Wyre Local Environment Agency Plan Annual Review Summary 2000/2001

E n v ir o n m e n t Ag e n c y ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

078256 Making sure...... rivers are clean and safe for people and wildlife

£ I-

The Wyre area is popular with tourists, for the disabled. In partnership with The vast majority o f the rivers in the

as well as local people as it takes Wyre Borough and Scorton’s Millennium Wyre area are capable of supporting in the picturesque villages of the Forest healthy populations o f Salmon and Sea Com m ittee we are creating a disabled of Bowland and the coastal towns of Trout. Where suitable we stock fish into access on to the Scorton Millennium , and . rivers but equally important is to improve Way. This footpath links Scorton to We encourage people to enjoy their the rivers and riverbanks so that they can . We have also planted more local rivers. In the Wyre LEAP area one survive and go on to breed successfully.

of our main successes is the Lane Ends trees along the riverbank and protected The Wyre area also contains a lot of weirs Amenity Site at , which offers them with a wire fence. Trees help these can often present a problem to excellent views over the Lune Estuary. hold the riverbank together and attract migrating fish. a wide variety of wildlife. Fish also To make sure everyone has the benefit from trees as they attract insects opportunity to visit rivers we are

constantly striving to improve access that they feed on and provide much

to rivers and where possible create access needed shade. Key successes

• Stocked 8,500 fish. Reducing • Fenced 1km of riverbank at Scorton. the risks... • Recorded an extra 3,000 trout due to improvements at Cam Beck. ...from floods and droughts • Created a reed bed at Lanes End.

Key future actions

• Encourage landowners to protect

rivers from erosion.

• Plant trees along riverbanks with

fences to protect them.

• Develop fish passes on weirs to allow

fish to migrate upstream.

• Continue to survey for presence

of water voles and otters.

the year. The River Calder and Grizedale To help local people to improve both have occasions when the river level their environment we take part in drops so low that it harms wildlife. the Green Partnership Awards. We are working with the British This offers people practical advice Waterways (who take water from rivers on how to carry out environmental for the ) and North West Water to find ways of reducing the amount actions and funding to help pay for o f water they take from these rivers. equipment and materials. This is a general early alert to •------> all properties at risk of flooding. Key successes • Introduction of new four-code flood Designated flood warning areas warning system. receive a direct warning by an

automated telephone system. • Designated flood warning areas for, 52 properties at Scorton, Should the situation 103 properties at Garstang and deteriorate a severe flood 357 properties at St. Michaels. warning is issued. Key future actions An ‘All Clear’ is issued • Continue to promote flood when the threat of flooding warning system. has passed. • To reduce the effects of low flows on The new system involves the emergency the Rivers Wyre and Calder we will services and local councils to make sure review the licences o f companies that we all work effectively together to offer allow water to be taken out of rivers. an excellent service. • Promote the use o f drainage systems There are parts of the Wyre that suffer to developers, local authorities and from too little water at certain times of industry that lessen the risk o f floods. M gk I M ■ CM Photograph courtesy o f County Council.

A*. ing water quality

Improvements have been made to the Key successes Key future actions sewerage network along • Five out of six beaches passed • Improve Pilling Wastewater European standards in the year 2 0 0 0 . Treatment Works by adding coast, and bathing water quality has ultraviolet treatment. improved. This year five out of the • Installation of ultra violet disinfection • Bacterial ‘fingerprinting’ research six bathing water beaches between at Wastewater Treatment Works, and further afield at Preston, to determine origin of bacteria. Blackpool and Fleetwood passed and Southport Wastewater Treatment European standards. However, there • 18 boreholes at Blackpool seafront Works (WwTW). will continue to be monitored for is still no guarantee that the six • Construction of huge storm sewage contamination of groundwater. bathing waters will pass the European storage tanks in Blackpool and at • A North West Bathing Water Forum standards in the future. A wide Fleetwood WwTW, and further afield was set up in September 1999 to range of studies continues to be in Lytham and at Preston WwTW. share information and knowledge undertaken to investigate why they • Closure o f Hambleton WwTW on in the quest to guarantee compliance may sometimes fail. the Wyre Estuary. with the European standards. Preventing... Cutting down on waste ...pollution from houses

Some pollution problems are caused Key successes by drainage from houses. A common • North West Water have identified and problem is the wrong connection of rectified many wrong connections from houses in Thornton affecting drains from washing machines, . dishwashers and sometimes even toilets to the clean roof water drain instead • Home ow’ners in Singleton village have One of the major environmental of the foul sewer. This problem is requested NWW Ltd to provide issues we all contribute to is the appropriate sewerage facilities under particularly bad in housing areas with growing amount of waste we generate. the duty introduced in Section 101A separate sewers such as the Thornton This waste has to go somewhere and in o f the Water Industry Act, 1991. area, affecting Hillylaid Pool and the Wyre area much of this ends up at The status o f the existing drainage Royles Brook. Jameson Road landfill site. We regulate system is complex, and no decision

has yet been made. the site and continually inspect it to Other problems from houses are caused make sure it does not affect the outside in areas without mains drainage. The poor Key future actions environment. We are also investigating maintenance and operation of private • Work with North West Water and ways to collect gas from the site to local authorities to resolve other sewage treatment works and septic tanks generate electricity. This would help wrong connection problems. can lead to significant deterioration in to make the best use o f waste. water quality. Examples include Singleton • Resolution of the problem due to Key successes village and Halfpenny Lane, Longridge. lack of sewerage at Singleton village. • Improved environmental controls at

Jameson Road landfill site.

• Influenced planning proposals for

the landfill site at Jameson Road to

benefit the environment.

Key actions

• Promote the wise use of resources,

water and energy to businesses.

• Regulate and support improvements

to Jameson Road landfill site.

We feel that these improvements The Environment Agency within the Wyre area will benefit If you would like to see a full Annual or John Young, LEAPs Officer at people and wildlife today and for Review for the Wyre area please contact: PO Box 519, South Preston PR5 8GD future generations. Stephen Hemingway Tel: 01 772 339882 LEAPs Team Leader We would like to thank the Central Area Environment Group for their support in the Free 24 hour emergency hotline 0800 80 70 60 production of this document.

Floodline 0845 988 1188 N W -01 /0 1 - 3K -Dii-BFVI Many factors can affect river water quality, • The Bowland Initiative is an Improving such as discharges of sewage effluent experimental scheme to help from Wastewater Treatment Works and farmers with a free business and

storm sewer overflows. In addition to environmental advice service. river these, in the Wyre area farming is a major • Working with North West Water business and poor farming practices can Ltd to improve the sewer network lead to pollution problems. In particular at Barton, , Forton, water the Barton Brook system fails to meet strict European standards for rivers that Garstang, Pilling and Weeton. quality support Salmon and Sea Trout. Key future actions Key successes • Investigations into high ammonia

• Proactive farm visits carried out on levels in the Barton Brook

Westfield Brook. Advice given and, catchment, which causes failure

where appropriate, enforcement of the European Freshwater

action taken. Fisheries Directive. Environmental problems land improvements

]60 Summary of Environmental W yre Problems and Improvements Local Environment A gency Plan 2000 • 1 Riverbank improvements • 2 Improvements to recreation sites ENVIRONMENT AGENCY • 3 Barriers to fish migration ▲ 4 Formal flood warning area A. 5 Coastal flood defences

Abbeystead i • 6 Rivers with low flow problems below ' 5 ^^teservoir ‘ this point • ■ m + ml % \ i / \ j —^ \ r River M a i • 7 Beaches meeting EU Standards in 2000 • 8 Beaches failing EU Standards in 2000 9 Improved discharges from WwTW • • 10 WwTW to be improved • 11 Successful campaign to prevent pollution • 12 Water quality problems • 13 Problems of untreated sewage • 14 Jameson road landfill site

Water Quality Overview - 14* CQA Chemistry (1997/99)

KEY

♦7 Wyre Leap Boundary I Cl6V6l6yS Lancaster Canal

Built up areas

8 ' Rivers

A > Good Blackpool B J

Marton DU J} Faif Mere E Poor F Bad 47 Unclassified N Map produced by EA North West Region 5km Strategic Planning Department

December 2000