Between March and June every year, many coarse (freshwater) fish will be preparing to spawn (breed and lay eggs), spawning, or recovering from spawning. This can be both stressful and exhausting and if they are disturbed, they may well decide to stop altogether. This sadly means they’ve lost their chance, not only this time, but for the whole year.
To help protect our precious fish populations, from 15 March to 15 June inclusive, the annual close season for coarse fishing (on rivers and steams) reduces disturbances to coarse fish and protects vulnerable stocks during their peak spawning period.
During this time, anglers are not permitted to fish for coarse fish in rivers, streams and drains across England, and could face a substantial fine if caught. Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency incident hotline 24/7 on 0800 807060. For our fisheries enforcement officers, this is undoubtedly a really important time.
Tristan Davis is a Fisheries Enforcement Officer in East Anglia for the Environment Agency. He entered the angling world at the ripe age of six years old, following inspiration from his Mum, who was a keen pike and carp angler in the 80s and 90s, holding records in the sport. Many years later, he now plays a vital role patrolling and protecting the very rivers and watercourses that he grew up fishing on.
“Growing up in a fishing household, the dream of working in fisheries was always in the forefront of my mind. It took me some years, but now I can honestly say, I have my dream job with the Environment Agency. My journey into this career started in lockdown March 2020 when I needed something to occupy my time as I could not fish, and I could not work. I decided to take a Diploma Certificate course in fisheries management, with the Institute of Fisheries Management, and a view to push on with my desire to work in the field.
“I was also, at this time, part of the Angling Trust Volunteer Baillif Service (VBS), a group of volunteers that give up their own time to help the EA protect our waterways, by being eyes and ears on the ground and spotting illegal activity. Through my work with the VBS, I got to know some of the EA’s Fisheries Enforcement Officers who invited me out on joint patrols. Fast forward to mid-2023 and I arrived at the Brampton office, for my first shift working towards being a fully-fledged officer.
“This will be my first close season as an officer, and I look forward to finally being one of the officers protecting our fish stocks and waterways. As many of you will know, the close season is still vitally important to the spawning and recovery of many of our river fish species, giving them the best chance to access the right habitat and breed successfully. As the temperatures slowly climb, the different species will start to look to reproduce, repopulating our waters for years to come. The pike tends to spawn in shallow, weedy water when the water temperature reaches around 9°C, being one of the first coarse fish species to spawn. Perch, dace, and grayling are also early spawners, with other species like barbel and bream spawning later in the close season, as the temperature continues to climb.”
Areas where fish spawn can be susceptible to damage, with eggs nestling directly in weeds, gravel, tree roots or even in your keepnet. Young fish, known as fry, that emerge from the eggs can be sensitive to silt disturbance, low oxygen and trampling.
Protecting spawning fish is so important there is even a separate legislation under section 2 of the Salmon and Freshwater fisheries act that makes it an offence to disturb spawning fish, or the areas they use. People are however still allowed to fish on most stillwaters and canals, depending on fishery owner agreement (the close season covers a few canals and stillwaters – see here for details). Anglers may also fish for salmon and trout in many rivers, subject to relevant byelaws and holding the necessary licence.
Throughout the close season, Environment Agency officers and Angling Trust Volunteer Bailiffs patrol the rivers to ensure anglers respect the no fishing period and, with fewer eyes and ears on the riverbank, to detect any offences that may otherwise go undetected – all part of our work to protect fish populations and fishing.
“Unfortunately, there are the few who either choose to ignore the close season, or genuinely do not know it is in place. To help tackle the issue of illegal fishing, we conduct many hours of patrols. This is not just 9 to 5. We are often out early mornings and late at night, in all weathers using cutting edge technology to help find offenders.
“This year I plan to use the Environment Agency’s regional drone team, with their thermal imaging and night vision capability, to help cover the vast stretches of water. I also look forward to working closely with POLICE Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT), along with the Angling Trust in Operation CLAMPDOWN, which is celebrating its 12th year in 2024. CLAMPDOWN joint operations have proven to be invaluable in helping protect our fisheries, year after year.
“The fine for fishing in the close season is much the same as fishing with no licence. We have now started to put up signs, including in multiple languages, informing people of the closed season ahead. We’ve also been taking the time to talk to the anglers on the rivers to remind them they can still fish many of our still waters during the closed season so there really is no need to disturb our river fish during the closed season.”
You too can help us ensure that our fish populations are surviving and thriving at all life stages by spreading the message. We actively encourage anglers and the general public to help us, by calling our hotline 0800 807060 if they see something they do not think is right. Officers like Tristan will then receive the reports, to assess and attend. If you know anyone that’s just started fishing for the first time, we ask that you not only remind them of the close season dates, but also explain why we enforce it.
]]>Mark Pilcher, Land and Water team leader in West Cornwall, talks about our demanding work to inspect one of the largest abstractors of water in the south-west.
The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for regulating water in England - its allocation, quantity, and use. We have a key role to play in reducing demand, using less water and improving supply, to ensure there is enough for the future.
We work with water companies and businesses to plan for secure water supplies for both now and the long term. Anyone who abstracts or impounds more than 20 cubic metres of water a day usually requires a licence. As these licences are reviewed, we regulate them for sustainability on how much water is taken – from where and for what purpose – to prevent environmental damage.
Imerys Minerals Ltd (IML) has a number of Environment Agency licences allowing them to abstract water. Amongst them is a licence for abstraction of 428,870 cubic metres of water per year from 26 different locations – known as the points of abstraction. That is equivalent to 172 Olympic swimming pools of water!
The only company abstracting a larger volume of water in the southwest is the water company (Southwest Water). Imerys’ activities in Cornwall focus on extracting and processing Kaolin (china clay) and help make the UK the world’s 3rd largest producer and exporter of Kaolin after Brazil and the USA.
Imerys depend on water to support the mining (or ‘winning’ in IML language), transporting and refining of china clay. Around 8 million tonnes are excavated from various clay pits in Cornwall every year, and the process relies on water to wash it out. The clay slurry is then transported in pipelines to the clay refiners and driers where the finished clay product is produced. The complex operational and pipeline infrastructure that Imerys operates allows it to recycle a significant amount of its water (estimated at 40%) thereby reducing its environmental impact.
Given the volumes of water we license Imerys to abstract, inspecting their licences for compliance with their abstraction licence conditions is a high regulatory priority for us. However, a typical inspection of one of Imerys’ large abstraction licences in mid-Cornwall is not for the faint hearted.
One of the points of abstraction is at the very bottom of the immense Littlejohns Clay Pit in Cornwall. Littlejohns is the world’s largest open cast china clay pit, more than 130 metres deep in places, and covering more than 1200 hectares, right in the middle of the Imerys central clay district.
It’s a challenging journey to the bottom of the pit, as mining operations continue nearby, with huge 50 tonne dumpers moving up and down the pit roads. A strict Health and Safety procedure is followed at all times, with Imerys closely supervising.
A sump in the bowels of the pit collects groundwater which is abstracted to support the washing process of clay in a different part of the pit.
Completing compliance inspections like this in such extreme environments is not always easy. Health and Safety procedures are always the priority, but the regulation of such a precious resource is essential and key to supporting a healthy environment as well as a sustainable business.
Climate change and population growth mean we need to take action now to ensure resilient water supplies are available to meet the needs of all users in the future. The National Framework, published in 2020, set out the country’s future water needs across all sectors to 2050. We are working with stakeholders to update it for Spring 2025 and to take a perspective out to 2100 and beyond.
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A recent collaboration involving the Environment Agency, the environmental consultancy Jacobs and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) is shining a light on the role of restored saltmarshes in storing blue carbon – carbon captured by the oceans and coastal ecosystems. The scientific reports published today demonstrates the valuable role saltmarshes can play in achieving our Net Zero targets.
Saltmarshes are dynamic coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by tides and rich in plant and animal life. They form in areas where salt water is brought in by tides, inundating marshland and creating a unique habitat characterized by mud and peaty sediment.
The EA's Restoring Meadows, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative has a target to restore at least 15% of the current extent of saltmarsh habitats within the next 20 years.
Coastal habitat creation often involves making physical changes to the landscape- removing man-made tidal barriers and restoring the original saltmarsh and mudflat ecosystems – a method known as “Managed Realignment”. There are many examples of these schemes across the country, such as Steart Marshes in Somerset, or Medmerry in Sussex.
It’s already known that saltmarshes are important coastal ecosystems that store carbon naturally.
However, unlocking the full potential of these habitats requires a deeper understanding of how they accumulate carbon and the benefits this offers. The two EA studies covered in the report looked at 25 saltmarsh restoration sites for a deeper exploration.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap
Despite the important role that saltmarshes play in our ecosystems, significant gaps in our understanding still remain. Questions such as how much and how fast restored saltmarshes can store carbon, the types of carbon they store and the overall net carbon benefit they provide are still under investigation. These gaps are not just areas of academic interest; they have real-world implications for how we manage our natural resources and respond to climate change.
To tackle some of these questions the EA initiated two studies with Jacobs and MMU, aimed at uncovering the carbon storage capabilities of restored saltmarshes. The first focuses on identifying and defining the data gaps that exist, paving the way for future research and policy development. The second study dives deeper into the analysis of carbon accumulation, gathered using real-world sampling, seeking to expand our evidence and establish a more robust understanding of how restored salt marshes contribute to our carbon capture efforts. This involved collecting and analysing sediment cores from the restored saltmarshes (or reanalysing cores and data kindly provided by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust).
The Defra-funded studies will support the ongoing development of a UK Saltmarsh Code- a set of rigorous standards and practices designed to sell saltmarsh carbon credits and fund further restoration, similar to the pre-existing Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code in the UK. The studies fit into previous research done by Manchester Metropolitan University and Jacobs for the Environment Agency in 2022 - part of the summary report published on the two studies is a comparison of the findings with this previous research.
According to Dr Ben Green, Senior Advisor in the EA’s Estuaries and Coasts Planning team, these reports provide vital new information on the ability of restored saltmarshes to lock away carbon. “The data from this report will feed into two key projects that the Environment Agency are working on - the development of a UK Saltmarsh Code and the reviewing of evidence needed for the addition of saltmarsh to the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Both these projects look to utilise the climate mitigation benefits of saltmarshes to help us achieve Net Zero,” he says.
While the research has yielded valuable insight it also highlights the need for further exploration. The EA’s holistic approach to understanding the power of these landscapes storing carbon emissions, plus the many other benefits they provide, underscores our commitment to mitigating the effects of climate change.
To find out more about the EA’s work with partners in restoring salt marshes visit: Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) | Estuarine & Coastal Sciences Association (ecsa.international)
You can also Follow the Environment Agency on Twitter, and sign up for email alerts.
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By Joanna Larmour, deputy director of the Environment Agency’s National Enforcement Service
Waste crime has been going on for too long – and the Environment Agency is taking action. That’s why we’re committing more resources than ever to find, identify and prosecute these people.
Our message is simple – if you are a waste crook, we are coming for you.
Regulators, the police, government agencies and business all understand the threat from waste crime – that’s why we’re combining our powers to root out the perpetrators. We’re committing new resources to this fight and sharing more information than ever before – leading to dozens of prosecutions in 2023. Criminals should know that there’s no place to hide.
This year we’ve launched a new Economic Crime Unit to tackle money laundering and carry out financial investigations in the waste sector, ensuring crime doesn’t pay. The two teams making up the unit will freeze accounts and seize cash from criminals, while also building up the long-term investigations which can send them down for up to 14 years. We’ve got the assets to catch you.
We’re working with the police and the law to make sure that evidence of wrongdoing supports investigations and prosecutions. We use the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover illegally gained profits and, since April 2022, the EA has had access to the Police National Computer, Police National Database and National Automatic Number Plate Recognition Service. Our strong relationship with the police has given us the means to shut down waste criminals faster. The combined powers of the EA and the police are a force to be reckoned with.
We have also taken on the fight to criminals with coordinated operations over the last year – such as Operation Lyceum, Operation Iris, and Operation Angola – collaborating with the police, HMRC, DVSA and others to monitor dubious waste sites, stop and check lorries, and seize stolen or hazardous cargoes. Joint operations across the country are delivering results already.
We continue to build new ways of working with partners across Government to shut down waste criminals. For instance, customs export data is now shared regularly with us from our partner HMRC to help identify illegal waste exports. This data helps to give us a much better picture of what is being exported where and by who to increase our intelligence picture and help identify and target criminality. Close cooperation with other government departments means there’s nowhere to hide.
We have also launched our Waste Shipment Intelligence Service in partnership with the Shipping Line Mediterranean Shipping Company (UK) Ltd. Through this project we’re working in partnership with the shipping industry to protect the environment from harm caused by illegal shipments of waste. Industry is sharing knowledge and resources with us to prevent known illegal waste exporters from using shipping lines to facilitate their crimes. Legitimate businesses are helping us to spot you too – they see which way the wind is blowing.
All this is delivering results and ensuring that criminals face justice. In 2023, we brought forward 52 prosecutions for waste crimes, and secured more than £400,000 in fines. On top of that we inspected nearly 1,100 locations of reported waste crime activity and closed down 585 illegal waste sites. But we’re not complacent – and we won’t stop shutting down waste criminals.
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The Environment Agency conducts weekly sampling during the bathing water season, which spans from May to September. Across the UK, there are 424 designated bathing water sites, 49 of these sit within Wessex. Each one of these sites is given an annual classification, graded as Excellent, Good, Sufficient and Poor.
Various factors influence bathing water quality, with annual variations contributing to the unique characteristics of each catchment. An unseasonably wet summer, such as the one we had in 2023, will have impacted the year’s results due to the potential of increased sewage spills from storm overflows, diffuse pollution from agriculture and highway drainage.
Despite an overall, substantial improvement in bathing water quality since the 1990s, there has been a concerning deterioration in Weston-super-Mare’s bathing water quality in recent years. The downgrade from a ‘Good’ to ‘Poor’ rating has cast a considerable shadow over tourism prospects for the charming seaside town during its peak sunny season.
Weston-super-Mare Bay is in an interesting geographical location, sitting within the Bristol Channel on the Severn Estuary and boasting the second highest tidal range in the world. There are many factors that could be contributing to the decline in bathing water quality and identifying these factors is quite complex.
The Environment Agency’s Bathing Water Investigation involves a detailed action plan, including activities such as an 8-9km round trip (great for getting your 10,000 steps) Beach Walkover, farm and sewage works inspections, Drone Surveys, and investigations into nearby businesses’ drainage systems. The Environment Agency has individuals from varying teams all coming together and contributing their expertise as well as working collaboratively with Wessex Water and North Somerset Council.
Beach Walkovers have been on-going since mid-January in rain, wind, or shine. They are undertaken mostly by me and my fellow Environment Officer Jeremy Chappell. We always welcome others to come along and give us some company and a fresh pair of eyes. During the walkovers, we monitor surface water outfalls that discharge onto the beach to assess for contamination, look for sewage related debris on the strand line and any evidence of dog faeces or excess litter. Each walkover has provided us with new insights and a better understanding of an ever-changing environment due to the large tidal ranges.
We compile weekly reports to provide the team with a better understanding of the developments in the bay. Additionally, these walkovers have provided us with a great opportunity to engage with members of the public as well as work collaboratively with other organisations, such as water companies and the local council. We’ve already achieved a small victory by identifying and remedying a contaminated outfall at Marine Lake, in collaboration with Wessex Water. As a result, we now have a contamination free outfall.
Another tactic we use is conducting drone surveys to analyse outfalls along the tidal River Axe and Weston Beach, including surveying Wessex Water’s sewage Treatment Works outfall at Black Rock. The drone’s infrared imagery capabilities help identify heat signatures and potential pollution plumes. Drones offer excellent access to otherwise inaccessible areas, providing a different perspective for study. We plan to undertake more drone surveys in different tidal conditions, for a more in-depth analysis of the area.
Despite the challenges we face as Environment Officers, the collaborative approach and diverse expertise within the team give me hope that we can achieve a positive outcome for Weston-Super Mare’s bathing water quality.
During the bathing water season, our officers take around 7000 samples across designated bathing water sites to be tested in the lab. The results can be found on our Swimfo website, enabling swimmers to make informed choices about where they swim. For further information, see Bathing Water Quality (data.gov.uk).
]]>Our blog on 1 February explained how we approach monitoring, sampling and testing of bathing waters and our approach to keeping public informed and warned when there are short term risks of pollution which bathers would rightly want to be alerted to.
A bit of history
The concept of managing areas of water for the protection of bathers’ health was introduced by one of the first European Directives in 1976. At the time, classifying bathing water quality was a pass or fail against the standards. In 2006, based on World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations, a revised Bathing Water Directive introduced the classifications of Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor. These classifications were first made in England in 2015 and are what we use today.
An annual report is produced each year listing the classifications based on a long-term assessment of water quality over a four-year period with samples being taken at each bathing water site during the bathing water season, between May and September each year.
The classifications have many uses including showing trends, allowing comparisons of water quality between bathing waters and also informing decisions on long-term pollution reduction measures. They give an overall indication that helps people make a choice on which bathing water to visit. Most sites are sampled weekly and the cleanest have fortnightly sampling. For more information on sampling, read more on this blog.
Pollution risk forecasting
WHO also recommended that bathers should be able to easily access a warning system so they know when there is expected to be a reduction in water quality caused by Short-Term Pollution (STP) events. To deliver our regulatory duty in relation to short term pollution, we have developed a Pollution Risk Forecasting (PRF) system. The Environment Agency uses weather and tidal data and other sources of information to make pollution risk forecasts to work out when bathing water quality might be temporarily reduced due to factors such as the weather. When the forecasts highlight an increased risk of reduced water quality, pollution risk warnings will be issued and advice against bathing is displayed on Swimfo – the online tool that allows you to look up details of a designated bathing water by name or location – and on signs at the beach.
This system does not specifically make predictions of sewage pollution – the predictions include bacteria from all sources - instead it forecasts expected variations in water quality due to the measurable effects of rain, wind tide, sunlight and time.
Daily forecasts of water quality allow bathers to make informed choices before going for a swim. Pollution risk forecasts are made at all bathing water sites where this is possible. Last year PRFs were made at 172 of the 424 designated sites.
Why do we disregard some samples?
Bathing water quality is measured by sampling and analysing bacteria in the water, which is complex and changeable. WHO recommends that an overall bathing water classification should take into account where short term pollution warnings have been issued.
Back to the legislation and regulation - in England, the Directive was transposed into the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. Under these Regulations, samples taken during a time where bathers have been advised against bathing may be disregarded from the overall classification.
This is because a warning against swimming has been issued in advance and the conditions are not considered to be reflective of the actual water quality most people bathe in.
We only do this where we have confirmed that bathers were actively warned through Local Authorities displaying dated signs at the beach.
The Regulations specify up to 15% of samples may be disregarded, but in practice this rarely happens and last year about 3% of eligible samples were disregarded.
All of our bathing water sampling data is made freely available via Swimfo in a transparent way. This includes those samples that were taken during a pollution risk warning, together with a flag of whether this was later disregarded from classification or not.
From the wide range of data available, it has always been possible to calculate classifications in different ways including what they would have been if samples disregarded under STP were included.
While the data is available to all, for ease of access and following recent media interest, we have produced a summary of bathing water classifications which includes samples disregarded under STP which can be downloaded.
Classification |
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
Sites | 418 | 415 | 415 | 422 | 421 | 419 | 421 | 424 |
Excellent | 264 | 287 | 271 | 282 | 302 | 295 | 302 | 281 |
Good | 110 | 98 | 109 | 106 | 90 | 100 | 87 | 99 |
Sufficient | 29 | 22 | 26 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 25 |
Poor | 12 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 18 |
Classification adding samples disregarded during STP events |
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
Excellent | 257 | 271 | 253 | 265 | 291 | 280 | 290 | 274 |
Good | 104 | 100 | 107 | 104 | 80 | 91 | 86 | 94 |
Sufficient | 38 | 32 | 38 | 35 | 32 | 30 | 21 | 29 |
Poor | 16 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 26 |
In his role as a Waste Crime Engagement Specialist, it’s Stuart Hoyle's job to identify and forge working relationships with other organisations that can help us shut down waste criminals for good.
Working with partners brings additional powers and resources into our armoury. Together we create a united front against waste criminals, demonstrating the power collaboration brings to protect our environment and communities.
DVSA have the power
Essential to enabling criminals to illegally deal in waste is access to vehicles. Taking these vehicles away from waste criminals puts the brakes on their illegal deeds.
Thanks to our engagement and collaboration with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), seizing vehicles is now a reality. Up and down England we work with local DVSA teams who have the powers and sanctions to inspect vehicles for road worthiness, check vehicle documentation and stop those that shouldn’t be on the road. That power to take vehicles off the road helps us to prevent, disrupt and issue fines to people that use our roads to transport waste for illegal disposal or export.
In my patch, the Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire area, I have been working with my colleague James Fordham, DVSA Enforcement Commercial Delivery Team Leader, since 2019. Together we have planned and executed many days of action, known as Operation Clean Sweep. We work as a team with the police, local authorities and HMRC. James’s team have stopped the onward journeys of many vehicles carrying waste, greatly assisting us.
James Fordham says: “It all started working alongside Stuart and his team on Operation Clean Sweep and from there soon developed to me being invited to sit on the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership.
“I am pleased to be part of this partnership which has helped to broaden the approach taken to deal with Environmental Crime in Lincolnshire by targeting the commercial vehicles that are used by conducting mechanical safety checks, checking for overloads, drivers’ hours infringements and Operator licence compliance.
“Having an information sharing agreement in place ensures we can share certain pieces of information that help in targeting offenders through our intelligence gathering methods."
Partners in crime prevention
Having the DVSA join the Lincolnshire Environmental Crime Partnership where information can be shared between partners helps us identify, target and stop waste criminals faster. DVSA representation at that partnership has been invaluable.
Collaborating locally brings benefits to cross border information sharing and project development. DVSA conduct investigations into holders of HGV operator licences and report these to the Traffic Commissioners Office. These often concern individuals and companies of interest to us.
My colleague Peter Lennard leads on Operation Convoy, part of which identifies useful information from the Traffic Commissioner resulting from DVSA action. In December this led to James and me looking into two HGV operators whose licenses have been revoked by the Traffic Commissioner due to DVSA action, whose practices have also been of concern to the EA.
As with other waste operators the DVSA have impeded, we remain vigilant together so such operators to do not continue to transport waste illegally.
]]>As a Catchment Coordinator for the Environment Agency, my role is quite varied. I develop projects to improve our rivers with partner organisations, I support local catchment partnerships - groups of organisations that come together to improve the water environment - and I organise grant funding for projects on our programme. A big part of my job is looking at how we can work with others to improve chalk streams.
Chalk streams are a rare and valuable habitat, often referred to as the equivalent of England’s rainforests. The Lincolnshire chalk streams have helped shape the Lincolnshire Wolds landscape over the past 10,000 years. Rain that falls on the Lincolnshire Wolds is filtered through the underlying chalk aquifer. Water then moves through fissures (cracks) in the chalk. The water emerges at ground level, from springs and blow wells, crystal clear and with a constant temperature of 10°C
Through our work with our partners such as the Lincolnshire Chalk Stream Partnership (LCSP) over the last ten years, we have been able to identify the actions and projects to improve our chalk stream habitats. Together we have worked on projects that create and improve in-channel habitat, reduce the amount of excess sediment entering the chalk stream, and lessen the impact of invasive non-native species. All this work helps to improve the water quality, water quantity and habitat of Lincolnshire’s chalk streams. These projects have benefited the Laceby Beck, River Rase and Great Eau. More information can be found on the LCSP’s website: Case Studies - Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Project
The announcement of a dedicated chalk streams fund in 2022 has allowed us to support our partners with projects that deliver a flow benefit to chalk catchments. These projects have been focused on investigation work which develops an evidence base for the impacts of low flows on our chalk streams. Investigations have taken place on Waithe Beck, Laceby Beck, North Beck and Barrow Beck. Further investigations will be completed on Skitter Beck and the Lud in 2023-24. It is hoped that these investigations will highlight areas where we can target our work. For example, we are working with LCSP to develop a river restoration project on the Waithe Beck in an area highlighted as a priority within the investigation. The aim of the project is to restore the river habitat to make it more resilient to low flows.
More recently we have supported the LCSP to develop and implement a natural flood management project on the River Waring. Since the start of the project, field bunds, leaky barriers and in-channel features have been installed in the catchment. This has helped to increase space for water in the upper catchment, improve in-channel habitat by creating a more diverse channel, and reduce the amount of excess sediment entering the watercourse. Through the project, the LCSP were also able to engage landowners, volunteers and members of the local community to raise awareness of the special chalk streams habitat.
We have worked with LCSP for many years on the Great Eau delivering a variety of projects. Our current project on the Calceby Beck, a tributary of the Great Eau, aims to work with the principles of wetland creation, floodplain reconnection and habitat, and feature improvements, providing a significant wetting diversity across the project site. In addition, the proposed works will also slow the flow of water to the Great Eau, hopefully contributing to natural flood management within the catchment. The project will be delivered in 2024, subject to funding.
Looking ahead to the next financial year we will be continuing to support the LCSP and Lincolnshire Chalk Streams Trust with their investigation work. Through this partnership, we are hoping to employ a Northern Becks Project Officer on a fixed term contract to take this work forward. We are also developing projects on the River Waring, River Bain and River Rase.
For more information on Chalk streams, please visit our Twitter page: @EnvAgencyMids
]]>The project started in 2018 under the National Riverlands Programme. It aims to deliver nature-based solutions to climate change through unique river restoration and habitat creation techniques.
So far, the project has cost approximately £2.4m to carry out. It has been funded by Interreg 2 Seas Co-adapt with contributions from the Environment Agency, the National Trust, Somerset Rivers Authority and the Green Recovery Challenge Fund.
The Environment Agency (EA) provided funding from the Water Environment Improvement Fund and Local Levy NFM funding to the project on an annual basis. Local EA teams within the Wessex Area provided support and expertise throughout the project’s lifetime.
What changes have been made to the area?
The PVSR project has restored natural processes and ecological function through five main schemes across the Holnicote Estate, covering a 12,500 acre stretch of land and encompassing two river catchments: the River Aller and Horner Water. Many smaller interventions have also been delivered in the area at catchment scale.
The River Aller Floodplain Reconnection scheme is the first large main river restoration scheme of this scale implemented in the UK. The work was designed to take the River Aller back to a natural state from being a single thread channel to a system of multiple, cross-connected channels. This technique reconnects the river to its floodplain, helping to hold back floodwater during high flows and protect downstream communities. Groundwater levels are raised to store more water throughout the year. This helps the river become more resilient during times of prolonged dry weather and drought.
The National Trust reversed historical land drainage by filling in the ditch network and spreading deadwood across the system, allowing water to flow freely across the meadow. New flow pathways formed naturally, creating channels connected to the floodplain. This ensures the land remains wet for longer periods of time, boosting biodiversity and increasing water storage capacity.
On a larger scale, similar work has been undertaken across 125 hectares of Tivington Farm upstream of the River Aller scheme. Several kilometres of ditches were restored using the same techniques deployed at Mudpool Meadow. The farm was also put through arable reversion to reduce the impact of land management on the water environment.
Additional projects and local community involvement
Two beaver families were introduced to Holnicote Estate and they have already developed the sites into complex wet woodland habitats. Beavers are nature’s engineers, re-building the lost wetland habitats and offering nature-based solutions to existing environmental problems.
Paddocks beaver enclosure
Volunteers from the community surrounding Holnicote Estate assisted in planting 25,000 trees suitable to the wetland environment, including willow, bird cherry and black poplar. In addition to increasing carbon storage capacity and biodiversity, tree planting reduces the risk of flooding.
Dr Stewart Clarke, National Trust specialist for Freshwater, Catchments and Estuaries said:
“We are creating the best possible conditions we can for the river to adapt and respond to whatever comes its way in the face of more severe and regular floods and droughts predicted with climate change”.
The work continues…
The Porlock Vale Streams Riverlands Project at Holnicote Estate is due to continue over the coming years, helping to strengthen working relationships between the Environment Agency and the National Trust.
Further work is planned to restore natural habitats, including in the Lower Hawkcombe area, where the stream and floodplain will be reconnected to extend saltmarsh and wetland habitats on Porlock Marsh.
Somerset Rivers Authority chairman Cllr Mike Stanton said: “After so many years of hard work and planning, it is great to see this scheme flourishing”.
The work ensures Holnicote Estate is a more climate resilient and sustainable landscape, achieving improvements for the environment, biodiversity, and local residents.
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Citizen Science is scientific monitoring and research conducted by members of the public. At the Environment Agency we’re part of many initiatives that support this type of science.
From removing plastic from our waterways, to co-developing water quality monitoring tools, our own Supporting Citizen Science initiative is providing invaluable data about our water environment, enabling a greater understanding of the issues we face and how we can take collaborative action.
Running from the end of 2022 until March 2025, the project aims to support emerging and established citizen science initiatives across the country to understand how the data collected can be used within the Environment Agency to improve the environment.
We spoke to Kelly Haynes, National Citizen Science Advisor at the Environment Agency and Supporting Citizen Science project lead to find out more about the data that’s being collected, and how it’s helping improve our water environment in England:
From catchment to coast
The citizen science initiatives we work with are incredibly varied, geographically different and involve a wide range of stakeholders and participants. A few examples include;
Making nature and science accessible to all
I’ve been in this role for nearly a year now and I really enjoy working across different internal teams, with external partners and communities to deliver environmental projects and better outcomes for people and nature. I’m passionate about the environment and making nature and science accessible to all.
Using funding secured through spending review, the EA have recruited area specialists who are responsible for working closely with environment planning and monitoring teams, local catchment partners and community groups to engage and support citizen science projects in their areas.
The monitoring data collected through local citizen science projects can complement our own monitoring and assessment work, enabling a greater understanding of the issues facing the environment and how together we can take action to deliver a better environment.
As the project lead, I am responsible for gathering this localised learning from our citizen science leads, identifying opportunities and challenges, and planning how we can share these projects wider, illustrate the benefits of collaborative monitoring to both the organization, people, and the environment.
Partnerships for change
In the year ahead, the ‘Supporting Citizen Science’ project will be looking at setting position statements, guidance and future ways of working as well as continuing to test how we can improve the way we currently engage with and support existing local citizen science projects.
We’re looking forward to sharing our learning and feedback with partners and interested parties through a soon to be established citizen science page.
Hope and positivity
Our environment is facing a challenging and uncertain future, and it will need a collective approach to help find solutions to the complex problems water is facing. Citizen science initiatives can encourage individuals to connect with their local environment and communities, which can lead to local environmental stewardship and local action.
The Environment Agency acknowledges the wide-ranging benefits of supporting citizen science and is committed to working collaboratively with everyone responsible for the water environment to find new solutions to the challenges we are all facing together.
Fancy getting involved in citizen science? The Big River Watch is still live so have a go! Alternatively to find out more about citizen science that may be happening in your area contact your local catchment partnership: Get Involved - CaBA (catchmentbasedapproach.org).
For more information on our project, the case studies mentioned, CaSTCo and Big River Watch email Kelly.haynes@environment-agency.gov.uk
To find out more about the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, visit: International Day of Women and Girls in Science | United Nations
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