the catchment based approach

The Catchment Based Approach

Working together for a healthy water environment

CaBA

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River Ravensbourne in Lewisham, London

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From the source of our rivers to the sea, across our towns,cities, countryside and coasts – a healthy water environmentis essential to all of us.

It provides us with the water we need to live. To run ourbusinesses efficiently. It reduces the risk to our homes andlivelihoods of flooding. A healthy water environment meansbetter places to live, where people and wildlife flourish.

In the past, management of the water environment has fallento government, to private companies and to landowners,often operating in isolation.

The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) brings peopletogether to think about each river catchment as a whole.More than 1,500 organisations are now taking this approachin over 100 river catchments across England and Wales.

Together we are helping to achieve not only the objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and relatedlegislation – but crucially, the aspirations of localcommunities.

I’m pleased to be able to showcase here just a handful of the hundreds of projects going on across the country whichdemonstrate how successful the Catchment Based Approach is.

Arlin Rickard, Chair, CaBA National Support Group

■ front cover: Students on the River TrentPhoto: Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

3Working together for a healthy water environment

The Catchment Based ApproachWorking together for a healthy water environment

“TheCatchmentBasedApproach(CaBA)bringspeopletogether to thinkabout each rivercatchmentas a whole”

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Water companies, landowners,farmers and NGOs are workingtogether to improve rawdrinking water quality,reducing the cost of water treatment.

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Better waterquality

Photo: Nature Picture Library


Partners in the Wayoh sub-catchment include:

Myesrscough CollegeIrwell Rivers TrustRibble Rivers TrustUnited UtilitiesFarmers and landowners

Partners include:

Cornwall Wildlife TrustDevon Wildlife TrustExmoor Mires PartnershipExmoor National Park AuthorityFarmers and landownersSouth West WaterWestcountry Rivers Trust

United Utilities is working in partnership to reducethe cost of cleaning water from the Wayoh Reservoir,which has suffered from increasing levels ofpesticides over the last decade. Catchment partnersvisited the owners of more than 75 properties,including farms, smallholdings, a commercialforestry and houses, to identify pollution sources.Sixteen farmers took advantage of free pesticideapplication training to help their businesses.Eleven hectares of land are now pesticide-free

and have been planted with trees under theForestry Commission Woodland Creation Grant.Over 3,000 metres of new watercourse fencing has allowed waterside vegetation to develop,which stops pesticides getting into the water fromfields and connects habitats for wildlife at the same time. Water samples taken in 2014 showeda significant reduction in pesticides, achieved byworking together across the catchment.

South West Water say that treating ‘clean’ rawsurface water costs 20% less than treating waterwith a heavy sediment load. Its multi award-winning Upstream Thinking project is targeted at improving water quality at source. This isachieved through working with farmers and other landscape managers to reduce nutrient,sediment, pesticide and organic carbon inputs into stream waters. South West Water have set up an evidence monitoring programme tomeasure the economic benefits of the work.

South West Catchment PartnershipsSaving money on water treatment in the South West

The success of South West Water’sUpstream Thinking programme is built onstrong relationships between the partners,the farmers and regulators. Andrew Jones,a farmer from Launceston, said: “It reallyhelped that Ross from the WestcountryRivers Trust is a farmer himself, so wewere able to discuss the issues in detail,farmer to farmer.” Photo: South West Water

Ribble and Irwell Catchment PartnershipsCollaboration improves water quality in Lancashire

“Working together across the catchment has significantlyreduced the level of pesticides in the Wayoh Reservoir”– Jack Spees, CEO Ribble Rivers Trust

Working together for a healthy water environment 5

Photo: Nature Picture Library


Reducing flood riskPartnerships are developing naturalflood risk solutions to hold water backwithin the catchment, releasing it slowly,reducing flood peaks and providinggreater river flow during times ofdrought. Partnerships give a voice to communities at risk of flooding.

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River Soar, Leicester

Photo: Matt N

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Partners include:

Bridgend Residents AgainstRiver Frome FloodingChalford River CommitteeEastington Flood PreventionGroupEnvironment AgencyFarmers and landownersGloucestershire CountyCouncilGloucestershire Wildlife TrustNational TrustPainswick Stream ActionGroupRegional Flood and CoastCommitteeSlad Brook Action GroupStroud District Council

Partners include:

Environment AgencyLeicester City CouncilLeicester and LeicestershireEnterprise Partnership (LLEP)Trent Rivers TrustWestcountry Rivers TrustWWF-UK WaterLIFE project

Stroud District Council works with landowners touse trees and other natural flood defence featuresto reduce flood risk. Over 80 individual natural flooddefences have been built so far. The involvementof local flood groups, landowners and partnersincluding the National Trust and GloucestershireWildlife Trust has been crucial to the success of theproject. Local support and knowledge is essentialto ensure that the right approach is adopted in theright place, but also to make sure the project willcontinue in the longer term beyond the pilot.

The Soar Catchment Partnership in collaborationwith Southampton University is using an innovative‘fingerprinting’ approach to determine the sourcesof sediment eroded across the Willow Brookcatchment, a tributary of the Soar. The WillowBrook has rural headwaters that flow into the Cityof Leicester. The siltation of pipes and culverts isan important contributing factor to flood risk, withup to 3,000 properties at risk in Leicester itself.Together with flood risk mapping and predictionsof sediment loss and transport down-stream, theapproach will help to target work that will trapsediment, hold back water and improve waterquality at the same time.

Soar Catchment PartnershipReducing flood risk in Leicester

Severn Vale Catchment PartnershipNatural flood defences in the Stroud valleys

"We welcome this opportunity to use new

techniques to trace the origins of the

sediment so we can tackle these issues

and reduce the amount of silt entering our

watercourses. Cleaner water will benefit the

people living in Leicester, the wildlife asso-

ciated with it as well as making it a more

attractive resource within our local parks

for everyone to enjoy" – Deputy Mayor Cllr Clarke, Leicester

City Council Photo: Leicester City Council

“Sustainable drainage systems havebeen in use in the built-up environmentfor a number of years now – we usethe same principles but on a muchlarger scale. Some structures work byspreading water over the neighbouringland, others act to physically slowdown flood flows. They all providegreat habitats for wildlife, reduce theamount of silt travelling downstreamand importantly, slow the rate at whichfloods travel down the valleys.”– Chris Uttley, Stroud District CouncilProject Officer Photo: Stroud District Council


“The involvement of localpartners is crucial to thesuccess of this project” – Chris Uttley, Project Officer,Stroud District Council

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Better towns and citiesWorking together achievesmany different benefits in anurban environment – frombetter water quality and morebiodiversity to reduced floodrisk and safer places to live.This all contributes to healthier,happier communities.

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Canoeing on the Riv


Foot Meadow Island sits within the Northampton Enterprise Zone in thetown centre. In recent years it has been characterised as a space forantisocial behaviour, including drug dealing and rough sleeping. As aresult it has been largely abandoned and avoided by neighbouringresidents. Work to improve the area for the community at the same timeas improving habitat on the adjacent Nene River has been put intoaction by the Nene Valley Catchment Partnership. Encouraging residentsto get involved in the project is creating a better place to live and instillinga sense of ownership which means people will continue to look aftertheir stretch of the river into the future. Working in partnership meant the project could go ahead, with an additional £70,000 secured thatwould not have been obtainable with organisations working in isolation.

Thames21 is working with Enfield Council to improve the SalmonsBrook in North London. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS)are being designed to improve water quality and reduce flood risk. The systems, including wooded wetlands and ponds, have been co-designed with local people as part of the Love the Lea campaign,and will also provide new wildlife habitat and green space for the localcommunity to enjoy. Both the Thames Water Community InvestmentFund and the Greater London Authority have provided funding toenhance the amenity and educational value of the SuDS sites.

Nene Valley Catchment PartnershipCommunity spirit revived in Northampton

“There is a great deal of enthusiasmwithin the community to get involvedand restore the river”– Kathryn Hardcastle,River Nene Regional Partnership

Partners include:

Anglian WaterAssociation of River NeneClubsCanal and Rivers TrustEnvironment AgencyGroundwork NorthamptonshireNene Park TrustNational Farmers UnionNorthampton Borough CouncilNorthamptonshire CountyCouncilRiver Nene Regional ParkRSPBUniversity of NorthamptonWildlife Trust BCNWoodland Trust

Partners include:

All London Green GridCanal and River TrustEnvironment AgencyGreater London AuthorityLee Valley ParkLondon Boroughs of Enfield,Hackney, Haringey, TowerHamlets and Waltham ForestLondon Wildlife TrustLove the LeaThames21Thames Water CommunityInvestment Fund

Lower Lea Catchment PartnershipLocal people help design a better environment


the River Tame, Tamworth, Staffordshire

Photo: istockphoto.com


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Ladywell Fields has been transformed from itspreviously characterless landscape into adiverse, popular and accessible public openspace, with surveys indicating that the public’sperception of the park in terms of recreationalvalue and safety has improved. Before the riverwas restored to its natural course, only 44% ofpeople felt safe using the park. Now 78% saythey feel comfortable visiting Ladywell Fields.And the number of people using the park hasincreased by 250%. Returning the river to anatural state has led to a marked increase inwildlife. Local communities play an importantrole in the rivers’ upkeep.

Ravensbourne Catchment Improvement PartnershipHappier people and a better river in Lewisham

Partners include:

Environment AgencyLondon Boroughs of Bromley,Croydon, Greenwich andLewishamLondon Wildlife TrustQuaggy Waterways ActionGroupThames 21

The River Ravensbourne has been freed from its concrete banks at Cornmill Gardens, creating a better place for people and wildlife. Flood management has also been improved. All photos pages 10 & 11: London Borough of Lewisham

"There is a real need for a joined up, inclusive

approach to river management in urban areas.

The Catchment Based Approach provides

a structured way for local government to see the

benefits of a shared vision for their section of a

shared river catchment without taking away from

local objectives.”– Paul Chapman, European Projects Manager,

London Borough of Lewisham

“Planners have the power to make river restoration work withincurrent laws and can insist that it is part of new development”– Paul Chapman, London Borough of Lewisham

AFTER

People feel safer at Ladywell Fields in Lewisham since the river was restored

BEFORE


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Ladywell Fields has been transformed from itspreviously characterless landscape into adiverse, popular and accessible public openspace, with surveys indicating that the public’sperception of the park in terms of recreationalvalue and safety has improved. Before the riverwas restored to its natural course, only 44% ofpeople felt safe using the park. Now 78% saythey feel comfortable visiting Ladywell Fields.And the number of people using the park hasincreased by 250%. Returning the river to anatural state has led to a marked increase inwildlife. Local communities play an importantrole in the rivers’ upkeep.

Ravensbourne Catchment Improvement PartnershipHappier people and a better river in Lewisham

Partners include:

Environment AgencyLondon Boroughs of Bromley,Croydon, Greenwich andLewishamLondon Wildlife TrustQuaggy Waterways ActionGroupThames 21

The River Ravensbourne has been freed from its concrete banks at Cornmill Gardens, creating a better place for people and wildlife. Flood management has also been improved. All photos pages 10 & 11: London Borough of Lewisham

"There is a real need for a joined up, inclusive

approach to river management in urban areas.

The Catchment Based Approach provides

a structured way for local government to see the

benefits of a shared vision for their section of a

shared river catchment without taking away from

local objectives.”– Paul Chapman, European Projects Manager,

London Borough of Lewisham

“Planners have the power to make river restoration work withincurrent laws and can insist that it is part of new development”– Paul Chapman, London Borough of Lewisham

AFTER


BEFORE





Partners include:

Central Rivers InitiativeEnvironment AgencyBirmingham and Black CountryWildlife TrustRSPBSevern Trent WaterStaffordshire Wildlife TrustTrent Rivers TrustWarwickshire Wildlife Trust

■ photo above:Students on the River TrentPhoto: Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

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A number of partnerships are working in the Tameand Mease Catchment to improve the river Trentfor wildlife and for the people of Tamworth, Burton-upon-Trent and Lichfield. Staffordshire WildlifeTrust created small islands in the Trent using aninnovative technique of partially burying live willowtrees. Re-naturalising the river improves waterquality and creates better conditions for fish, water

plants and other aquatic species to thrive, which in turn benefits other wildlife. Restoring highlymodified parts of the river and re-connecting it withits floodplain is improving biodiversity and makingthe river accessible for a wide range of people forrecreation, including walking and canoeing. Theriver is now visible and safe to approach, whenbefore it was hidden from view.

Tame and Mease & Staffordshire Trent Catchment PartnershipsRestoring the River Trent in Staffordshire

“Restoring the river is creating a place people wantto visit, which is important for local businesses” – Nick Mott, Project Manager, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

Partnerships protect and restorefreshwater habitats and are wellplaced to coordinate action forwetland, estuarine and coastalwildlife too. Well-placed woodlandcreation can improve water qualityand reduce flood risk, help to keeprivers cool and protect aquatic life.Restoring rivers for wildlife makesfor healthier, happier communities.

Better places for wildlife and people


Volunteers are trained to detect serious pollutionincidents in their local rivers as part of the RiverflyPartnership. This means rivers can be monitoredmore widely than is possible by the EnvironmentAgency alone. Catchment partnerships in the Colneand Upper Lea worked together with the RiverflyPartnership to create a regional training hub whichhas since trained 100 people and established an

impressive 90 monitoring sites across 13 rivers.The in-kind support provided by the volunteersequates to £80,000 a year. The hub has also helpedto establish new groups in neighbouring catch ments,helping to connect people with their local rivers and providing essential monitoring services, helping to build a better picture of river healthacross the country.

Colne and Upper Lea Catchment PartnershipsA neighbourhood watch for rivers in Hertfordshire

Partners include:

Affinity WaterBrocket ParkChilterns Chalk Stream ProjectCountryside ManagementServiceEnvironment AgencyGroundwork HertfordshireHerts and Middlesex WildlifeTrustLocal farmers and landownersLocal ‘River Champion’volunteersRiverfly Partnership (Angler’sRiverfly Monitoring Initiative)Verulam Angling ClubWheathampstead ParishCouncil


“Riverfly volunteers play a vital role in monitoring ourrivers and alert the Environment Agency to pollutionincidents” – Charlie Bell, Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts


Healthy productive countrysideFarmers, landowners and land managers get adviceand training through catchment partnerships toimprove air, soil and water quality in the ruralenvironment – which makes business more efficient.

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BETWEEN HEADLINES AND BODY COPYP

hoto: istockphoto.com


Partners include:

AB SugarAnglian WaterCambridge Water CompanyCamgrainElveden EstateHutchinsonsLEAFNational Farmers UnionProduce World GroupThe Rivers TrustSainsbury’sWWF-UK WaterLIFE project

Anglian Water is working with the Rivers Trust andlarge-scale agricultural businesses through theCam and Ely Ouse catchment partnership. Thearea is characterised by high quality farmlandproducing wheat, oil seed rape, vegetables and sugar beet. Rivers are under pressure from agricultural run off. In addition excessiveabstraction of groundwater for public supply,agriculture and industry threatens the catchment'schalk stream. Business owners have joined forcesto create an integrated water management plan,whilst the European funded WaterLIFE project, led by WWF-UK, plays an important role, carryingout farm visits focused on sugar-beet farmingcommunities, and developing outcomes that aregood for business and for the water environment.

Through the Middle Dee Catchment Partnership,United Utilities and Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water arehelping to fund a project to improve water qualityon tributaries of the River Dee which suffer fromlivestock farming run-off. The Dee supplies nearlythree million people with drinking water, sopreventing pollution is a high priority. Together

the partners have built important relationships withfarmers and landowners through 28 farm visits, todiscuss how working together can reduce run-offfrom fields into the brooks – and collaborate onplans that benefit both the business and theenvironment.

Cam and Ely Ouse Catchment PartnershipBusinesses working together on water

Middle Dee Catchment PartnershipPreventing pollution on the River Dee

“Farmers who grow cover crops over the winter protectsoil and water quality while saving money on fertilisers” – Mark Pierce, Project Officer, Welsh Dee Trust

BETWEEN HEADLINES AND BODY COPY


“Catchment Partnerships have anopportunity to be at the centre of astep change approach towardsthe resilient management of waterand other resources. This is botha challenge and an opportunity thatthe New Anglia Local EnterprisePartnership is keen to encourageas part of the Green Economy" – Iain Dunnett, New Anglia LEP

Partners include:

CWAC (Cheshire West andChester Council)Cheshire Wildlife TrustDwr Cymru/Welsh WaterEnvironment AgencyGrosvenor EstatesLandownersNational Farmers Union (NFU)Natural EnglandNatural Resources WalesNorth Wales Wildlife TrustWelsh Dee TrustWoodland TrustUnited Utilities

Photo: istockphoto.com


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Four reasons why catchmentpartnerships work

Working together, partners in a river catchment can securefunding that they may not have access to as individualorganisations – for flood prevention for example.

Local knowledge and local networks are invaluable inidentifying problems – and in galvanising action on the ground.Partnerships enable the views of local communities andbusinesses to be taken into account.

Partnerships can achieve multiple benefits – flood riskreduction, better water quality, more biodiversity and enhancedgreen spaces for the whole community to enjoy.

Working together means saving money and positiveoutcomes for everyone – for local people, for business and for the environment.

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Photo: WWF UK/Jiri Rezac


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The CaBA National Support Group

also supported by

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Read more about Defra’s Policy Framework behind the Catchment Based Approach:

http://bit.ly/1lsCwRc

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Brochure design by Wildcat ([email protected])


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