment Plan (2016)

– Include Strategic Goals/Actions

• Improving our evidence base- so we can make more informed decisions (Data Task Group)

– Environmental Services Evidence Review

– Opportunity Maps (catchment website)

• Developing an online Action Plan (map based)

• Established a Catchment Fund- to support projects/work required (Small Grants Scheme)

• Providing water advice to LNPs and LEPs

– Catchment Resilience Framework

• Delivering improvements within the catchment (Delivery Task Groups)

• Wider engagement- raising awareness of water quality issues (Bristol Avon WaterBlitz)

What has the BACP achieved?

What is happening?

• Existing actions (individual partners)

– Environment Agency projects

– Wessex Water- AMP project (Catchment Permitting Trial)

• Partnership Projects (emerging)- Action Plan

• Citizen Science/Volunteer efforts- capture!

– BART Beacons/River Fly Monitoring

• Strategic alignment of funding/plans

- Catchment Resilience Framework

• Catchment Fund- Small Grants Scheme

Partnership Project Delivery

Bristol Frome Diffuse Pollution

Project

Water Space Study- (Bath)

Mendip Lakes Partnership

North Somerset Levels & Moors

Project

Action Plan

Any questions?