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HAMPSHIRE AVON

CATCHMENT PARTNERSHIP

Draft Catchment Action Plan

October 2014

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CONTENTS

1.0. INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

1.1. Catchment Based Approach……………………………………………………………………………. 3 1.2. Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership……………………………………………….……….. 4 1.3. Vision Statement ………………………………………………………………………………….……….. 4 1.4. Catchment Action Plan………………………..…………………………………………………………. 5

2.0 CATCHMENT BACKGROUND ………………………………………………………………………………………… 6

2.1. Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6 2.2. Geology & Soils …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 2.3. Hydrology and Water characteristics …………………………………………………………… 7 2.4. Population …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8 2.5. Land cover and Erosion Risk …………………………………………………………………………… 9 2.6. Protected Areas………………………………..……………………………………………………………. 10 2.7. Water and Sewerage …………………………………………………………………………………….. 11 2.8. Ecosystems Services ………………………………………………………………………………………. 13

3.0. CURRENT STATUS AND ACTIVITY ……………………………………………………………………………….. 14

3.1. Plans, Strategies & Projects ……………………………………………………………………………. 14 3.2. Water Framework Directive (WFD) …………………………………………………………………. 16 3.3. Existing Project ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 20 3.4. Stakeholder Engagement ……………………………………………………………………………….. 21

4.0. ISSUES & PRESSURES ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22

4.1. Spatial Application of Plans and strategies…………………………………………………….. 22 4.2. Management Plan Issues and Solutions………………………………………………………….. 24 4.3. Stakeholder Engagement ……………………………………………………………………………….. 24 4.4. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 24

APPENDICIES APPENDIX 1: Plans, Strategies & Projects Summary Table ………………………………………………… xx APPENDIX 2: WFD ecological status and Pressures ………….……………………………………………….. xx APPENDIX 3: Spatial Application of plans and strategies ………………………………………………….. xx APPENDIX 4: Sub Catchment Issues Matrix …………………..………………………………………………….. xx

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1.0. INTRODUCTION - 1.1 The Catchment Based Approach

Along with all other European Countries, the UK has a duty under the Water Framework Directive to

manage its waters from their existing state, into better condition. Our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal

waters and groundwater’s are all monitored and assessed against criteria which determine whether

they are in good condition.

The Chemical and Ecological status of our waters, whilst improving, lags behind that of many of our

EU counterparts, and The Catchment Based Approach is part of the UK’s solution to this.

The Catchment Based Approach encourages the participation of a broad group of individuals and

organisations into a cooperative working partnership to harness joint ideas, funding and knowledge

for the benefit of the river catchment. The issues will be identified and tackled at a much more local

level, giving key stakeholders and local communities the opportunity to get involved, encouraging a

more transparent form of decision making in support of local collaboration or partnership working in

both planning and delivery.

Throughout England, Catchment Partnerships are coming together to collectively agree on the

priorities for the local water environment. Many are developing, in partnership, realistic Catchment

Action Plans which will guide the work of the partnerships and also help to inform larger-scale

strategic River Basin Management plans that the Environment Agency is putting in place for each of

the 11 River Basin Districts in England & Wales. These River Basin Management Plans set out the

priorities and actions to deliver Good Ecological Status or Potential Good Ecological Status to be

implemented between 2016 and 2021 (the second management cycle of the Water Framework

Directive). 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 will be put out for consultation in October 2014 and following this the River Basin

Plans will be finalised in late 2015, for implementation between 2016 and 2021

The diagram below shows the timescale the Environment Agency is working to in order to deliver and

implement their plans.

Figure 1: Timetable for River Basin Management Planning under WFD

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The Catchment Based Approach is about much more than just complying with the Water Framework

Directive. It provides the opportunity for individuals and organisations who have an interest in the

rivers, lakes and groundwater bodies, plus those whose activities impact or benefit from them to come

together and highlight issues, identify priorities and participate in delivery of actions to address

impacts. These stakeholders include river owners, fishery and wildlife organisations, land owners and

farmers, water companies, industry and other businesses, local communities and individuals.

1.2 Hampshire Avon Catchment Partnership

The Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust has been appointed to host the Hampshire Avon Catchment

Partnership with funding from The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and

other sources to develop this Catchment Action Plan and co-ordinate delivery of the actions proposed

within.

A number of organisations have come together to act as the core group of the partnership on behalf

of all of the wider stakeholders. This core group has been established from organisations representing

fishery and wildlife interests, farming and aquaculture, the water industry, local authorities and

government agencies to help direct and steer the Catchment Partnership. This group includes:

Participation from communities and interest groups is crucial to The Catchment Based Approach. The

Catchment Partnership has also established a wider stakeholder group actively encouraging local

stakeholders to feed their views into the partnership and help deliver action on the ground. The

partnership is already working with a wide range of stakeholder including; local authorities, the

watercress and fish farming industry, fisheries groups, riparian owners, land managers and farmers.

The Partnership is seeking ways to continue developing and expanding involvement of key

stakeholders throughout the catchment.

1.3 Vision

The Catchment Partnership’s vision is of:

Healthy water bodies within the Hampshire Avon catchment which are valued and nurtured by

residents, businesses and the wider community and which exhibit:

o Naturally functioning flows; o High water quality; o Sustainable and abundant wildlife; o Fully functioning ecosystems linking rivers with their valleys; and o Resilience to climate change and future socio-economic pressures.

The Partnership will seek to realise these ambitions by:

o Committing to working together to achieve better outcomes for the water environment of the

Hampshire Avon catchment;

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o Ensuring that the ecosystem services provided by our rivers are recognised and valued in

decisions about land and water management;

o Developing a shared understanding of the issues facing the catchment, and a shared ambition

to take action to resolve them; and

o Developing our own measures of success framed around enhancement of the natural

environment of the Hampshire Avon catchment.

1.4 The Catchment Action Plan

The aim of the Catchment Action Plan is to set out actions, agreed by the Partnership that will deliver

the environmental improvements needed to work towards achieving the shared vision for the

catchment.

The Plan begins by providing a brief overview of the main characteristics of the Hampshire Avon

Catchment and a review of current status and activity.

It then looks at the issues and pressures effecting the catchment through existing management plans,

strategies and Water Framework Directive initiatives before outlining the existing actions already

being delivered to address these issues and pressures.

This document is a draft working document, and is intended as a starting point for future actions.

Whilst this document sets the scene and summarises what priority issues require action within the

catchment, the delivery-focused part of our action plan will be hosted on our website

www.hampshireavoncatchmentpartnership.org.uk. This will enable us to continually add to and

update the action plan as work on the ground is delivered. We certainly do not see production of our

plan as the aim of the partnership, but more as an active tool to help us deliver our agreed vision for

the Hampshire Avon catchment. Our objective is to deliver wide range of positive outcomes on our

river systems.

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2.0. CATCHMENT BACKGROUND

2.1. Overview

The Hampshire Avon rises in the Vale of Pewsey to the north of Salisbury and then flows south where

it confluences with the Dorset Stour in Christchurch Harbour. A significant proportion of the water in

the catchment is from groundwater within the chalk aquifers underlying two thirds of the upper

catchment. At Salisbury, the Avon is joined by three of its major tributaries - the Rivers Bourne, Nadder

and Wylye, and a short distance downstream by the River Ebble. They support habitats and species of

national and international importance, which is reflected in their designation as Sites of Special

Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA). The

water supports a variety of different uses; public water supply, industry and recreation for fishing and

other pastimes. The total catchment area is approximately 1,750 square kilometres, with 205

kilometres of river designated as SSSI.

Fig 2: Boundary Map – Hampshire Avon Catchment (excluding transitional and coastal

waters) Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database right 2014

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2.2. Geology

Fig 3: Geology - Hampshire Avon Catchment Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2014

Reproduced with the permission of the British Geological Survey ©NERC. All rights Reserved

Superficial Geology

Bedrock Geology

The catchment is dominated by chalk which underlies 70% to 80% of the north of the catchment and comprises large, mostly unconfined, aquifers that provide the majority of flow to the rivers, as well as providing public water supply for the catchment and the surrounding area. To the south of Downton the chalk plunges below sands, clays and gravels which significantly affects the natural characteristics of the many streams and small rivers that drain into the lower Avon river.

2.3. Hydrology and water characteristics

The water and flow characteristics of the catchment dominated by the permeable upper catchment

geology. Fast Flowing Chalk streams emerge from the chalk aquifer, which underlies the majority of

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the upper catchment (see Figure 3), providing a stable flow of calcareous rich alkaline water that

influences the rich biota of the river and provides the majority of public water supply for the upper

catchment towns. There are a number of winterbournes within the catchment the River Bourne, which

flows for 35kms in winter, but only 9km in summer.

In contrast the Nadder, Upper Wylye and the Headwaters of the Avon are underlain by greensand

which gives these catchments a greater surface water dominated input.

2.4. Population

Fig 4: Population Centres – Hampshire Avon Catchment

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database right 2014

KEY

The River Avon and its tributaries have been shaped and influenced by a long history of human use.

Our rivers have been engineered since the time of the Romans with the construction of Mills and

water meadows having significantly influenced their current form. These historic uses of water for

milling and pasture management, whilst no longer active in many places, continue to influence the

management of the Avon through their structural remains and water diversions. This rich history of

land management is integral to the landscape, heritage, social and economic value of the river. The

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Hampshire Avon Catchment has a population of around 230,000, but only two per cent of the

catchment is urbanised. As well as Salisbury and Christchurch, the urban areas include Warminster

and Ringwood.

2.5. Land Cover and Erosion Risk

Fig 5: Land Cover and Erosion Risk – Hampshire Avon Catchment Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database right 2014

Erosion risk map required

The Hampshire Avon catchment is characterised by open chalk downlands with steep valley sides,

sheltered valleys, chalk hills and ridges. Variations in the topography have a strong influence on the

rivers’ response to rainfall. The Upper Avon catchment is typified by undulating chalk downlands on

Salisbury Plain, which are cut by steep combes and river valleys. The lower catchment is characterised

by rolling farmland and the New Forest. The main watercourses have wide floodplains and flow

through farmland, woodland, scrub and open heathland.

The greatest delivery of fine sediments entering the river system is from the upper catchments of the

Wylye, Nadder and Avon due to the predominance of greensand geology and its high erosion risk as a

substrate. This risk coupled with the development of widespread arable cultivation in the catchments,

with large areas of former grassland ploughed up for Arable farming, has led to serious soil erosion on

autumn cultivated riparian land, especially after heavy rainfall.

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2.6. Protected areas

Fig 6: Protected Areas – Hampshire Avon Catchment Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v1.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database right 2014

Protected areas

In conservation terms the River Avon is one of the most important river systems in the UK, supporting

an internationally and nationally important assemblages of both habitats and species. Within the

catchment there are a number of sites designated for their environmental importance including two

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, two Environmentally Sensitive Areas, nine Special Areas of

Conservation (SAC), six National Nature Reserves, 71 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and

1,061 Scheduled Monuments. The River Avon System and River Till are designated internationally

through the Habitats Directive as a Special Areas of Conservation (SAC). These SAC’s support

internationally rare and threatened species. The river itself is designated as the River Avon System

SSSI covering the River Avon, its major tributaries and parts of the floodplain. The River Till, a tributary

of the River Wylye and Christchurch Harbour are also designated as separate SSSI units.

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The lower reaches of the River Avon and it’s floodplain, one of the largest expanses of unimproved floodplain grazing marsh in Britain, is designated as the Avon Valley SSSI (Bickton to Christchurch) and Special Protection Area (SPA). It supports a complex mosaic of wetland habitats including fens, mires, wet grassland, wet woodland and unimproved floodplain grassland. Important species include populations of breeding and over-wintering wetland birds and rare wetland plants and insects.

The species diversity of the catchment is one of the greatest in the county and includes many records of nationally rare and scarce species and those listed as priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). With over 180 species of river plant, one of the most diverse fish populations in Britain and a wide range of river invertebrates the river system is richer and more varied than most rivers in the UK. Habitats associated with the river include swamp, wet woodland and wet grassland habitats. The River Ebble has also recently been designated as a wild fish protection zone which looks to increase protection of key nursery areas for wild stocks of trout and salmon and reduce potential risk of genetic damage to wild fish stocks.

2.7 Water supply and sewerage

The chalk aquifer underlying the upper half of the Hampshire Avon provides clean and reliable water supplies to farmers, industry and public water supply. There are four main water companies in the Hampshire Avon Catchment; Wessex Water, SEMBCORP Bournemouth Water, Veolia Water, and Cholderton and District Water Company. Wessex Water are the largest company; supplying all mains sewerage within the catchment and all public water supply above Downton. SEMBCORP provide all public water to the south of Downton but mainly surface water extraction from the river.

A large proportion of water extracted from the aquifer, in the upper catchment, is not for use within the catchment and is exported to other areas within the region.

The majority of the water extracted for public supply is returned downstream through treated sewage effluent discharges adjacent to the mains grid system (Figure 7). All the areas outside of the main sewerage grid system will rely on private systems such as septic tanks and cess pits.

The water extracted from the aquifer increasingly requires expensive treatment to maintain and improve water quality and ensure that standards are met for public use.

Source Protection Zones have been put in place to reduce Nitrogen and Phosphate application, mostly from agriculture, which are jointly associated with the deteriorating quality of the rivers and aquifers.

The actual and predicted volumes of water abstracted from the Catchment are shown in Figure 8. The actual volumes taken each year are determined by customer demand, prevailing weather conditions and the limit of the licence conditions set by the EA to protect the environment. The Habitats Directive requires that consented activities, such as borehole abstractions, are assessed to determine whether they could damage wildlife within designated SAC river systems. In 2010 the EA completed their Review of Consents, concluding that licensed abstraction rates at five Wessex Water sources within the Hampshire Avon Catchment would cause flows to be reduced beyond the government’s SAC targets; impacting adversely upon its ecology. In their Asset Management Plan, Wessex Water has committed to making reductions in their licensed abstraction at these Public Water Supply sources to more sustainable levels (figure 9). This reduction will be implemented during 2018 following the construction of the Corfe Mullen to Salisbury water supply pipeline. The reduction in headroom will mean a reduction in the likelihood of abstraction affecting the ecology of the rivers.

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Fig 7: Map of Source Protection Zones and Wessex Water Mains sewerage– Hampshire Avon

Key Key

Sewage treatment works

catchments

Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown copyright reserved. Licence No. 100019539. Additional Copyright:

Wessex Water. Information in this plan is provided for identification purposes only. No warranty as to accuracy is given or implied

Fig 8: Map of actual and fully licensed annual calendar abstraction volumes– Hampshire Avon Reproduced from the Wessex water Hampshire Avon: Studies about the effects of abstraction 2011

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Fig 9: Wessex Water annual abstraction licence consent changes – Hampshire Avon

PWS source Catchment Change as proposed in the Site Action Plan When

Chitterne, Chitterne Brook PWS abstraction reduced by 7 Ml/d 2011

Brixton Deverill, Wylye PWS abstraction to be reduced by 5 Ml/d 2018

Codford, Wylye PWS abstraction to be reduced by 6 Ml/d, no summer abstraction 2018

Clarendon, Bourne PWS abstraction to stop (11 Ml/d reduction) 2018

Newton Tony, Bourne PWS abstraction to be reduced by 1.5 Ml/d, plus provision of stream

support at Porton

2018

2.8. Ecosystems Services

Ecosystems services are comprised of the diverse benefits which people receive from the natural

environment. Within the Hampshire Avon catchment, the natural environment provides a broad range

of services to the benefit of local communities, businesses, organisations and other stakeholders. The

catchment’s water environment, which is integral to wider land use management, supports a diverse

range of vital services and other important activities, including:

The provision of clean drinking water

Water regulation

Habitats for wildlife

Industrial abstraction

Agriculture

Aquaculture

Culture and recreation, particularly angling and boating.

A healthy water environment is therefore essential in sustaining the on-going delivery of these and

other ecosystems services for the benefit of the communities and all within in the Hampshire Avon

Catchment.

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3.0. CURRENT STATUS AND ACTIVITY

There is much information available about the catchment regarding its current status and the actions

and activities that are already underway to improve it. As a starting point we have reviewed the

various plans and strategies already underway within the catchment, alongside the Environment

Agency’s Water Framework Directive data. Other less formal information about the catchment has

been provided by existing projects and stakeholders who have also been asked to illicit their views on

the current status and issues.

3.1 Plans and Strategies

There are a considerable number of management plans and strategies, both past and present, which

have been developed to address issues across the whole catchment. The majority of this activity has

been documented in the list below.

The Catchment Officer undertook a review of activities and actions contained in the various plans and

strategies in order to highlight the main issues and pressures on the water environment. This helps

the Partnership identify the most effective actions that deliver environmental improvements whilst

working alongside existing projects or within the remit of existing plans and strategies.

The review included all the documents listed below and identified the main issues and actions

contained in each document. Attached in Appendix 1 is a brief synopsis of each plan.

River Management/Habitat RM01 - Strategic Framework for Restoration of the Hampshire Avon 2009 (Halcrow, EA)

RM02 - SfFRRA update - River Avon Restoration plan 2013 (EA)

RM03 - RARP strategic restoration of the River Avon 2011 (EA)

RM04 - Water Level Management Plan Units 1-15 2011 (EA)

RM05 - Water Level Management Plan units 16-20 31-32 Upper Avon (above Salisbury) 2011 (EA)

RM06 - Water Level Management Plan Units 21-30 Nadder, Wylye, Bourne and River Till 2011 (EA)

RM07 - River Basin Management Plan 2009 (EA)

RM08 - Hampshire Avon Catchment Information Pack (CIP) 2009-2013 (EA)

RM09 - The River Avon cSAC Conservation Strategy 2003 (Natura2000, Life, STREAM)

RM10 - The River Avon cSAC Conservation Strategy 2009 FINAL REPORT (Natura2000, Life, STREAM)

RM11 - Post works assessment of the stream restoration project sites at Hale 2009 (Natura2000, Life, and

STREAM)

RM12 - Guidance on Developing Structural Operating Protocols 2009 (Natura2000, Life, STREAM)

RM13 - HA Salmon Action Plan 2009 (EA)

RM14 - Eel Management plans for the United Kingdom South West River Basin District 2010 (Defra)

RM15 - Trout and Grayling Strategy 2003 (EA) update in 2011

RM16 - Weed Cutting Information Pack 2010 (EA)

RM17 - River Avon Non Native Invasive Plant Forum Strategic Plan 2010 (NE)

RM18 - Wilts BAP 2008 (NE, WC) Update March 2014

RM19 - Water and Biodiversity Topic Action Plan 2003 (HIOWT ET AL)

RM20- Hampshire Biodiversity Partnership habitat action plan Chalk Steams 2000 (HIOWT ET AL)

RM21 - Landscape Biodiversity Areas; A landscape-scale framework for conservation in Wiltshire and Swindon

2013 (WWT WC SC)

RM22 - Habitats Regulations Assessments for projects potentially affecting the River Avon Special Area of

Conservation 2011 (WC)

RM23 - Harnham Water Meadows Framework Management Plan 2009 (HWMT)

RM24 - Heavily Modified Waterbody Assessment for the Were / Swan 2012(APEM/EA)

RM25 - New Forest water environment improvement plan 2006 (Natura 2000, NE, FC, et al.)

RM26 – Salisbury Avon Valley Project Management Plan 2004-2009 2004 (SDC, WWT, Chalkhill Environmental

Consultants)

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Water Quality WQ01 - Catchment Sensitive Farming South West River Basin District Strategy 2011 to 2013 (CSF)

WQ02 - HA SAC Nutrient Management Plan 2013 (NE, EA)

WQ03 - River Avon System Diffuse Water Pollution Plan 2010 (NE EA)

WQ04 - Sub catchment Characterisation and diffuse pollution mitigation plan 2013 (HA Demonstration Test

Catchment)

WQ05 - A protocol to identify the most appropriate, site-specific Best Management Practice to reduce the input

of suspended solids from diffuse sources into SAC Rivers 2003 (Conserving Natura 2000 Rivers Conservation

Techniques Series)

WQ06 - Distributed and dynamic modelling of phosphorus and ecology in the Hampshire Avon and Blashford

lakes: evaluating alternative strategies to meet WFD standards (Whitehead et al. 2014)

WQ07 - FARMSCOPER tool HA DTC 2010 (ENV Science and Policy Journal 24 2012)

WQ08 - The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010

Payment for Ecosystems PE01 - Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability Science Plan 2011‐2017 (BESS)

Research RS01 - Monitoring Opportunities on the HA 2013 (UKEOF)

Flooding FL01 - HA Catchment flood management plan 2009 (EA summary) FL02 - Hampshire Avon Catchment Flood Management Plan Final Plan, December 2008 (EA)

FL03 – Hampshire Avon River Restoration – Flood Risk Assessment of restoration options July 2010 (JBA)

Water management

WM01 - Hampshire Avon WFD Management Area Abstraction Licensing Strategy 2013 (EA) WM02 - Water Resources Management Plan 2009 (SEMBCORP)

WM03 -Drought Management Plan 2012 (SEMBCORP)

WM04 -Draft Water Resources Management Plan 2013 (WW)

WM05- The Hampshire Avon: Studies about the effects of abstraction 2011 (WW)

WM06 -Drought Management Plan 2013 (WW)

WM07 -Veolia Water Drought Management Plan 2013 (Veolia Water)

WM08 -Veolia Water Resources Management Plan 2014 (Veolia Water)

WM09 -Cholderton and District water company water management plan 2013 (C&DWC)

WM10 -Cholderton and District water company drought management plan 2013 (C&DWC)

Christchurch Harbour CH01- Christchurch Harbour Management Plan 2009

CH02 - Poole and Christchurch Bay Shoreline management Plan 2011 (EA)

ANOB’s AN01 - North Wessex Downs management Plan 2014 (NWD) AN02 - Cranbourne Chase and West Wilts Downs ANOB Management Plan 2014-2019 2014 (CCWWD)

Climate change CC01- Keeping Rivers Cool Getting ready for climate change by creating riparian shade 2012 (EA)

CC02- Riparian Tree strategy 2013 (Forestry Commission)

CC03- Planting trees to protect water - The role of trees and woods on farms in managing water quality and quantity (The Woodland Trust)

Other OT01 - Blashford Lakes management strategy and plan 2005 (HCC)

OT02 - The Hampshire landscape a Strategy for the Future 2011 (HCC)

OT03 - Hampshire MINERALS AND WASTE PLAN 2013 (HCC)

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3.2. Water Framework Directive (WFD)

The Environment Agency for the purposes of reporting and monitoring under the Water Framework

Directive have divided the Hampshire Avon catchment into 54 individual waterbodies covering rivers,

river reaches, lakes and transitional and coastal waterbodies. The ecological and chemical status of

each waterbody is assessed, with the results giving rise to an overall classification of ecologically Good,

Moderate, Poor or Bad overall status (or e.g. Potential Good in the case of heavily modified

waterbodies). For ground water, a quantitative and chemical status are used to give rise to a Good,

Moderate, Poor or Bad overall status. It is a good starting point to establish the overarching issues of

the Hampshire Avon, but is not detailed enough to work out the specific issues at a local level.

Fig 10: Summary of Ecological Status 2009 and 2013 – Hampshire Avon

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Rivers 39 10 14 36 23 18 46 6 6 15 0 1 3

Transitional and Coastal

Waters (TraC)

1 1 1 100 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Groundwater 1 2 1 33 0 0 0 1 2 67 0 0 0

Lakes 11 4 4 36 6 6 55 1 1 9 0 0 0

The status of the waterbodies in the catchment in 2009 and 2013 is summarised in Figure 10 and 11.

The table, in Figure 10, shows that in 2009, the baseline year, 26% of river waterbodies within the

catchment achieved Good Status, the rest were classified as either Moderate or Poor. This has changed

slightly over the last four years with a slight increase to 36% of the river waterbodies being in Good

condition due to improved information from investigations being made available allowing for better

understanding of the issues and a positive or negative change in Ecological Status. The most notable

decline in status is the Chitterne Brook, which was classed as Good in 2009 and Bad in 2013. This is

due to an inappropriate Macrophyte survey undertaken in the winterbourne section of the river. This

recorded reduction in Macrophyte communities compared to previous samples in perennial sections

of the winterbourne caused a change in the ecological status. This has been rectified and the Chitterne

brook will no longer be classified as Bad.

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Fig 11: Map of WFD Ecological Status 2009 and 2013– Hampshire Avon

WFD Status

2009 2013

As part of their legal responsibilities of reporting and monitoring for the Water Framework Directive,

the Environment Agency have produced water body summary sheets for each waterbody in the

catchment. The summary sheets provide a variety of information and data, including a summary of

pressures on each waterbody. We have reviewed these summary sheets are reviewed here and add

useful information to the matrix of issues shown in Appendix 2.

The groundwater waterbodies which are responsible for the majority of surface water flow are

classified as having Poor and Good overall status (see Appendix 2 for details). The summary sheets

indicate that there is pressure on all three of the groundwater bodies from diffuse water pollution

from elevated nitrate concentrations, hazardous substances and other pollutants due to urbanisation.

There are additional issues of abstraction and other artificial flow pressures, levels of phosphate and

rising trends in nitrate in the Upper Avon groundwater body.

Summary sheets for the TraC (Transitional and Coastal) waters indicate that Christchurch harbour is

classified as a heavily modified waterbody, and is in a Moderate status (Figure 13) due to elevated

nutrients levels within the harbour.

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Fig 12: Map of Groundwater WFD status 2010 – Hampshire Avon

Chemical Quantitive

WFD Status

Fig 13: Map of TRAC WFD status 2009 – Hampshire Avon

WFD Status

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In many cases, stakeholders disagree with the present ecological assessment status assigned under

the Water Framework Directive. The monitoring and assessments undertaken to determine the Water

Framework Directive status do have limitations, there may be additional evidence or data which

suggest that problems exist in waterbodies where WFD monitoring has failed to record a failure. Issues

raised by stakeholders during consultation can therefore be used to help identify issues with

waterbodies, despite the Water Framework Directive ecological status being deemed to be Good.

Additionally, it is important to note that action may still be required under the Water Framework

Directive in order to ensure No Deterioration of waterbodies currently classed as Good. Although

summary sheets do not exist for these particular waterbodies, other than Water Framework Directive

data, actions identified in plans and strategies, or less formal data from stakeholders may be useful in

identifying action to ensure that these waterbodies do not change status.

Using available information from the Water Framework Directive assessments the main pressures and

reasons for Failure on surface waterbodies are identified as:

Water Quality: sediment and nutrient input from diffuse water pollution, particularly diffuse

pollution from agriculture and nutrient inputs from point sources; Aggregation of issues

upstream causing elevated levels downstream

Water Quantity: Public and commercial water supply demands;

Habitat Degradation: habitat impoverishment, barriers to fish, urbanisation and flood

prevention structures.

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3.3. Existing Projects

A number of existing issue-driven projects, carried out by various groups, are already up and running

within the catchment. These existing projects are valuable to the catchment partnership as we intend

to find synergies within their schemes and assist them in developing potential future partnerships and

collaborations. Their management plans have been included within this document.

Some of the partnership projects already operating within the catchment are:

- Wessex BESS – Research into payment for ecosystem services

http://www.brc.ac.uk/wessexbess/home

- Cranborne Chase ANOB – Farmland Birds Project helping farmers to create and maintain

farmland bird habitat http://www.ccwwdaonb.org.uk/projects/farmland.htm

- Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust – Wetland Birds Scheme involving farmer-led initiatives to

restore breeding wader birds numbers

- Salisbury Greenspaces group- looking into the management of the greenspaces around salisbury

and their importance to the community https://salisburygreenspace.wordpress.com/

- The Avon Roach Project Delivering habitat benefits for coarse fish on the lower Avon including a

breeding programme for Roach http://www.avonroachproject.co.uk/

- Catchment Sensitive Farming – Tackling diffuse pollution from agriculture

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/csf/

- Wessex Chalk Streams Project – partnership project led by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to improve

the ecological quality of the rivers across the Catchment by educating river owners, raising

awareness with the wider public on river issues and deliver restoration projects

http://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/what-we-do/wessexchalksstreams

- Wessex Water Catchment Management Work- working with farmers near water sources to

reduce diffuse pollution from nearby farmland www. Wessexwater.co.uk/catchment-

managment

- Source to Sea – Non Native Invasive Species eradication programme

http://www.wiltshirewildlife.org/what-we-do/The+Source+to+Sea+Project

- Forestry Commission – New Forest Stream Restoration Projects

http://www.hlsnewforest.org.uk/info/50/wetland_restoration

- New Forest National Park - Better Boundaries project www. Newforestnpa.gov.uk/ better-

boundaries

- MORE Woods – Riparian tree and hedgerow planting scheme providing multiple benefits on a

catchment scale www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/morewoods

- Wessex Chalk Streams and Rivers Trust – Catchment Invertebrate community analysis to identify

specific pollution and habitat issues

- Barbel Society – Funding and research into habitat restoration http://www.barbelsociety.co.uk/

- EA RARP project – Government funded river habitat improvement scheme looking at improving

the SSSI and SAC reaches of the Avon, Wylye and Nadder.

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3.4. Stakeholder Engagement

Finally, to compliment the work outlined above, the Partnership has also sought to engage with key

stakeholders in the catchment to understand their views and priorities regarding potential issues and

actions.

In May 2013, the Partnership circulated an invitation to over 120 stakeholders in the catchment,

inviting them to attend an inaugural Stakeholder Group meeting for the Hampshire Avon Catchment

Partnership.

At this stage in the process, we have chosen to focus our stakeholder engagement around key

organisations and individuals with direct links to the Hampshire Avon Rivers. This approach has been

taken because key regulatory priorities for the catchment are closely linked to the nature conservation

status and wider benefits of the waterways as SSSI and 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, (most areas are primarily privately owned and managed, and have limited

public access). There are constraints upon the kind of activities the partnership may wish to promote.

Clearly, the generation of improvements requires collaborative actions with river owners, managers

and leaseholders of all types.

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 outline plan and its direction

of travel have been established within the currently-engaged stakeholder community. This phased

approach was felt to limit the risk of creating unrealistic expectations amongst the local communities,

or alienating those key stakeholders whose cooperation will be required for undertaking almost any

collaborative activities within the catchment.

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4.0 Issues & Pressures

Having identified and outlined recent activity in the catchment, the next step has been to look at the

issues and pressures driving the individual programmes of work, so that we can piece together a more

complete picture for the catchment as a whole. The start point was the specific spatial application of

the existing plans and strategies in the catchment. Each plan was then assessed in more detail to

identify specific issues raised at a sub catchment level. This document was then taken to key

stakeholders who also then added their views and opinions of some of the catchment’s other issues.

4.1. Spatial application of Plans and strategies

We have reviewed the plans, strategies and projects in the catchment and looked at the spatial

application of these plans. Each individual plan was looked at and its application to a sub catchment

or local area noted. Map of plans and coverage to be included at a later date

Appendix 3 shows the results of this analysis and the sub-catchments not covered by existing plans.

Due to their restrictive boundaries based on counties, funding areas, project remit or working areas,

spatial area of some plans have been excluded (highlighted in Red). The other limitations that came

out of this analysis are (in order of management plan) highlighted in Grey. For each additional details

on each management plan please see Appendix 1.

1. River management (RM)01,02,03 - Strategic restoration of the River Avon 2009, SrFFRA

2013 and Strategic restoration of the River Avon 2011 – These plans focus on habitat

enhancements and have scheduled works only within the SSSI and SAC units of the River

(Figure 15). Un-designated areas have not had a walkover survey undertaken as part of the

restoration plan and subsequently do not have a programme of planned works. The total

length of all the WFD river waterbodies within the HA Catchment is 615Km but with only

approximately 280km designated as SSSI or SAC, over half of the river channel (approximately

335Km) will not receive the benefits of this scheme.

2. River management (RM)04-06 - Water Level Management Plan – These plans focus on water

level management across the SSSI and SAC units of the river. Structures or barriers that are

not within designated areas have not been allocated hatch operating protocols or the

structures have not yet been assessed for fish passage. Figure 16 shows a large proportion of

the upper catchments and lesser known tributaries still have potential structures that could

benefit from Water Level Management plans and Hatch Operating Protocols.

3. River Management (RM)13 – Hampshire Avon Salmon Action Plan - These plans look at the

populations of Salmon within the catchment and the issues that are affecting their numbers.

This plan is limited to the SSSI and SAC Units which do not include a number of the headwaters

recruitment streams where the action plan is most needed (see Figure 16).

4. River Management (RM)22 - Habitats Regulations Assessments for projects potentially

affecting the River Avon Special Area of Conservation 2011 - This plan looks to identify

habitat regulations involved with development projects next to the SAC units of the River. This

plan is limited to SAC units only and should be widened to look at regulating all development

projects that could potentially affect any part of the Hampshire Avon river system (see Figure

16).

5. Water Quality (WQ)01 - Catchment Sensitive Farming South West River Basin District

Strategy 2011 to 2013 (CSF) – This strategy looks at tackling diffuse pollution through capital

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grant schemes, training and advice for farmers. This strategy is limited to the most vulnerable

2 areas within the catchment for soil erosion, the greensand catchments on the upper Nadder

and upper Avon. By limiting advice to these areas the large majority of the rest of the

catchment does not benefit from these advice and grant schemes (See Figure 17).

6. Water Quality (WQ)02 - Hampshire Avon Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Nutrient

Management Plan (NMP) – This plan focuses on reducing Phosphorus loading derived from

point and diffuse sources across the Hampshire Avon Catchment but only to improve

conditions across the SAC units of the river (see Figure 16). This does tackle diffuse pollution

across the catchment as a whole but its focus is on improving the SAC units. There will be

some benefit to other sub catchments outside of the SAC areas but the plan is not a driver to

improve these directly.

7. Water Quality (WQ)03 - River Avon Diffuse Water pollution plan – This plan looks at the

problems of diffuse pollution and especially phosphate management. The plan is limited to

the SSSI and SAC units of the catchment (see Figure 16). A number of the key headwaters that

have issues with diffuse pollution, especially the Nadder, are not include within the plan.

8. Water Quality (WQ)05 - Best Management Practice to reduce the input of suspended solids

from diffuse sources into SAC Rivers – This plan looks into the issues of suspended solids from

diffuse pollution and gives advice on best practice solutions to farmers and land managers in

SAC Rivers only (see Figure 16).

Fig 15: Map of non SSSI and SAC Units– Hampshire Avon

KEY

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Fig 16: Map of Barriers outside of SSSI+SAC units – Hampshire Avon

Key

Fig 17: Map of Catchment Sensitive Farming Target Areas – Hampshire Avon

Key

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4.2 Management Plan Issues and solutions

After looking at the spatial application of the plans the next step was to look into the specific sub

catchment issues raised by each of the management plans, strategies and projects.

Appendix 4 shows the complexity of issues that the management plans raise for each sub catchment

(in White) of the Hampshire Avon including information from both WFD ecological status failures (in

Dark Green) and stakeholder engagement information (in Light Red). This information was assessed

alongside whether actions are being undertaken to deal with these issues and if there are any gaps in

those actions.

The main issues that come from all the data analysed are:

Water Quality in the Rivers and Ground Waters: nutrient input from diffuse water pollution,

particularly diffuse pollution from agriculture and nutrient inputs from point sources.

Water Quantity – Ground water abstraction and the threats of over abstraction during low

flow events

Physical modification/habitat management: impoverished and fragmented habitats, barriers

to fish, historical dredging, urbanisation and flood prevention structures.

Fine sediments and siltation

Detailed below is a breakdown of the main issues raised for each sub catchment.

4.3. Stakeholder Engagement

The final part of our assessment was to include the views given by key stakeholders during the initial

stakeholder engagement workshops, held in June 2014.

The results are included within Appendix 4, which, again, illustrates that there is an emphasis on water

quality being a catchment-wide issue.

Stakeholders also identified other risks in specific waterbodies throughout the catchment, as shown

in red in Appendix 4.

4.4. Conclusion

The individual matrices described in each of the previous sub sections have been combined to provide

as complete a picture as possible. The outcome is based on the available information relating to the

main issues and pressures for the Hampshire Avon Catchment.

The matrix clearly shows that impacts on water quality stand out as an issue that is deemed, at all

levels, to be a significant pressure across the whole catchment. It is interesting to note that not only

is water quality identified as a pressure for waterbodies which are known not to be achieving relevant

quality standards (such as by SSSI & WFD monitoring criteria), but it is also identified as an issue, by

plans & strategies and by stakeholders, for many waterbodies which are deemed under WFD to have

good status. This places the onus on water-quality-related projects which not only focus on those

failing waterbodies, but also take action to prevent the deterioration of those waterbodies currently

in Good ecological condition. When taking a whole catchment view, the benefits of undertaking

activity around non-failing waterbodies become clearer. As an example: promotion of good land

management techniques around upstream tributaries would not only help to prevent their

deterioration, but would also have knock-on water quality benefits for all downstream waterbodies .

This also includes the transitional and coastal areas at the limits of the catchment, and the

groundwater within the aquifers and spring sources.

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Channel, Habitat and Biodiversity pressures are also noted as a key concern across all levels. In almost

all cases, these pressures apply to waterbodies where water quality is also an issue, suggesting that

synergistic projects which deliver benefits under both themes would gain significant stakeholder

support. It also suggests that there is a need for more comprehensive and reflective assessment of

water quality and associated impacts on biodiversity.

Similarly, concerns over water quantity and other pressures primarily coincide with those areas where

water quality is a concern, again suggesting likely support for synergistic delivery of actions. In the

small number of cases where these concerns are the only or main issues identified for particular

waterbodies, this suggests the need for small-scale localised, bespoke activity.