Rivers Bradford and Lathkill

Introduction

The Rivers Bradford and Lathkill in the are very important for people and wildlife and therefore need to be protected and enhanced for current and future generations.

Although the rivers both provide good habitat and have good water quality they do suffer from low flows at certain times of the year and significant reaches dried up during the summer of 2011. Whilst parts of the bed of the Lathkill dry up every year the Bradford is effected much less frequently.

In terms of rainfall 2011 was one of the driest years on record for the Midlands. This lead to the Environment Agency undertaking fish rescues on the River Lathkill during the summer, whilst this is an annual occurrence it happened earlier in the year than normal. A similar rescue was undertaken by the Haddon Estate on the River Bradford.

On 7th November 2011, we spoke to the local community, at a public meeting hosted by residents about the issues facing the rivers in times of low rainfall and what may be the causes of the rivers drying up; the meeting was attended by approximately 100 people.

We have been examining the data and evidence around the drying of the rivers and have considered rainfall data, groundwater levels, licensed water abstraction in the area, the local geology and historical mine drainage systems as contributory factors that have caused the rivers to dry up.

Historical Evidence

The River Bradford has dried up on previous occasions the most recent event prior to 2011 was 1996, which correlated with the rainfall data for this year which is the ninth driest on record for the Derwent Catchment.

Our records show the rainfall data for the period December 2010 to November 2011 was the second driest 12 month period on record for the catchment which includes Youlgreave. As such we view the lack of rainfall as an important factor in causing the local rivers to run dry.

Licensed Water Abstraction

All large water abstractions for farms or other premises require an abstraction licence. We enforce licence conditions which limit the amount of water that can be taken from surface watercourses or groundwater. The licensed abstractions in the River Bradford catchment all take water from groundwater and not the rivers. We have modelled the potential effect of current licensed water abstraction which has shown that abstraction can only have a very small impact on the River Bradford, even at times of low river flow. The low total permitted daily abstraction rate for these licences, the location of the abstractions and their associated geology gives us confidence that the abstractions are not impacting the River Bradford. We have not issued any new consumptive abstraction licences in the area since January 1997.

We manage water resources in the catchment that include the Rivers Bradford and Lathkill by applying the licensing policy contained in the Derwent Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS). This document can be viewed on our website at http://publications.environment- agency.gov.uk/PDF/GEMI0106BYYR-E-E.pdf

A new licensing policy based on a review of the availability of water in the catchment will be issued before December 2012. The catchment is already closed to new licensable groundwater abstraction, if our review indicates that surface water abstraction is unsustainable then the catchment will be closed to new licensable surface water abstractions as well.

We issue guidance about best practice for abstractors and we undertake compliance visits and take enforcement action if exemptions or licences are not complied with. We currently have no evidence to suggest that any unauthorised abstraction is occurring near to the Rivers Bradford or Lathkill.

Groundwater Levels Data collected by the Environment Agency from our groundwater observation borehole at Oddo House Farm shows that no large amounts of water capable of drying up the rivers have been taken from the area.

Future Initiatives and Climate Change The Environment Agency is a member of the recently formed working group looking at water resource issues for this catchment. The group also includes representatives from Haddon Estates, Limestone Research and Consultancy Ltd, Natural , Peak District National Park Authority, the Trent Rivers Trust and the local community.

The aim of the group is to gain a better understanding of how rainfall, mine drainage, geology and water abstraction interact in the area as the exact effects of these factors on the Rivers Bradford and Lathkill are currently unclear.

Whilst the Rivers Bradford and Lathkill started to flow again in December 2011 after a month of above average rainfall we need to consider not only the current weather conditions but also the potential long term effects of climate change on the Peak District Rivers.

In order to make sure we can provide the best evidence to help the work of this group we will review our data relating to water resources in the area. This will include river and sough flow data and groundwater level data.

The Environment Agency supports local initiatives to address the above issues and to find ways in which the water courses of the Peak District can be managed in a way which sustains water resources and maintains or enhances water quality and wildlife habitat.

Further Information Further information relevant to findings of the working group who will be looking at water resource issues for this catchment will be made available when there is something new to report.

As we have had near drought conditions in the Midlands during 2011 the Environment Agency will continue to undertake drought monitoring to ensure that we will be able to examine the drought prospects for 2012 and advise accordingly.

Anyone suspecting illegal abstraction should contact our National Emergency hotline on 0800 807060.

Anyone who has further information relating to the River Bradford running dry prior to 2011 can contact Andrew Barker by email at [email protected]