East Cambridgeshire & Fenland Water Cycle Study Outline Study – Main Planning Report April 2011 Prepared for East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Outline Water Cycle Study Revision Schedule East Cambridgeshire & Fenland Water Cycle Study – Main Planning Report Final April 2011 Rev Date Details Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by 01 June 2010 D129319 – Main Clare Postlethwaite Carl Pelling Jon Robinson Planning Report Consultant Principal Consultant Technical Director DRAFT FOR COMMENT 02 July 2010 D129319 – Main Clare Postlethwaite Carl Pelling Jon Robinson Planning Report Senior Consultant Principal Consultant Technical Director V2 03 Oct 2010 D129319 – Main Clare Postlethwaite Carl Pelling Planning Report Senior Consultant Principal Consultant V3 04 Dec 2010 D129319 – Main Clare Postlethwaite Carl Pelling Jon Robinson Planning Report Senior Consultant Principal Consultant Technical Director draft FINAL 05 April 2011 D129319 – Main Clare Postlethwaite Carl Pelling Jon Robinson Planning Report Senior Consultant Principal Consultant Technical Director FINAL Scott Wilson Scott House Alencon Link This document has been prepared in accordance with the scope of Scott Wilson's appointment with its client and is subject to the terms of that appointment. 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Fax: 01256 310210 © Scott Wilson Ltd 2011 www.scottwilso n.com East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Outline Water Cycle Study Table of Contents Acronyms & Abbreviations ....................................................................... 4 Executive Summary................................................................................... 6 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 13 2 Policy and Supporting Information.............................................. 21 3 Proposed growth........................................................................... 31 4 Wastewater Strategy ..................................................................... 36 5 Water Supply Strategy .................................................................. 61 6 Water Neutrality............................................................................. 71 7 Flood Risk Management ............................................................... 80 8 Growth Town Assessments ......................................................... 87 9 Climate Change ........................................................................... 101 10 Outline Policy Guidance ............................................................. 111 11 Recommendations & Phase 2 Scope......................................... 115 Appendix A: Outline Study Data Register ............................................ 120 Appendix B: WwTW Details................................................................... 123 Appendix C: Wastewater Network Assessments ................................ 124 Appendix D: Water Resource Availability ............................................ 133 Appendix E: Indicative Consents for Good Status.............................. 147 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Outline Water Cycle Study Acronyms & Abbreviations Abbreviation Description AMP Asset Management Plan AWS Anglian Water Services BGS British Geological Society BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand CAMS Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy CBA Cost Benefit Analysis CFMP Catchment Flood Management Plan CSH Code for Sustainable Homes CLG Communities and Local Government DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DO Dissolved Oxygen DWF Dry Weather Flow DWI Drinking Water Inspectorate ECDC East Cambridgeshire District Council EEP East of England Plan (the RSS for the East of England) EGDB Ely Group of Drainage Boards FDC Fenland District Council FEH Flood Estimation Handbook FFT Flow to Full Treatment GQA General Quality Assessment GWMU Groundwater Management Unit HA Highways Agency HMWB Heavily Modified Water Body (under the Water Framework Directive) IDB Internal Drainage Board l/h/d Litres/head/day (a water consumption measurement) LDDs Local Development Documents LDF Local Development Framework LPA Local Planning Authority MLC Middle Level Commissioners Ml Mega Litre (a million litres) NE Natural England NWA No Water Available (in relation to CAMS) OFWAT The Water Services Regulation Authority (formerly t he Office of Water Services) O-A Over Abstracted (in relation to CAMS) O-L Over Licensed (in relation to CAMS) Main Planning Report: FINAL April 2011 4 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Outline Water Cycle Study Abbreviation Description P Phosphorous PE Population Equivalent PPS Planning Policy Statement PR Periodic Review PS Pumping Station RBMP River Basin Management Plan RSS Regional Spatial Strategy (East of England Plan) RQO River Quality Objective SAC Special Area for Conservation SFRA Strategic Flood Risk Assessment SPA Special Protection Area SPD Supplementary Planning Document SPZ Source Protection Zone SS Suspended Solids SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest SUDS Sustainable Drainage Systems UKTAG United Kingdom Technical Advisory Group (to the WFD) UWWTD Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive WCS Water Cycle Study WFD Water Framework Directive WRMP Water Resource Management Plan WRMU Water Resource Management Unit (in relation to CAMS) WRZ Water Resource Zone (in relation to a water company’s WRMP) WTW Water Treatment Works WwTW Waste Water Treatment Works Main Planning Report: FINAL April 2011 5 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Outline Water Cycle Study Executive Summary The districts of East Cambridgeshire and Fenland are expected to experience a significant increase in housing and employment provision over the period to 2031. This growth represents a challenge to both districts in ensuring that both the water environment and water services infrastructure has the capacity to sustain this level of growth and development proposed. An Outline Water Cycle Study (WCS) has therefore been undertaken to identify any constraints that may be imposed by the water cycle and how these can be resolved. Furthermore, it provides a strategic approach to the management and use of water which ensures that the sustainability of the water environment in the study area is not compromised. Three potential Growth Scenarios covering housing and employment targets for each authority have been discussed and agreed with the relevant planning officers at Fenland District Council (FDC), East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC) and Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and these scenarios have been tested in the Outline WCS. Neither authority was in a position to provide a definitive list of potential development locations; hence it has been necessary to carry out the assessment of capacity at a strategic level for this Outline Study. Wastewater Strategy Wastewater Treatment Several WwTWs have capacity to accept wastewater flow from some growth, and the WCS has shown that wastewater flow from growth for all three scenarios at these locations can be accommodated within existing consent conditions. However, several WwTWs do not have capacity to accept and treat any further wastewater from growth at the current time (i.e. before growth is considered) without requiring an increase in the volumes that they are permitted (or consented) to discharge. For these catchments (and hence growth towns) a solution is required to treat additional wastewater generated as a result of growth. The Outline solution for these WwTW is to determine if the WwTW can increase the volume they are permitted to discharge without deteriorating downstream water quality of the receiving watercourse and impacting on ecology. A modelling process was therefore agreed with the Environment Agency and undertaken for all three housing growth scenarios. The key results were that: • the WwTW serving Soham, Burwell, Bottisham, Whittlesey and Doddington cannot achieve required water quality conditions for all three growth scenarios within the limits of conventional treatment 1 and without affecting the ability of receiving watercourses to meet future targets under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) – an alternative solution is therefore required in the detailed WCS for growth in these locations; however, Bottisham WwTW could accept approximately 30% of planned growth before targets would be unachievable; 1 A description of the treatment processes considered to be normal before advanced (and more energy intensive) technology is required to treat to higher standards. Main Planning Report: FINAL April 2011 6 East Cambridgeshire and Fenland Outline Water Cycle Study • the watercourses downstream of the discharges points of the WwTW serving Soham, Burwell, Bottisham, Whittlesey and Doddington have been shown to be unable to meet Good Status under the WFD, but additional modelling is needed to demonstrate whether it is the growth that is preventing