TICP Catchment Action Plan (low res)

www.ticp.org.uk

TEST & ITCHEN CATCHMENT PARTNERSHIP

CATCHMENT ACTION PLAN

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FOREWORD

Protecting the Test and Itchen rivers and their catchment and the issues, pressures and challenges that affect this unique water environment is vitally important to many individuals and local organisations in the Hampshire area.

While the catchment has a legacy of good partnership projects to build upon, to make a real difference there needs to be an integrated approach to sharing knowledge and delivering improvements that will protect the Test and Itchen for the long term.

The Catchment Based Approach is DEFRA’s solution to help support a more integrated system. It involves local communities and organisations in decision making by sharing evidence, listening to ideas, working out priorities and seeking to deliver actions that address local issues in a cost effective way.

By working together we can take the necessary steps to deliver the improvements needed to protect and enhance our local river catchments.

Paul Jose Debbie Tann

Director, Wessex Chalk Stream & Chief Executive, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Rivers Trust Wildlife Trust

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VISION

“a healthy water environment which is valued and nurtured by residents, businesses and the wider

community”

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

The Test & Itchen are widely regarded as two of the finest chalk streams in the world, supporting a rich diveristy of flora and fauna which is unique to chalk stream environments. Despite this, they face significant pressures. The EU Water Framework Directive, designed to drive improvements in the status of rivers, lakes, coastal waters and groundwater, provides a unique opportunity for us to further enhance the ecological and chemical quality of our precious chalk rivers, providing benefits for the environment and for society . DEFRA recognise that the involevement of local stakeholders is a crucial part of the solution to improving the state of our water environment and have established a Catchment Based Approach policy framework to enable stakeholders to collectively plan and deliver actions at a catchment scale.

The Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership is bringing together a diverse range of local organisations, businesses and individuals to collectively agree priority issues and actions that will be delivered, in partnership, for the benefit of the water environment. This Catchment Action Plan encapsulates the partnerships aspirations and will guide the delivery of actions into the future.

KEY THEMES

The Partnership have undertaken a stakeholder led review of the catchment using 4 key themes of; WATER QUALITY, WATER QUANTITY, CHANNEL / HABITAT / BIODIVERSITY and RECREATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

Within these key themes the partnership have combined the views and opinions of local stakeholders with a broad spectrum of supplementry data and evidence, to agree issues, to map existing activity and to identify opportunities for the catchment partnership to deliver complimentry actions.

OUTCOMES

The partnership have collectively agreed a short list of initial priority projects, primarliy focused around delivering improvements to ‘Water Quality’ and ‘Water Quantity’. The priority projects are listed below and further information on the actions and delivery of each project will be shown on the Test and Itchen Catchment Partnership website: www.ticp.org.uk

A. WATER QUALITY:

1. Sediment Pathways Project* 2. Non-‐Mains Sewerage Project 3. Groundwater Quality Project 4. Anglers Monitoring Initiative *

B. WATER QUANTITY

1. Multifunctional Wetlands Project*

* Sediment Pathways Project

C. CHANNEL / HABITAT / BIODIVERSITY

1. Keeping Rivers Cool

* Multifunctional Wetlands Project

D. RECREATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

1. Rivers Week

* Anglers Monitoring Initiative

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CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

1.0. INTRODUCTION 7 1.1. Catchment Based Approach 7 1.2. Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership 8 1.3. Catchment Action Plan 9

2.0 CATCHMENT BACKGROUND 10 2.1. Location 10 2.2. Geology & Soils 11 2.3. Land use and Population 11 2.4. Environment and Landscape Features 12 2.5. Ecosystems Services 13

3.0. STRATEGIC REVIEW 14 3.1. Stakeholder Engagement 14

3.2. Designated Sites 15 3.3. Water Framework Directive (WFD) 16 3.4. Plans, Strategies & Projects 19

KEY THEMES

4.0. WATER QUALITY 23 4.1. What are the issues? 24

4.2. Where are the pressures? 25 4.3. What is already being done? 26 4.4. What can the partnership do? 27

5.0. WATER QUANTITY 29 5.1. What are the issues? 29

5.2. Where are the pressures? 29 5.3. What is already being done? 31 5.4. What can the partnership do? 33

6.0. CHANNEL / HABITAT / BIODIVERSITY 35 6.1. What are the issues? 35

6.2. Where are the pressures? 35 6.3. What is already being done? 37 6.4 What can the partnership do? 38

7.0. RECREATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT 40 7.1. What are the issues? 40

7.2. Where are the pressures? 40 7.3. What is already being done? 40 7.4 What can the partnership do? 41

OUTCOMES

8.0. PARTNERSHIPS FOR ACTION 43 8.1. Summary of opportunities 43

8.2. Prioritisation of Opportunities 44 8.3. Projects and Partnerships for Action 44 8.4. How can you get involved? 45

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BACKGROUND

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1. The Catchment Based Approach (CaBA)

The ‘Catchment Based Approach’ is part of the UK’s solution to improving the Chemical and Ecological Status of our waters under the European Union’s Water Framework Directive. Whilst many other solutions have been identified, DEFRA recognises the value of bringing local stakeholders together under a single umbrella to collectively agree and deliver actions. The Catchment Based Approach policy framework will see issues being identified and tackled at a much more local level, giving local stakeholders the opportunity to get involved with planning and delivery of environmental improvements. Throughout England, Catchment Partnerships are being established under the Catchment Based Approach and many are developing catchment plans which will guide the work of the partnerships, and will also help to inform larger-‐scale strategic plans that the Environment Agency is putting in place for each of the 11 River Basins Districts in England & Wales. These River Basin Management Plans set out the priorities and actions to deliver Good Ecological Status (or Potential) to be implemented between 2016 and 2021 (the second management cycle of WFD). The diagram below shows the timescale the Environment Agency is working to in order to deliver and implement their plans.

Following on from the first cycle of River Basin Management Plans and the subsequent ‘Challenges and Choices’ consultation, draft River Basin Plans are currently being prepared for the second cycle. These were put out for consultation in November 2014 and following this the River Basin Plans will be finalised in late 2015, for implementation between 2016 and 2021.

Figure 1: Timetable for River Basin Management Planning under WFD

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However, CaBA is about much more than just complying with the Water Framework Directive. It provides an opportunity for those individuals and organisations who have an interest in the rivers, lakes and groundwater bodies, as well as those whose activities benefit from them, or have the potential to impact upon them, to come together: to highlight issues, identify priorities and participate in delivery of actions to address them. This includes river owners, fishery and wildlife organisations, land owners and farmers, water companies, industry and other businesses and the wider community.

1.2. The Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership (TICP)

The Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust (WCSRT) and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) are co-‐hosting the Catchment Partnership, with funding from DEFRA and others sources to develop this action plan and co-‐ordinate delivery of the actions proposed in it.

A core group of key delivery organisations representing fishery and wildlife interests, farming and aquaculture, the water industry, local authorities and the government environmental bodies has been set up to direct and steer the Catchment Partnership. This group currently includes:

Participation from communities and interest groups is crucial to the Catchment Based Approach, so the Catchment Partnership has also established a wider stakeholder group to actively encourage local stakeholders to feed their views into the partnership and help deliver action on the ground. The partnership has already worked with a wide range of stakeholders including; local authorities, the watercress and fish farming industry, fisheries groups, riparian owners, land managers and farmers.

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1.3. The Catchment Action Plan

The aim of the Catchment Action Plan is to set out the actions, agreed by the partnership, that will deliver the environmental improvements needed to work towards achieving the partnership’s shared vision for the catchment.

The Catchment Action Plan is divided into two parts:

1. The first part is this ‘background document’, which describes the catchment, the key issues, the existing actions and finally, the opportunities for the Catchment Partnership to deliver complimentary actions.

2. The second part of the Catchment Action Plan will be ‘web-‐based’, with a series of project-‐specific action cards being hosted on the TICP’s website.

This ‘background document’ begins with an overview of the catchment’s key characteristics and an outline of the current environmental status.

It then looks at 4 key themes of; water quality, water quantity, ‘channel / habitat / biodiversity’ and recreation. Within each of these themes, the plan identifies the main issues, the existing actions being delivered to address these issues and the opportunities for the catchment partnership to deliver improvements.

The priority projects, outlined in the final section of this document, will form the basis for the second ‘web-‐based’ part of the Catchment Action Plan.

The actions and delivery mechanisms specific to each project will be shown in action cards that will be displayed on the Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership’s website. These will be frequently updated as projects progress.

www.ticp.org.uk

This format is intended to allow the Catchment Action Plan to be a fully working document, which will be adapted and developed as new evidence emerges, priorities are identified and actions are implemented.

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2.0. CATCHMENT BACKGROUND

For the purposes of this partnership, we have adopted the ‘management catchment’, shown below, that the Environment Agency uses for monitoring and reporting under the Water Framework Directive and for managing the availability of water for abstraction. The Test & Itchen management catchment combines the hydrological catchments of the Rivers Test and Itchen, along with the underlying groundwater bodies, the Southampton Water and the Solent.

2.1. Location

The catchment drains approximately 1,760 square kilometres of land, in the county of Hampshire, with both rivers rising from springs on the chalk downs at their respective sources near Ashe and Hinton Ampner, before flowing through predominantly rural parts of the county, until they reach a shared estuary in Southampton Water.

é Fig 2: Boundary Map - Test & Itchen Catchment

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2.2. Geology & Soils

The geology of the catchment is dominated by chalk which covers 80% to 90% of the catchment, and comprises large, mostly unconfined, aquifers that provide the majority of flow to both rivers, as well as providing drinking water for the catchment and the surrounding area. The chalk downland in the upper catchment is covered mainly by shallow, well drained, calcareous, flinty and silty soils.

è Fig 3: Solid Geology - Test & Itchen è Fig 4: Soil Types - Test & Itchen

In contrast, in the lower parts of the catchment, the Rivers Dun, Blackwater, and Lower Test, and the Bow Lake, and Lower Itchen, flow over tertiary clay geology where soils are more prone to structural degredation.

2.3. Land use and Population

The Test and Itchen is a largely rural catchment and the majority of land, approximately 1,100 sq km or 62%, is used for farming.

The main agricultural activity, accounting for 80% of agricultural land, is arable farming and includes the production of wheat, barley, oats and oil seed rape. There are also a number of mixed farming and livestock enterprises, most of which are concentrated in the lower catchment and the river valleys.

The river valleys are also home to the watercress industry, which relies on plentiful supplies of high quality spring water for its watercress growing operations.

The main centres of population within the catchment are Southampton, Andover, Winchester, Eastleigh and Romsey. The catchment population is approximately 725,000 (2011 Census) with the highest population densities in Southampton, which creates significant pressure on water resources and increased levels of pollution entering the Southampton Water.

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Soil typology Soil is the medium in which plants grow and is a vital habitat that supports a huge diversity of animal species and micro-organisms. Fertile soil is critical for the production of food, timber and fibre, and it is therefore essential for our survival and economic prosperity. Soils also influence the character of our local landscapes and play a key role in the regulation of environmental services such as nutrient cycling, water quality, water flow regulation and carbon storage.

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Infrastructure regulating service The biggest challenge in assessing the provision of resources and accessible land for recreation and cultural activities is mapping the current provision of those opportunities across the landscape catchment and to examine the way that these opportunities were accessed and managed. Only when this assessment has been made can the level of provision be assessed and compared to the level that I required by the residential and business communities.

The data presented here gives flavour of the infrastructure that exists – public rights of way remain to be mapped, but will allow the levels of access to greenspace/open spaces to be assessed in more detail. !

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Open spaces, green spaces and blue spaces

Data / information Notes

Nature reserves NE dataset from NE GIS data website www.naturalengland.org.uk/publications/data

National Nature Reserves (NNR) and Local Nature Reserves (LNR) are the best sites in England for seeing wildlife.

Access Land NE dataset from NE GIS data website www.naturalengland.org.uk/publications/data

People can access ‘open access land’ or ‘access land’ across Britain without using Public Rights of Way

Publically accessible woodlands Should$be$obtained$from$the$Forestry$Commission$or$Woodland$Trust

Woodlands with public access can be mapped using data from the Forestry Commission.

Public open spaces (parks & gardens) & other visitor attractions (open farms, leisure parks) English heritage GIS website www.services.english-heritage.org.uk/NMRDataDownload/

The English Heritage 'Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England‘ currently identifies over 1,600 sites assessed to be of national importance.

Lakes & reservoirs OS Open Data - Strategi

Larger waterbodies are popular recreational resources (blue spaces) for people wanting to do water sports, angling, swimming etc.

Designated Bathing Waters EA dataset from Geostore www.geostore.com/environment-agency

A bathing water is one where a large number of people ~100 people) are expected to bathe at any one time.

Accessible heritage sites English heritage GIS website www.services.english-heritage.org.uk/NMRDataDownload/

Many World Heritage Sites/Landscapes and Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) have public access.

Urban areas OS Open Data - Strategi

Urban areas themselves are key recreational spaces.

Linear features


Public Rights of Way (PROW)

Includes footpaths, permissive paths & bridle paths.

Cycle routes & long distance paths

Important recreational infrastructure.

Minor roads, tracks and paths

Important recreational infrastructure for walking, cycling etc.

Point attractions


Car parks OS Open Data - Strategi


Accommodation Important recreational infrastructure.

Heritage/historical interest attractions


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è Fig 5: Landcover type è Fig 6: Population density

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2.4. Environment and Landscape Features

In terms of both landscape and biodiversity, the catchment contains a number of sites of local, national and international importance, with a diverse range of habitats supporting a rich variety of species.

To the east, a substantial part of the upper Itchen catchment is included in the South Downs National Park and similarly, most of the Bourne Rivulet catchment and part of the upper Test catchment is within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The river valleys themselves also attract a number of statutory designations that reflect the importance of their unique chalk river systems and the diversity of species they support. Significant portions of each of the Test and Itchen Rivers are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as large swathes of the floodplain. In addition, the River Itchen is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive, recognising the international importance of chalk river habitat and the species it supports.

The current configuration of the river is the result of re-‐engineering for land drainage, water mills, water meadows and navigation over a long period of time. These functions have long gone, as has the associated income that paid for the maintenance of the complex river system, which is now semi-‐derelict in parts.

è Fig 7: Designated Sites

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There are many relict weirs and control structures along the river and several reaches where the already modest gradient was removed to maintain a head of water to power waterwheels or to spill water into the meadows. These man-‐made features are part of our industrial and agricultural heritage but can be in conflict with aspirations for a fast-‐flowing, silt-‐free river.

2.5. Ecosystems Services

Ecosystems services can broadly be described as the benefits we receive from the natural environment.

Unlike the traditional geographic units that have been used to manage society, such as parish, borough and county boundaries, river catchments offer a natural management unit (a hydrological ecosystem) from which to identify the mechanisms via which the natural environment provides benefits to society.

We derive an array of ecosystems services from our river catchment landscapes, including:

Ø The provision of clean drinking water Ø The disposal of waste water Ø The regulation and attenuation of water e.g. flood water storage in extreme rainfall

events Ø Habitats for wildlife Ø Water supply for Industrial abstraction Ø Agriculture Ø Aquaculture & fisheries Ø Shellfisheries Ø Culture and recreation, particularly recreational angling Ø Port activities Ø Power generation

However, over the past century our catchment ecosystems and the services they provide have come under increasing pressure from conversion of natural habitats, pollution of land and water, exploitation of terrestrial and freshwater resources, invasive species and climate change. The result is that the provision of the ecosystems services we depend on has been skewed in favour of the production of food, fibre and fuel to the detriment of many other vital services.

A healthy water environment is essential in preventing further development of this trend and for sustaining the on-‐going delivery of ecosystems services.

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3.0. STRATEGIC REVIEW

The partnership has carried out a strategic review of the catchment, using a multi-‐tiered approach, which builds upon crucial evidence provided by stakeholders at a series of stakeholder workshops. The additional evidence used to supplement the views and opinions of local stakeholders, includes information on designated sites, Environment Agency data from monitoring and reporting under the Water Framework Directive, as well as various plans, strategies, projects from across the catchment.

3.1. Stakeholder Engagement

To develop this stakeholder led Catchment Action Plan, the Partnership sought to engage key stakeholders in the catchment to share their views and priorities regarding potential issues and actions for delivering improvements.

In November 2013, the Partnership circulated an invitation to over 90 stakeholders in the catchment, inviting them to attend an inaugural Stakeholder Group meeting for the Test & Itchen Catchment Partnership.

The meeting took place at Sparsholt College on 5th December 2013 and was attended by a range of stakeholders, including local businesses, councils, water companies, landowners, fisheries managers, government organisations and NGOs.

Following the inaugural meeting, a number of workshops were held for individual stakeholder sub groups, including Local Authorities, Agriculture, Watercress and Fish Farming. The workshops helped identify existing work being carried out in the catchment and also helped establish priority issues and stakeholder aspirations for delivering environmental improvements.

An additional workshop was proposed for a ‘Riparian Owner / Angling’ sub group but following recent stakeholder consultation, through the Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy, it was considered that further engagement would be unnecessary duplication and that it would be more appropriate for the Partnership to seek to support delivery of the Restoration Strategy.

The engagement process undertaken as part of the Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy (RRS) included ad hoc initial site visits in October 2012, a consultation evening in November 2012, which was attended by 60 stakeholders, and a second consultation evening in March 2013.

The partnership has focused stakeholder engagement around key organisations and individuals with direct links to the Test & Itchen Rivers. This approach has been taken because key regulatory priorities for the Test & Itchen catchment are closely linked to the nature conservation status and wider benefits of the waterways as SSSI (and, in the case of the Itchen, SAC) rivers. We recognise the importance of working closely with the key landowners and stakeholders whose actions and operations can impact, both positively and negatively, the conservation status of the protected rivers. We also recognise that the requirements of the nature conservation legislation, as well as the nature of the ownership of the rivers and floodplains, (the rivers are primarily privately owned and managed, and have limited public access), places constraints upon the kind of activities the partnership may wish to promote. Clearly, the generation of improvements requires collaborative actions with river owners/managers.

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The partnership also recognises the importance of wider engagement with the public and intends to move to wider consultation and engagement once initial support for this plan and its direction of travel have been established within the currently-‐engaged stakeholder community. A phased approach was felt, by the partnership, to limit the risk of creating unrealistic expectations amongst local communities, or alienating those key stakeholders whose cooperation will be required for undertaking almost any works within the catchment.

3.2. Designated Sites

The River Itchen and River Test Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are amongst the country’s finest examples of chalk river systems and associated habitats. They are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and through the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Water Industry Act 1991. The designation helps Natural England to ensure better protection and management of the SSSI units, safeguarding their existence for the future.

è Fig 8: Test & Itchen: SSSI Condition

There are 14 riverine SSSI units in the Test and Itchen catchment, 8 of which are on the River Test and the remaining 6 on the River Itchen. Natural England undertakes periodic condition

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assessments, which examine the physical, hydrological, ecological and water quality condition of each unit for habitats and species. The condition of the SSSI Unit is then classified as being either: Favourable condition / Unfavourable recovering / Unfavourable no change / Unfavourable declining.

As shown in Figure 5, none of the 14 of the riverine SSSI sites in the Test and Itchen Catchment are considered to be in ‘Favourable Condition’. Based on condition assessment data from 2013 and 2014 all 8 units on the River Test are currently classified as ‘unfavourable no change’. On the River Itchen, the most recent condition assessments, from 2010, indicate that all 6 units are also in ‘unfavourable no change’ condition, although these units are scheduled to be re-‐assessed in 2015.

In addition to the SSSI designations, the River Itchen is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC ‘Habitats Directive’, which provides an additional level of protection. As such, the River Itchen is classed as a Natura 2000 site and falls under the Improvement Programme for England’s Natura 2000 sites (IPENS). As part of this programme, Natural England has recently drafted a Site Improvement Plan (SIP) for the River Itchen SAC. The plan sets out issues affecting the SAC which cannot be tackled by existing measures, and which require additional action such as funding mechanisms or policy changes to be put in place in order to tackle them.

3.3. Water Framework Directive (WFD)

In 2009, the baseline year for reporting and monitoring under WFD, the Environment Agency divided the Test and Itchen catchment into 62 individual waterbodies. For rivers, canals, lakes, transitional and coastal waterbodies, the ecological and chemical status of each waterbody was assessed, with the results giving rise to an overall classification of ‘Good’, ‘Moderate’, ‘Poor’ or ‘Bad’ overall status. For groundwaters, a quantitative and a chemical status are used to give rise to an overall status.

The waterbodies in the Test & Itchen Catchment meet a mixture of Good, Moderate and Poor Ecological Status in the 2009 classification (shown in Figure 9).Waterbodies such as the Anton, the Dever, middle Test, Candover Brook, Cheriton Stream, Arle and upper parts of the River Itchen all meet Good Ecological Status in the baseline year.

However, parts of the Upper Test, Bourne Rivulet, Pilhill Brook, River Dun, Blackwater, Monks Brook, Highfield Stream, Sholing Common Streams all meet Moderate Ecological Status requirements. Whilst the majority of the River Itchen, from below Eastleigh up to Ovington, the Westwood Streams, Bow Lake, Faibourne Streams and the Lower Test are at Poor Ecological Status in the 2009 assesments.

The latest interim classifications from 2013 show there to be some improvement to several of the waterbodies since 2009. The Lower Test and lower parts of the Itchen have been reclassified from Poor Status in 2009 to Moderate Status in 2013. However, there has also been some deterioration, for example, parts of the Dever, the Anton, Upper Test, Candover Brook and Cheriton Stream have all been downgraded in 2013.

The majority of waterbodies not meeting Good Ecological Status are failing for Water Framework Directive elements such as, fish, invertebrates and phosphate, amongst a number of other reasons for failure.

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è Fig 9 & 10: Test & Itchen: Surface Water Overall Status 2009 vs 2013

è Fig 11 & 12: Test & Itchen: Groundwater Chemical Status 2009 vs 2013

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è Fig 13 & 14: Test & Itchen: Groundwater Quantity 2009 vs 3013

For groundwater, there have been no significant changes between 2009 and 2013, the River Test Chalk and the River Itchen chalk, which are both responsible for the majority of surface water flow in both rivers, are failing for chemical status as they contain high concentrations of Nitrates and there is evidence of localised contamination from solvents and pesticides. The groundwater quantity in the Itchen Chalk is also still failing in 2013 interim assesment.

The transitional and coastal (TraC) waterbodies (Southampton Water and Solent), which are fed by the catchment’s surface waters, also show no improvement from 2009 to 2013.

è Fig 15 & 16: Test & Itchen: TRaC Waters Overall Status 2009 vs 2013

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3.4. Plans, Strategies & Projects

In addition to the information on designated sites and WFD data, there is a considerable body of work, both past and present, which has been undertaken to address issues across the whole catchment or within certain individual waterbodies. The majority of this activity has been documented in the various plans and strategies listed below.

The Partnership has undertaken a review of the activities and actions contained in these various plans and strategies in order to highlight the main issues and pressures on the water environment and to identify where the Partnership might be most effective in delivering actions that will lead to environmental improvements; potentially by working within the remit of existing projects or plans, or by working alongside them to undertake those activities not already being delivered.

Ø 2005

Winchester BAP -‐ A local biodiversity action plan for the district of Winchester – Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Ø 2006

Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project -‐ Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Test & Itchen Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy -‐ Environment Agency

Southampton City Council’s Biodiversity Action Plan – Southampton City Council

Ø 2007

River Itchen SSSI Water Level Management Plan -‐ Environment Agency

River Test SSSI Water Level Management Plan -‐ Environment Agency

Ø 2008

The Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Test Valley – Test Valley Borough Council

River Anton Enhancement Strategy -‐ Environment Agency / Test Valley Borough Council

Your Test Valley Plan -‐ Test Valley Partnership

Test & Itchen Countryside Access Plan -‐ Hampshire County Council

Ø 2009 South East River Basin Management Plan -‐ Environment Agency

Stockbridge River Restoration Strategy -‐ National Trust

Winnall Moors Restoration -‐ Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

North Wessex Downs AONB Management Plan –North Wessex Downs AONB

Ø 2010

North Solent Shoreline Management Plan -‐ New Forest District Council

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Eel Management Plans for the South East River Basin District – Environment Agency

PUSH Green Infrastructure Strategy – UE Associates

Rural Sediment Tracing Project – Environment Agency

River Test & Itchen Shading Strategy -‐ Environment Agency / Natural England

Solent Forum Business Plan – Solent Forum

WWF Rivers on the Edge –WWF

Living Landscapes: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council Natural Environment Strategy -‐ Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

South Downs National Park (SDNP) Nitrate Modelling Project – SDNP Authority

Ø 2011

River Itchen Sea Trout & Salmon Catchment Summary -‐ Environment Agency

River Test Sea Trout & Salmon Catchment Summary -‐ Environment Agency

Catchment Sensitive Farming South East & Thames River Basin District Strategy -‐ Catchment Sensitive Farming / Natural England

Monks Brook and River Itchen INNS Project -‐ Eastleigh Borough Council

Ø 2012

Biodiversity Action Plan for Eastleigh Borough 2012-‐22 -‐ Eastleigh Borough Council

Ø 2013 Romsey Waterways & Wetlands Enhancement Strategy -‐ Test Valley Borough Council

Test & Itchen Abstraction Licensing Strategy -‐ Environment Agency

Test & Itchen Diffuse Water Pollution Plan -‐ Environment Agency / Natural England

Solent European Marine Sites (SEMS) Delivery Plan – SEMS / Solent Forum

Draft Water Resources Management Plan for 2015 – 2040 – Southern Water

Draft Business Plan for 2015 – 2020 – Southern Water

Test & Itchen Restoration Strategy -‐ Environment Agency

Hampshire Minerals & Waste Plan -‐ Hampshire County Council

Hampshire Groundwater Management Plan -‐ Hampshire County Council

Hampshire's Local Flood Risk Management Strategy -‐ Hampshire County Council

Ø 2014

River Itchen SAC Site Improvement Plan – Natural England

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River Catchment Invertebrate Fingerprinting Programme – Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust

South Downs National Park (SDNP) Partnership Management Plan – SDNP Authority

Water Resources Management Plan for 2015 – 2040 – Southern Water

The views and opinions provided by stakeholders and the additional data and evidence, gathered as part of the partnerships strategic review, have all been used in the next section of the plan to identify issues, existing actions and opportunities, within four key themes;

Ø Water Quality Ø Water Quantity Ø Channel / Habitat / Biodiversity Ø Recreation and Community Engagement.

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KEY THEMES

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4.0. WATER QUALITY

4.1. What are the issues?

Nutrient Enrichment

Nitrogen and phosphorous containing compounds are natural and vital components of a healthy aquatic ecosystem. However, when released into the environment as a result of human activities, they can alter the finely balanced equilibrium of nutrients cycling through the ecosystem and drive the uncontrolled and unbalanced growth of aquatic plants and algae in a process called eutrophication. This can lead to severe problems for aquatic organisms, the ecological health of a waterbody and for humans who also depend on the water for drinking, recreational use or the production of food such as watercress and fish.

Sediment and Turbidity

Turbidity is a measure of how much suspended material there is in water. There are many factors that can cause turbidity to increase but the most common is the presence of soil and mineral sediments in the water column. These materials are often released following disturbance of the river or lake substrate, but they can also enter the water as a result of erosion and run-‐off from the land. Increased turbidity results in significant ecological impacts by blocking the penetration of light to aquatic plants, clogging the gills of fish and other organisms and by smothering benthic habitats. It can also increase the intensity and cost of treating water for drinking.

Microbial & Parasitic Contamination

Microbial pollutants, derived from human and animal faecal matter, pose a significant risk to human health, either when people come in contact with the river or bathing waters and when contaminated water is abstracted for drinking water treatment. They can also have severe negative impacts on the ecological health of the river by increasing turbidity and reducing the levels of dissolved oxygen. The main mechanisms by which faecal material, parasites and faeces-‐derived substances enter the water course are from, direct ‘voiding’ into the water by livestock, leaching from manure and slurry stores and from consented and unconsented discharges of human sewage.

Pesticides

Chemicals used to kill and control ‘pest’ organisms are commonly referred to as ‘pesticides’. When used with care, they can deliver substantial benefits including; the availability of good quality, reasonably priced food and well managed urban environments. However, despite these benefits it is essential to note that large amounts of pesticides often miss their intended target and are lost into the environment where they can contaminate non-‐target species, air, water and sediments. By their very nature, pesticides can pose a significant threat to ecosystem health, biodiversity and human health if they are not used with appropriate care and consideration.

AIMS: Reduce nutrient input from point sources of pollution and mitigate soil, nutrient and pesticide losses from diffuse sources.

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4.2. Where are the pressures?

è Fig 17: Water quality priority areas, drivers and receiving features

There are three principal locations where degradation of the water quality in our streams and rivers can result in the loss of ecosystems service provision; 1) within the aquatic ecosystems themselves, 2) at downstream locations in the river system, and 3) where water is abstracted for the provision of drinking water. Distribution of these features across the catchment is shown in the map in Figure 17. These features are critical in targeting any work proposed in the Catchment Action Plan.

WFD classifications also provide a good indication of where the main pressures exist. The groundwater ‘chemical status’ map illustrates that the groundwater which supplies the majority of base flow to the rivers and streams in the catchment is failing in the majority of places for nitrates, pesticides and solvents. The classification for ‘phosphorous’ and for ‘diatoms’, as shown in the maps in Figure 20 and 21, also provide an indication of nutrient pressures on surface water quality.

è Fig 18: WFD Overall Status (2013) è Fig 19: Groundwater Status (2013)

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è Fig 20: Phosphorous Status (2013) è Fig 21: Diatom Status (2013)

Map 3: Risk Maps

The maps below indicate areas at highest risk from pollution. Either from proximity to a point source of pollution, or as shown in the map on the right, from diffuse pollution. The diffuse pollution risk is derived from assessing a combination of factors such as land use, soil risk, slope and hydrological connectivity.

è Fig 22: Point sources of Pollution è Fig 23: Diffuse Pollution Risk Map

Point sources of pollution Given that the contamination in a catchment can be caused by a wide array or different pollutants in different locations, and that these pollutants can each be derived from a number of different sources, it is vital to explore the contribution that different sources of contamination make to the pollution load in different sections of the catchment.

There are a huge number of pollutants that can be derived from so-called point sources (outfalls, discharges, drains, mis-connections, etc..) and it is important to consider the location and contribution of these alongside examination of the different diffuse sources when making an assessment of the water quality problem in a catchment and designing a programme of interventions to correct it.

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The$Source$ApporOonment$GIS$(SAGIS)$tool$(CaBA$Data$Package)$indicates$the$scale$and$sector$sources$of$phosphate$polluOon.$

Source apportionment The sources of different pollutants occurring in a catchment can be estimated a variety of data, water quality monitoring and modelling techniques. The Source Apportionment GIS (SAGIS) is one of these tools, which estimates the load, concentration and sources of nutrient pollution in waterbodies across an entire catchment area.

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4.3. What is already being done?

Regulatory Action:

The entire catchment is included as a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone and all farmers receiving a single farm payment, from the EU, have to comply with Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards in addition to UK and European legislation. There are also a number of areas that have been designated as Source Protection Zones, Safeguard Zones or Drinking Water Protected Areas in order to protect public drinking water supplies. In addition to this, there is legislation controlling discharges to surface water bodies and groundwater.

Plans & Strategies:

Ø South East River Basin District Management Plan -‐ Environment Agency

The Environment Agency’s first cycle River Basin Management Plan provides an overarching view of current status and actions required to meet the obligations of the Water Framework Directive. The plan, published in 2009, outlined a handful of key actions for the Test and Itchen Catchment. These included measures to address water quality, particularly addressing diffuse pollution from agriculture and point source pollution from sewage treatment works, as well as watercress and fish farming operations.

Ø Test & Itchen Diffuse Water Pollution Plan -‐ Environment Agency / Natural England

This plan is dedicated to addressing diffuse pollution across the riverine and coastal SSSI units in the Test and Itchen Catchment. It calls for the continuation of the existing land management schemes, shown below, and also identifies a need for further evidence to secure future mechanisms to reduce diffuse pollution. In addition to looking to build a stronger evidence base it sets out a number of ‘on the ground’ actions aimed at a range of stakeholders, including the agricultural sector, fisheries managers, watercress farming, local authorities and residents.

Ø Environmental Stewardship Schemes & New Environmental Land Management Schemes – Natural England / DEFRA

Environmental Stewardship is an agri-‐environment scheme that was open to all farmers and provided a financial incentive for entering into voulantry management agreements to deliver environmental enhancements and protection. The scheme offered a number of ‘soil and water’ options, which incentivized farmers to protect water courses, for example planting buffer strips adjacent to a water course to prevent run-‐off. The scheme is due to be replaced by New Environmental Land Management Schemes (NELMS) in 2015.

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Ø Catchment Sensitive Farming South East & Thames River Basin District Strategy -‐ Catchment Sensitive Farming / Natural England

The strategy outlines the approach for the delivery of the 3rd Phase of Catchment Sensitive Farming in the South East river basin district. It sets out the list of measures available to farmers to help mitigate the impact of their activities on the water environment and shows the priority areas for targeting advice and funding in the Test and Itchen Catchment. There is a degree of uncertainty over what funding will be committed to Catchment Sensitive Farming beyond 2015.

Other Initiatives:

Ø Rural Sediment Tracing Project – Environment Agency Ø Anglers Monitoring Initiative – Riverfly Partnership Ø South Downs National Park (SDNP) Collaborative Nitrate Modelling Project

– SDNP Authority Ø River Catchment Invertebrate Fingerprinting Programme – Wessex Chalk

Stream & Rivers Trust Ø Draft Business Plan for 2015 – 2020 – Southern Water Ø Development of a Catchment Management Strategy – Portsmouth Water

4.4. What can the partnership do?

Sediment Pathways:

The Test & Itchen SSSI Diffuse Water Pollution Plan identifies an opportunity for the Catchment Partnership to co-‐ordinate efforts with local authorities to reduce sediment and other contaminants (eg pesticides, oils etc) from tracks, roads and urban areas, as well as other activities and landholdings. This opportunity has also been independently identified by a number of stakeholders.

Non-‐Mains Sewerage:

The Test & Itchen SSSI Diffuse Water Pollution Plan also identifies an opportunity for the Catchment Partnership to deliver an awareness campaign for best practice management of non-‐mains effluent. Again, a number of stakeholders particularly from the upper catchment have indicated that they would be supportive of this kind of approach.

Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture:

Stakeholders agree that the Partnership should explore opportunities for catchment management and delivering on-‐farm advice to support work already being carried out, particularly through Catchment Sensitive Farming, to mitigate diffuse water pollution from agriculture.

Groundwater – Nitrates:

There is an opportunity to support the forthcoming delivery phase of the Collaborative Nitrate Modelling Project, utilising catchment management as a tool for mitigating the rising levels of nitrates in the catchment’s chalk aquifers. Targeting nitrates will also afford an opportunity to

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address other agricultural practices that are contributing to diffuse water pollution issues in the catchment.

Monitoring:

There is an opportunity to help improve early warning signals for pollution incidents by engaging local communities and particularly the angling community to expand the coverage of the Riverfly Partnership’s Anglers Monitoring Initiative.

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5.0. WATER QUANTITY

5.1. What are the issues?

Abstraction and low flows

The Test & Itchen supply much of Hampshire’s public water needs, including a large proportion of the Isle of Wight’s requirements. There are a number of significant surface water abstractions as well as groundwater abstractions from the chalk. The catchment also supports a large number of commercial fish farms and watercress growers who are dependant on reliable and abundant water supplies. Although the majority of abstraction is non-‐consumptive and returns water locally the overall impact of abstraction puts pressure on flows and can potentially lead to rivers not having enough water to support a healthy ecosystems.

Flooding

With changes in climate affecting rainfall patterns and larger areas of land being covered for development and thus loosing their natural ability to drain water, flooding has become an increasingly apparent issue in recent years. Groundwater flooding is a particular problem for many parts of the catchment and following heavy rainfall events it is often exacerbated by surface water flooding.


There are a number of locations in the catchment landscape where a reduced ability to maintain base flows during periods of low rainfall will exert a negative impact. Water quantity has a direct bearing on the effluent volumes that can be discharged from point sources of pollution, where sufficient flows are needed to ensure the effluent is diluted appropriately downstream. Abstraction licenses for drinking water supplies also depend on maintenance of sufficient base flows and similarly, rivers and streams require sufficient flow during dry periods to remain in good ecological condition.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are many locations where the unregulated release of water from the land and into our rivers can pose a threat to people living in the catchment and cause community disruption. In addition to residential properties there may also be locations where important buildings and other critical infrastructure are at risk of flooding. The properties and infrastructure at risk of being flooded are shown in Figure 26 which cross-‐references settlements against flood risk zones and surface water flood risk areas to identify where there is a risk of flooding and damage to property or threatening human health and safety.

AIMS: Increase water attenuation, slow run-‐off, improve resilience to low flows and increase aquifer re-‐charge.

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è Fig 24: Base flow priority areas & features è Fig 25: Water reliability (% of the time)

è Fig 26: Infrastructure at risk from flooding è Fig 27: Historic flood map

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Priority areas for drought alleviation There are a number of locations in a catchment landscape where a reduced ability for an ecosystem to maintain base flows in rivers during periods of low rainfall will exert a negative impact.

Water quantity in a river has a direct bearing on the effluent volumes and concentrations that can be discharged from point sources of pollution. Sufficient flows are required to ensure that effluent is diluted appropriately downstream.

Where abstraction intake licences exist for drinking water supply there is a clear need for baseflows to be maintained. Rivers also require sufficient flow during dry periods to remain in good ecological condition.

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Sewage effluent dilution – Sewage Treatment Works


Sewage Treatment Works (STWs)

EA dataset from Geostore www.geostore.com/environment-agency

STWs can have a significant impact on water quality - STWs can be mapped using the EA Discharge Consents dataset (optionally in comparison or supplemented with water company data).

Drinking Water Abstractions


Drinking Water Protected Areas (DrWPAs) EA dataset from Geostore www.geostore.com/environment-agency

WFD waterbodies where drinking water for public supply occurs are designated Drinking Water Protected Areas (DrWPAs) – these can be mapped from the EA WFD Classification data.

Abstraction Locations EA dataset from Geostore www.geostore.com/environment-agency Not currently included as not obtained yet.

Abstraction locations are obtained in the EA’s NALD Abstraction Licences dataset. Permitted details for these abstractions are not included in the data, but can be obtained from the EA or water company locally.

Private water supplies Should be recorded by Local Authorities, but not included as not currently available.

These low volume abstractions (<20m3/day), where treatment is often minimal, can be severely impacted by degraded raw water quality. Have been mapped by some Local Authorities, who took responsibility for their regulation in 2011, but this would require local investigation

Rivers – Ecological Health


Flow for ecological health of rivers WFD$Reasons$for$Failure$Database$can$be$obtained$from$the$EA.$

Waterbodies where flow may be driving degradation in ecological health can be identified from the EA’s Reason for Failure database

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Regulatory:

To take water from rivers, groundwater and other sources, an abstraction license from the Environment Agency will generally be required. Similarly, to create or alter an impoundment, permission will be required from the Environment Agency to obtain an impoundment.

Waterbodies that are used, or planned to be used, for the abstraction of water intended for human consumption; and providing, or planned to provide, a total of more than 10 cubic metres of water per day on average, or serving, or planned to serve, more than 50 people have been classified as Drinking Water Protected Areas.

Finally, for flood risk management purposes, the Water Resources Act 1991 and associated byelaws require an application for consent from the Environment Agency to cover any works that are proposed in, over, under or adjacent to main rivers.

Plans & Strategies:


The Environment Agency’s first cycle River Basin Management Plan provides an overarching view of current status and actions required to meet the obligations of the Water Framework Directive. The plan, published in 2009, outlined a handful of key actions for the Test and Itchen Catchment. With regards to water quantity, the plan identified actions to modify abstraction licences. Ø Test & Itchen Abstraction Licensing Strategy -‐ Environment Agency

This Licensing Strategy sets out how water resources are managed in the Test & Itchen CAMS area. It provides information about where water is available for further abstraction and an indication of how reliable a new abstraction licence may be. In the Test catchment there is only water available for abstraction at high flows with any reliability but there is a restricted amount of water available at mid flows. In the Itchen catchment future abstraction is restricted to very high flows.

There is a presumption against issuing new consumptive licenses from the Chalk of the Test and Itchen. The Restoring Sustainable Abstraction (RSA) process is also on-‐going to review those existing abstraction licences which may be damaging the environment. The strategy sets out the approaches to be taken in specific areas of the catchment. Under the Restoring Sustainable Abstraction programme, the Environment Agency is changing two water company licences and three fish farm licences on the Itchen. It also takes any opportunity to reduce or recover under-‐used or unused licences.

Ø SSSI Water Level Management Plans-‐ Environment Agency

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Water Level Management Plans (WLMPs) are required where drainage and/or flood control may affect the nature conservation interest of water–dependent SSSIs such as the Rivers Test and Itchen.

The Itchen WLMP identified actions, preliminary cost estimates and a forward programme for the on-‐going delivery of the WLMP. Subsequent phases of feasibility, detailed design & implementation have seen work undertaken to all necessary key structures in order to enable appropriate management of water levels. Subsequently, the project partners have been working to develop 'Hatch Operating Protocols'; these are voluntary agreements, which set out how individual structures should be managed, and agreement of HOPs for all relevant structures is the final outstanding action under the Itchen WLMP.

The Test WLMP set out a long-‐list of potential actions, which were subsequently screened and prioritised to generate an ordered list of 12 proposals. These works, which included structure modification, ditch clearance and improvement of vegetation management practices, were taken forward for feasibility work in 2008. We have been unable to find information on what work has been completed.

Ø Hampshire Groundwater Management Plan -‐ Hampshire County Council

The plan provides settlement-‐specific action plans for a short list of 10 Hampshire settlements seen to be at most risk from Groundwater flooding. Within the Test & Itchen Catchment there are Settlement Action Plans for 4 of the 10 high risk areas in the County; including, Kings Worthy, Appleshaw, Bourne Rivulet Villages and Preston Candover. The settlement action plans provide a risk assessment of groundwater flooding for each area and provide a review of existing mitigation measures, as well as suggesting a range of additional site-‐ specific measures, with a particular emphasis on community engagement in delivering actions and building awareness. Hampshire County Council have also been piloting the ‘Parish Lengthsmen Scheme’ which allows for a local level of maintenance responsibility, for road and land drainage, and can help with reporting during flood incidents.

Ø Hampshire's Local Flood Risk Management Strategy -‐ Hampshire County Council The strategy aims to provide an overall strategic direction for local flood risk management for the next fifteen years. It is seen as the first step in a continuous process of understanding flood risk management and securing funding to deliver improvements to local flood risk management. The strategy includes a county-‐wide risk assessment of fluvial, coastal, sewer, surface water and groundwater flooding. In addition to the description of generic measures, there is also a separate

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Action Plan, which contains 248 ward-‐specific action plans, each of which contains a risk assessment for the ward and a proposal of site-‐specific measures to improve flood management. There is a strong emphasis, in the strategy and the action plan, on developing partnership working between authorities, agencies, other interested parties and community groups. Similarly, the strategy highlights the importance of delivering multiple benefits (e.g. to biodiversity, natural processes and amenity) to attract funding from local and national government.

Ø Water Resources Management Plan for 2015 – 2040 – Southern Water Water Companies plan their resource management activities on a 25 year basis, updating plans every 5 years. The plans seek to balance supply and demand, whilst taking into account costs to the consumer and to the environment. After a period of consultation, Southern Water’s plan was published in October 2014. In the Company’s ‘Western Area’ which includes Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, there are challenges faced in achieving this balance. The plan includes a commitment to reviewing the options currently proposed to secure water resources in this area, to ensure that the most appropriate schemes are selected.


Resource Efficiency

With Southern Water as a key member of the partnership’s Core Group, the remaining partners are all well placed to engage with Southern Water’s activities, including resource efficiency campaigns. With the Partnership’s help there is an opportunity to enhance the environmental perspective of these campaigns.

Increase Resilience to Low Flows

In relation to actions identified in the Abstraction Licensing Strategy, there is an opportunity to work with licence holders to improve sustainability where flows fall below the EFI, this could include river restoration works to improve resilience to low flows.

Natural Flood Risk Management

There is a strong emphasis on partnership working and community involvement in the existing plans to tackle flood risk and management. The TICP could be well placed to help develop the community aspects of these plans, particularly working with landowners and riparian owners to develop natural flood risk management measures such as strategic woodland and wetland creation.

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Similarly, the TICP could help deliver the wider benefits to biodiversity, natural processes, amenity etc, that are considered to be an important part of accessing funding from central and local government, to deliver flood risk management improvements.

Co-‐ordinate Water Level Management

Through previous projects, stakeholders have suggested that coordination of water level management amongst river managers should be improved. There is an opportunity for the Partnership to facilitate this and enable better communication between nearby owners to keep them informed of issues or action taken.

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6.0. Channel / Habitat / Biodiversity

6.1 What are the problems?

Structure and Function

Chalk streams have been historically modified to suit a variety of human purposes such as agriculture, fisheries, flood risk management and the development of watercress beds and mills. The various modifications have altered the natural character of the river and led to systems being potentially over-‐widened, over deepened, impounded and disconnected with the floodplain.

Barriers to Fish

In channel weirs and structures are generally linked to negative impacts on the physical and ecological condition of the river. In addition to altering the depth and velocity of flow, structures can also impact on the biological connectivity of the river by limiting fish and invertebrate passage.

Riparian Management

The Test and Itchen supports a thriving fisheries industry and the majority of the river is intensively managed to accommodate sport fisheries. Inappropriate vegetation management practices can impact on the diversity of riparian habitats, over widening of section and the rivers ability to restore it’s natural features.

Water Temperature

Climate change models forecast that average summer air temperature will rise by between 2 and 4 degrees celsius. Rivers and the freshwater ecosystems they support are particularly sensitive to changes in climate and water temperature. For example a rise in water temperature above 22 degrees celsius for more than seven consecutive days can be lethal for brown trout.

Non-‐native Invasive Species

Traditional chalk stream flora and fauna faces increasing pressure from a range of non-‐native invasive species that have taken hold within the catchment. These include Himalayan Balsam, American mink and most recently the American signal crayfish.

6.2 Where are the pressures?

There are numerous sources of data and evidence available to show the assessment of ecological health and biological richness across the catchment. Designated sites are classified according to their condition and rivers and other aquatic ecosystems are assessed via a number of metrics, included in the WFD ecological assessments, some of which have been be mapped in Figures 28-‐33 to highlight where certain pressures are most significant.

AIMS: Increase connectivity with the floodplain, reduce impoundment and barriers to fish, improve resilience to increasing temperatures, enhance habitats for wildlife and control invasive species.

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è Fig 28: WFD Ecological Assessments è Fig 29: SSSI Condition Assessments

è Fig 30: Potential barriers to fish è Fig 31: Physical modification (EA)

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Regulatory:

There are 14 riverine units within the Test and Itchen Catchment that are legally protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The River Itchen is also designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) affording it a further layer of protection through the EC Habitats Directive.

Plans & Strategies:


The Environment Agency’s first cycle River Basin Management Plan provides an overarching view of current status and actions required to meet the obligations of the Water Framework Directive. The plan, published in 2009, outlined a handful of key actions for the Test and Itchen Catchment. These included measures to address fish passage, enhance habitats, monitor salmon and control invasive non-‐native species.

Ø Test & Itchen Restoration Strategy -‐ Environment Agency

The Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy focuses on the in-‐channel and riparian restoration necessary to support chalk stream flora and fauna, achieve the SSSI favourable condition required to fulfil the requirements of numerous legislative drivers, improve climate change resilience, and to secure the wider commercial and amenity value and the ecosystem services provided by the two rivers. It defines River Restoration as “measures that are designed to return the physical form (morphology) of the river and the subsequent ecological features present, back towards their natural condition”. Actions have been identified which tackle the reasons for adverse conditions of the SSSI, and which were confirmed by the key findings of a walkover survey. Reaches were assessed and recommendations made to either restore, rehabilitate, or conserve and enhance.

Ø River Itchen SAC Site Improvement Plan – Natural England

The plan identifies the priority actions that are required to improve the existing unfavourable condition of the River Itchen SAC. It calls for the delivery of the River Restoration Strategy as the main mechanism for delivering channel, habitat and biodiversity improvements but also identifies actions for controlling invasive non-‐native species and encouraging appropriate scrub management, grazing and weed management. Similarly, it identifies implementation of the Diffuse Water Pollution Plan as the main mechanism for improving water quality and identifies key actions in reducing sediment from road runoff and other pathways, quantifying and addressing the problem of phosphate inputs from septic tanks, review of discharge consents for watercress and fish farms and the continuation of Catchment Sensitive Farming after 2015 and continued

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implementation of HLS projects under NELMS. Finally it also identifies actions to address low flow issues through the water level management plans and abstraction licensing.

Other Initiatives:

Ø Itchen Navigation Project -‐ Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Ø River Anton Enhancement Strategy -‐ Environment Agency / Test Valley

Borough Council Ø River Test & Itchen Shading Strategy -‐ Environment Agency / Natural

England Ø Stockbridge River Restoration Strategy -‐ National Trust Ø Winnall Moors Project -‐ Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Ø Monks Brook and River Itchen INNS Project -‐ Eastleigh Borough Council Ø Romsey Waterways & Wetlands Enhancement Strategy -‐ Test Valley

Borough Council


Community Action Groups

The Partnership should explore opportunities to support and expand existing Community Action Groups; including TARCA, FIN, the Upper Itchen Initiative and the Bourne Rivulet Initiative.

River Restoration

There may be collaborative opportunities with a number of existing initiatives, including the Test and Itchen SSSI River Restoration Strategy, Anton Enhancement Strategy and Romsey Waterways and Wetlands Environment Strategy to help deliver enhancement works and help integrate river restoration and biodiversity objectives to increase synergies.

Non-‐Native Invasive Species

There are several initiatives that the Partnership could look to help expanded upon and add value to work that is already underway. These include the work being carried out by Eastleigh Borough council to control non-‐native invasive species and mink control activity being undertaken by the South Downs National Park Authority.

Water Temperature

The delivery of the ‘Keeping Rivers Cool’ project is already underway but could be enhanced through partnership support, particularly for making contact with key landowners whose land may benefit from works, and by coordinating volunteer planting teams in areas where capacity is currently limited.

Best Practice Training

Many of the plans in existence refer to the need to raise awareness of best practice management for rivers, including aspects such as the management of riparian and in-‐channel vegetation,

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enhancement techniques, and techniques for managing impacts such as public access. Utilising the technical knowledge and educational skills of the Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and other wider partners, the partnership could look to develop and deliver training sessions or site visits on ‘river enhancement’ for volunteers, domestic landowners, and rural land managers.

There is also an opportunity to add value to existing delivery groups by organising a centralised delivery of training events for existing volunteer groups, such as TARCA, FIN and others. This would make best use of available funds for each of the groups, and would create the opportunity for volunteers (and staff) to meet to share best practice and learn from each other’s experiences.

Public Engagement

As well as engaging volunteers, domestic landowners, and rural land managers through sharing of best practice training, the partnership can also seek opportunities to engage with the wider community to share information about issues facing the local water environment and encouraging involvement with supporting the work of the partnership.

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7.0 Recreation & Community Involvement

7.1. What are the issue?

The main issue come in seeking to balance the sensitivity of valuable nature conservation areas with the potential stresses and disturbance of public access, whilst also recognising the importance of open green spaces in maintaining the health, well being and quality of life of local communities in the catchment.


Since people are the main drivers for recreational resource, the pressures on provision of recreational infrastructure will generally be greatest in and around areas with a high population density.

è Fig 34: Population Density è Fig 35: Recreation infrastructure


Regulatory:

Public Rights of Way and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 provide the public with a legally protected right to pass and re-‐pass along certain routes and areas of the countryside.

AIMS: To promote opportunities for local communities to learn about, enjoy and help protect the water environment.

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Plans & Strategies:

Ø Natural Green Space Standard (ANGSt) – Natural England Natural England has developed a nationally consistent standard for the provision of open space called the Accessible Natural Green Space Standard (ANGSt). ANGSt is a useful measure for determining the provision of open space in the wider landscape, as its standards apply specifically to natural greenspace, but it is widely accepted that it is not easily applied to dense urban environments where open space is more likely to be provided via parks and playing fields rather than high quality natural greenspace. Most importantly, this driver for recreational resources is entirely located where there are people to use them.

Ø Test & Itchen Countryside Access Plan -‐ Hampshire County Council This plan is part of Hampshire County Council’s ‘Rights of Way Improvement Plan’ and looks at the rights of way network across the catchment as well as other opportunities for people to enjoy the countryside. It identifies a series of issues and the necessary actions to address them. One of the key issues relates to demand for more access to, along and on waterways. Suggested actions include options to enhance existing access and increase opportunities through events.

Other Initiatives:

Ø Itchen Navigation Project -‐ Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust


Public Engagement and Education

There is an opportunity for the partnership to add value to existing work by providing centralized promotion of new or existing opportunities for access, such as volunteering opportunities, guided walks, including visits to private sites, waymarked & circular routes and intellectual access, all of which help to raise awareness about the importance of our rivers for wildlife and for the provision of ecosystem services. The improved promotion of existing opportunities may also help to reduce the perception that access is inherently restricted, and reduce calls for new access, which can create tension between users.

Countryside Access Planfor the Test & Itchen2008-2013

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Nature Nearby: Accessible Natural Greenspace

www.naturalengland.org.uk

‘Nature Nearby’

Accessible Natural Greenspace Guidance

March 2010

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OUTCOMES

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8.0. PARTNERSHIPS FOR ACTION

8.1. Summary of Opportunities

The opportunities identified by the partnership’s strategic review of issues and existing actions are summarised in the table below.

A. WATER QUALITY 1. Sediment pathways: reduce the amount of fine sediment reaching the watercourse. 2. Non-‐mains sewerage: raise awareness of negative implications of poorly managed private sewerage and promote best practice. 3. Diffuse pollution from agriculture: Engage with landowners and farmers to support existing work to mitigate soil, nutrient and pesticide loss. Particularly with regards to groundwater. 4. Monitoring: Engage with anglers and local communities to increase coverage of existing river fly monitoring programme.

B. WATER QUANTITY

1. Resource Efficiency: work with water companies to help deliver water efficiency campaigns. 2. Resilience: work with abstraction license holders to deliver river restoration works that will improve resilience to low flows. 3. Natural flood management: Increase water attenuation with strategic woodland and wetland creation. 4. Co-‐ordinate water level management: facilitate communication and agreement between water level managers.

C. CHANNEL / HABITAT & BIODIVERSITY

1. River Restoration: Explore collaborative opportunities to deliver river restoration works. 2. Best Practice Training: Centralise and deliver best education and training. 3. Invasive Species: Help expand and add value to existing INNS initiatives. 4. Water Temperature: Enhance delivery of ‘Keeping Rivers Cool’. 5. Community Action Groups: Work with and support existing delivery groups.


1. Community engagement and education to promote opportunities for local communities to learn about and enjoy the water environment.

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8.2. Prioritisation of Opportunities

Having established a number of opportunities for action, the partnership sought to prioritise these by creating a framework of partnership projects that will enable core partners and stakeholders to work together to deliver actions that will lead to improvements in each of the opportunity areas.

A series of 20 outline project proposals was developed to reflect each of the opportunity areas. These project proposals were then presented as part of a Pledge Event in June 2014, at which stakeholders were invited to help prioritise projects by voting, providing suggestions on how projects could be developed and by pledging their support to help deliver projects. This process embodied the stakeholder involvement and partnership ethos of the catchment based approach, with priorities for action being determined by the level of stakeholder support.

Following the pledge event, a further prioritisation exercise, based upon consideration of the strategic review of the catchment, the results of stakeholder engagement and the expertise of the core group members, was undertaken by the steering group at a meeting in July 2014.

8.3. Projects and Partnerships for Action

The initial projects that the partnership has collectively agreed to take forward are show in the table below. Those areas not shortlisted will not be ignored but will be revisited periodically, and incorporated into future work plans as directed by future reviews.

For each of the initial projects, ‘Project Initiation Documents’, have been drafted and working groups including core partners and wider stakeholders have been established to create a series of partnerships for determining and delivering actions within each project area.

Priority Projects

A. WATER QUALITY:

1. Sediment Pathways Project 2. Non-‐Mains Sewerage Project 3. Groundwater Quality Project 4. Anglers Monitoring Initiative

B. WATER QUANTITY

1. Multifunctional Wetlands Project

* Sediment Pathways Project

C. CHANNEL / HABITAT / BIODIVERSITY

1. Keeping Rivers Cool

* Multifunctional Wetlands Project


1. Rivers Week

* Anglers Monitoring Initiative

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Further information and web-‐based ‘Action Cards’ for the individual projects will be available through the partnership’s website -‐ www.ticp.org.uk -‐ which will comprise the second part of this Catchment Action Plan and will continually be updated as projects progress and are delivered.

8.4. What can you do to get involved?

There are a large number of individuals and organisations who are actively involved in the catchment partnership and that would welcome the support of other stakeholders in the catchment, so If you feel you can contribute to the partnership in any way or would like to find out more information about how you can help by getting involved the please contact either:

www.wcsrt.org.uk www.hiwwt.org.uk

Also, please see the links below for ideas and advice that relating to:

Riparian owners and fisheries managers: Contact us to find out about delivering river restoration works and potential funding opportunities through the Test & Itchen River Restoration Strategy. Keep us informed of issues affecting the river in your local area.

Farm businesses: Contact your local Catchment Sensitive Farming officer and Campaign for the Farmed Environment coordinator for advice on how to protect soil and water resources, improve wildlife and save money. Visit: www.cfeonline.org.uk

Community: Contact your local rivers trust or wildlife trust to find out about volunteering opportunities: Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Get in touch with Southern Water to discover how you can help save water. Contact the River Fly Partnership to find out about opportunities to get involved in the Anglers Monitoring Initiative. Visit: www.riverflies.org / www.southernwater.co.uk

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www.ticp.org.uk

TICP Catchment Action Plan (low res)

Documents

Transcript of TICP Catchment Action Plan (low res)