The Partnership approach & assessing the benefits of catchment management. 12th & 13th September 2016 at the Rougemont Hotel, Exeter. Following the decision to leave the EU the need to come together to tackle the complex environmental problems we face such as diffuse pollution and habitat fragmentation has never been greater. This conference sets out the benefits and drawbacks of partnership working and the effectiveness of dealing with problems at a catchment scale.
3. The case for resilient catchments
Improving resilience through
collaboration
Dr Stephen Bird
Managing Director, South West Water
4
4. SOUTH WEST WATER REGION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
• Population of 1.7m
• 70,000 businesses
• Dispersed population
• Many tourists – pop. swells to
8m in summer
• A unique environment:
35% of England’s designated
bathing waters
19% of England’s designated
shellfish waters
National Parks, ANOBs, SACs,
Biosphere Reserve , NIA, etc
5
7. RESILIENCE
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WATER INDUSTRY
(1) Cabinet Office: ‘Keeping the Country Running’ – Natural Hazards and Infrastructure
(2) Ofwat: ‘Towards Resilience – How we will Embed Resilience in our Work’
(3) Resilience Task and Finish Group Report
(4) Ofwat: ‘Reliable services for customers – consultation on Ofwat’s role on resilience
WHY IS IT A HOT TOPIC?
WHY IS IT A HOT TOPIC?
• Climate change and population growth
• Scarcity and affordability concerns
• Financial and economic pressures
WHAT DOES RESILIENCE MEAN?
“Resilience is the ability to cope with, and to recover
from, disruption and anticipate trends and
variability in order to maintain services for people
and protect the natural environment”
HOW CAN THE SECTOR EMBED RESILIENCE?
• Long-term planning
• Innovation
• Investing based on whole-life costs and benefits
8
8. THE NATIONAL RESILIENCE POLICY DEBATE
• Recognition of the need to change
• New duties and focus
• Lots of parliamentary reviews post winter 2015 flooding
• New ways of working - developing catchment solutions
• Ministerial hands on approach- eg Somerset Levels
• Much debate over design standards and practices
• Should we wait for central policy ?
9
9. CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT COSTS IN THE SW
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
120.0
140.0
160.0
Wessex South West Southern
Cost per Bill Payer 2015-2021
CAP LA FCERM (capex) FCERM (opex)
Insurance Highway Agency Voluntary NVZ Regulation
Catchment Partners Local IDBs EA Environment Spend
10. RESILIENCE
WHAT SOUTH WEST WATER IS ALREADY DOING
WHY IS IT A HOT TOPIC?
• ORGANISATIONAL SECURITY
Operational innovation
Skills development and apprentice programmes
• SERVICE & ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
Upstream and Downstream Thinking
WaterShare performance monitoring framework
• FINANCIAL VIABILITY
Efficient equity and debt finance base
Growth opportunities
Payment for Eco-system Services (PES)
Flood defence funding and support
1
1
11. CATCHMENT RESILIENCE
SOUTH WEST WATER CATCHMENT RESILIENCE PLANNING
DOWNSTREAM THINKING
Multi-agency, multi-benefit approach to
sustainable improvements in urban flooding and
drainage
SuDs, highway drainage, landscaping and active
network monitoring & management
Pilot approaches, trialling innovative behaviours
and techniques
UPSTREAM THINKING
• Multi-partner, multi-benefit approach to improving
raw water quality and natural water storage
• 11 catchments in the South West targeted for
moorland and agricultural improvements
12
12. Upstream Thinking
Flagship environmental project
£9m (2010-15) £10m (2015-20)
Partnership delivery
2 workstreams:
- moorland restoration
- agricultural improvements
Focus on water
quality
Improving natural water
quality and water storage in
the landscape
14. Catchment interventions:
Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT)
Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT)
Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT)
Exmoor Mires Partnership (EMP)
Exmoor National Park (ENPA)
Scientific monitoring:
University of Exeter
Project partners
South West Water
Catchments
River Exe
River Dart
River Tamar
River Fowey
Cofton Cross and Otter
Fernworthy
Barnstaple Yeo
Argal & College
River Cober
Drift
Who and where?
16. SWW BENEFITS FROM PARTNERSHIP DELIVERY OF
CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT
• Match funding from sources SWW cannot access
• Extra delivery by the partners in areas that SWW is less able to fund
such as biodiversity
• Use of a 3rd party for delivery brings greater success - the honest
broker approach
• Builds partnership support from stakeholders
• Customer support and reputational benefits
17. FUTURE SOLUTIONS FOR THE SOUTH WEST
• We must reach a common understanding on infrastructure resilience needs &
solutions
• Need to balance scarce resources to respond to challenges and continue to
work in partnership to leverage investment through matched funding
opportunities
• Need to translate central policy, when it comes, to local actions plans
1
9
18. DEVELOPING A COMMON UNDERSTANDING
• Undertake joint research and data analysis
• Create a common understanding of the hazards and risks
• Working with universities, flood forecasting centre and Met Office to quantify
risks and impacts
• Work with lead flood authorities, local land drainage boards, Environment
Agency, farmers, developers and other utilities – encourage sharing of
strategies and action plans
20
20. www.waterlife.org.ukwww.waterlife.org.uk WWF registered charity no.1081247, a company limited by guarantee no. 4016725
WATERLIFE is funded by EC LIFE+. Project number: LIFE13 ENV/UK/000497
Water stewardship: a
framework for engaging
business in catchment
management
Lucy Lee
Water Stewardship Manager, WWF-UK
Rivers Trust Conference
13th September 2016
21. www.waterlife.org.uk
Focus of the presentation
1. Why water matters to UK business
2. How water stewardship provides a framework for engaging
business in catchment management
3. WWF’s action to date to engage business in catchment
management in the UK and plans for supporting increased
engagement
22. www.waterlife.org.uk
Message 1 - It makes
business sense for the
corporate businesses to play
a long-term role in WFD
delivery.1. It makes business sense for the corporate
businesses to play a long-term role in
WFD delivery.
1.Why water matters to UK
business
23. www.waterlife.org.uk
Water matters to business
• The WEF’s Global Risk Report 2015 ranked “water
crises” as the top risk to global growth.
• Freshwater species have declined by 76% since
1970.
• ½ European rivers and 17% of English rivers meet
Good Ecological Status.
• The drivers of the economic water risks are the
same as those for the decline in freshwater species:
physical water scarcity
poor management of the rivers, lakes and
aquifers which supply our water.
24. www.waterlife.org.uk
Physical
• Flooding
• Water scarcity
• Water quality
Regulatory
• 20-30% compliance gap
• Changes through Water Act and legislation
• Regulatory uncertainty associated with Brexit
Reputational
• Associated with impacts on communities and
ecosystems
Opportunity framing can be useful to engage
The River Mimram, Hertfordshire
during drought
Diffuse pollution caused by food and
drinks supply chain
UK business water risks & opps
27. www.waterlife.org.uk
WS as a framework for engaging
business in CM
• Water risks are a result of cumulative water use in
catchments
• Internal water management is therefore not
sufficient to manage water risks or maximise
opportunities
• Businesses need to work collectively with
stakeholders in catchments where they have a
hotspot of water risk to develop integrated solutions
• The catchment management approach provides a
perfect framework to enable this and engage
business in supporting delivery of the WFD
28. www.waterlife.org.uk
1. We are working in East Anglia, England to
demonstrate and test this approach.
3. WWF’s action to date to engage
business in catchment management and
plans for supporting increased
engagement
29. www.waterlife.org.uk
Collective action with
business – River Nar
Aim Deliver environmental improvements
through collaborative delivery
• Funded by Coca Cola
• Addressing reputational risks associated with
diffuse pollution in the sugar supply chain
• Brought together a range of partners
including Norfolk RT, the NFU, NE
Actions
• Creation of Local WFD Catchment Plan
• Engaged farmers to improve over 2000 acres
of land
• Re-meandering channels
30. www.waterlife.org.uk
Collective action – WaterLIFE
• Though our WaterLIFE project we are
engaging additional businesses in
catchment management
• Focus on engaging farmers to reduce
agricultural pollution
• Two catchments
Cam-Ely-Ouse and Broadlands
• AIM: scale up the approach and learning
from our work in the River Nar and drive
broader change in East Anglia
31. www.waterlife.org.uk
Supporting increased business
engagement in CM
We are working with the RT to create a
CaBA related work package around water
stewardship.
• Higher resolution data for England via the
Water Risk Filter
• Guidance on water stewardship for the
food and drink sector in England
Its early day so watch this space for more
information.
32. www.waterlife.org.uk
Influencing governance
• Joint action to ensure the right policies and rules are in
place to enable the water environment to improve.
• Without changes in governance it will be impossible for
businesses to mitigate their business risk.
• Through our partnership with Coca Cola, we have
supported a number of actions:
Government & business WFD roundtable.
Sugar beet workshops
Secretary of State visits
Business to business engagement
Joint activities at party conference
Joint report launches with government – The Chalk Stream
report
33. www.waterlife.org.uk
In conclusion
1. Water matters to UK businesses
2. Water stewardship provides a framework for
engaging business in catchment management
3. WWF is taking action to engage business in
catchment management and is developing a
toolkit with the RT to support increased
engagement
41. % clay
Areas surveyed in the South West (2002 to 2011)
Hampshire
Avon
Frome
Axe & Otter
Tone and Parrett
Bristol Avon
Creedy
& Culm
Torridge & Tamar
Marazion
Bodmin
42. Soil structure degradation in the South West
during winter months
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1 (87) 2 (123) 3 (112) 4 (46) 5 (2087) 6 (62) 7 (623) 8 (49)
Soil type
Percentageoccurrence
Severe
High
Moderate
Low
Shallow
calcareous
Deeper
calcareous
Pelosols Brown
podzolic
Brown
earths
Brown sands Stagno-
gley
Ground-
water gley
Soil type
43. Soil structure degradation in the South West
during winter months
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Potatoes
(70)
Maize
(198)
Winter
cereals
(670)
Stubble
(166)
Ley grass
(638)
Total
cultivated
(2032)
Permanent
grass
(1154)
All sites
(3243)
Land use
Percentageoccurrence
Severe
High
Moderate
Low
Potatoes
(70)
Maize
(198)
Winter
cereals
(670)
Stubble
(166)
Ley grass
(638)
Total
cultivated
(2032)
Permanent
grass
(1154)
All sites
(3243)
44. 60% runoff from grassland with moderate soil structure
2% runoff from grassland with good soil structure
Measuring runoff at Boscastle
49. Summary
Soil surveys in the South West have found a widespread
problem with soil condition affecting runoff
The runoff problem is exacerbated by bad weather and
commercial pressures faced by farmers
The South West is a high risk area and the environmental
impact is serious
56. www.le.ac.uk
Herbicide concentrations in drain flow
Very rapid,
significant transfer
to field drain in the
first event post
application
Concentration
recession mirrors
hydrograph
recession
Propyzamide
losses 1.1% of
applied
Carbetamide
losses 8.6% of
applied
57. Metaldehyde
Widely used for slug control
Aqueous solubility: 222 mg L-1 at 20°C
Low KOC: 85 L kg-1
Soil DT50: 4.5 – 73 days
No photolysis or hydrolysis
Difficult to remove in treatment
→ “Undertakings”
From UKWIR report 2014
58. www.le.ac.uk
What to do?
• Buffer Zones?
• Hard surface management?
• Reduce total inputs?
• In drain or ditch treatment?
• Better soil management?
• Operational controls on abstraction?
59. Reduce total
inputs?
Storage
(Soil 1)
Rain ETa
Drainage
Storage
(Soil 2)
Drainage
OLF
Rain ETa
OLF
Qmod
Rainfall
Drainflow Surface
Water
Groundwater
Recharge
Solid phase
Liquid phase
Air phase
Saturated
θsat
Field
Capacity
θ5
θ200θ150050%
of θ1500
Interactive water Mobile water
Pre-event depth
of pesticide
penetration
Pesticide
Pesticides subject to:
• Linear sorption
• First-order
degradation
θ0
j
Mixed land use
62. Scenario B: Not growing cereals on poorly drained
soil (Cereals moved to other soils, grass and some
OSR to heavy soil).
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Q(m3/s)
Conc(ug/L)
Date
C pest 1
C pest 2
C pest 3
C pest 4
C pest 5
mod Q
Change locations
for key crops?
Modelled exposure from hypothetical application scenario
66. Dynamic model predictions
DT50 sed = 122 d
DT50 wat = 12.2 d
A = 210 m2
z = 0.5 m
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Discharge(L/s)
Conc(ng/L)
Time (hours)
C pred
C meas
C input
Q meas
68. Soil Management
Min / no-till now common
BUT may require higher applications
(e.g. of herbicides)
Subsoiling → ↑ transport to drains?
↑ aeration & ↑ degradation?
Soil compaction → ↑ OLF
More Research
Required!
69. Conclusions: Challenges (some)
• Concentrations of some pesticide active ingredients
occasionally challenge DWD compliance
• Problems particularly acute for compounds with low
treatment removal efficiency (e.g. metaldehyde)
• Field drains represent significant pathways in
heavy soils → limited benefits from farmyard
management + buffer zones
• Issues arise from multiple actors – need to get a
critical mass on board to achieve objectives
• DWD standards are absolute but effectiveness of
catchment management is subject to variability
70. Conclusions: Opportunities (some)
• Potential benefits for crop rotation changes
involving reduced total usage and changes in
application timings
• On line treatment wetlands (probably) of limited
value for catchment protection (need high wetland :
catchment area)
• Better understanding of catchment dynamics
could help to target interventions (e.g. on
vulnerable soils) and inform operational controls
(e.g. on abstraction)
• Soil management may offer (currently unknown)
benefits – more research needed!
73. 75
Natural flood management (NFM) is the alteration, restoration or use of landscape
features to reduce flood risk (POST, 2011).
What is Natural Flood Management?
POST. (2011). Natural Flood Management POSTNOTE 396. London, UK: Parliamentary Offices of Science and Technology. Retrieved from http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/POST-PN-396
SLOW STORE FILTER
74. 76
Benefits of NFM
• Reduction of peak flow at downstream receptors
• Reduced erosion (on land and in waterbodies)
• Reduced sediment delivery (capturing at source)
• Improved water quality (reduced costs to water companies)
• Habitat creation (terrestrial and aquatic)
• Drought reduction (and agricultural enhancement)?
79. 81
PhD findings
𝑑𝑉
𝑑𝑡
= 𝑄𝑖𝑛 − 𝑄 𝑜𝑢𝑡
𝑄 𝑑𝑠 = 𝑄 𝑢𝑠 −
𝑑𝑉
𝑑𝑡
Analytical method: Monitored evidence:
Filling
Full
Emptying
10% reduction in flow from one pond!
Though – this was not the design event.
83. 85
Other initiatives
• Cumbria Floods Partnership (and action plan)
• Working with Natural Processes (and opportunity mapping)
• Defra model competition
• NERC Research Call (up to £6M)
88. • How might the sub-catchments be interacting?
• How can this sort of analysis help with NFM and
catchment management?
Flow contribution
Q (m3/s)
t (hrs)
Combined flow
downstream
Thanks to Gareth Owen and Paul Quinn
90. 92
Estimating storage requirements and costs
1km
1km
How much storage is needed?
(Based on the Belford Study and other research)
Need approx. 2,000m3 / km2
If storage areas only fill up to 25cm, the area of land take
will be 8,000m2, which equates to 1% of the land*
Conservative costs:
£10 / m3
This means to deliver an NFM scheme for:
10km2 Catchment = £200,000
100km2 Catchment = £2,000,000
* Paul Quinn’s 5% future. Let’s also remember that these features only take up this area when full of water
91. 93
Benefits and funding
FDGiA
OM1 – Damages avoided
OM2 – Moving risk bands
(Low, Medium, High)
OM4a – Water dependent
habitat
Partnership funding
Natural England
Forestry Commission
How many properties are you potentially benefiting?
Multiple locations and further downstream
92. 94
Maintenance
AIMS
Asset description
Maintenance plan
Access
What features can be maintained?
What is the whole life cost of the scheme?
Should the EA be tasked with maintenance?
Role of Flood Action Group
Belford:
Of the 48 features, 40 are eligible for
adding to AIMS (the other 8 are LWD
dams)
£2,000 / year