TAME, ANKER AND MEASE CATCHMENT ACTION MANAGEMENT PLAN March 2017 Severn Trent Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust Trent Rivers Trust Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Contents Foreward ................................................................................................................................................. 3 A Message from Severn Trent .............................................................................................................. 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Catchment Vision .................................................................................................................................... 7 Catchment Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 7 Catchment Challenges ......................................................................................................................... 7 Data and Evidence ................................................................................................................................... 8 Catchment Characterisation ................................................................................................................ 8 Birmingham and the Black Country .................................................................................................. 8 North and West Warwickshire ......................................................................................................... 9 East Staffordshire and West Leicestershire .................................................................................... 10 Maps of river/water body status ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. Catchment Project Plans ........................................................................................................................ 13 Catchment Priorities .......................................................................................................................... 13 Project Tracker .................................................................................................................................. 17 Case Studies ........................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Monitoring and Evaluation .................................................................................................................... 18 Appendix ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Stakeholders...................................................................................................................................... 20 Foreward On World Water Day, 22nd March 2011, Richard Benyon (Minister for the Natural Environment) announced the launch of the Government’s Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) through the Environment Agency. The aim of these CaBA partnerships was to set up improved ways of engaging with people and organisations to make a difference to the health of all our inland waters, from source to sea. The intention was that these partnerships would commit to a more catchment- based approach by sharing information, working together, and co-ordinating work. The products of which will enable the delivery of the EU Water Framework Directive in a more effective and coordinated way. The Tame, Anker and Mease Catchment Partnership is hosted by Severn Trent. Due to its large size it has then been further split into 3 sub-catchments hosted by the following partners: Upper Tame - Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country Middle Tame and Anker - Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Lower Tame and Mease - Trent Rivers Trust A Message from Severn Trent “It’s Severn Trent’s vision to be the most trusted water company by 2020; by delivering an outstanding customer experience, providing the best value service, and demonstrating environmental leadership. We’re continuously looking for ways to protect our environment and build resilience into our network for the future. What better way to do this than to work in partnership with stakeholders to improve and sustain our local water network and surrounding environment. It’s possible to achieve far more for the environment by working in partnership than if we all worked individually. CaBA partnership working is also an important part of Defra’s vision: for decision making and deliveries on environmental improvements to come from a catchment scale; built on local joined- up approaches. This catchment action management plan for the Tame, Anker and Mease catchment takes exactly this joined up, collaborative approach to achieving positive environmental outcomes. It’s a plan we strongly support. We look forward to working closely with our catchment partners and stakeholders to deliver more tangible benefits over the coming years.” Liv Garfield Chief Executive Severn Trent Introduction The Tame, Anker and Mease (TAM) catchment covers a large area of the midlands, and therefore has considerable diversity of landscape and land-use across the catchment area. There are 65 water bodies in total in the TAM catchment - 47 Rivers (15 of which have been classed as heavily modified), 14 canals and 4 lakes. The larger of these rivers include the river Tame, Rea, Cole, Bourne, Blythe (SSSI), Anker, Sence, Mease (SSSI and SAC), and the River Trent from its confluence with the River Tame to the River Dove. The rivers within this catchment mainly pass through urban areas; including the southern part of Wolverhampton, Walsall, West Bromwich, Birmingham, Solihull, Nuneaton, Tamworth and Burton-upon-Trent. Heavy industry has had a large influence on the water bodies in the area though this has declined over recent years. Due to the highly urbanised nature of a large part of the catchment, the largest inputs to the system come from sewage treatment works. During low flow periods, a large proportion of the river flows is made up of these discharges. By far the largest input comes from Minworth sewage treatment works which discharges treated effluent from Birmingham into the River Tame at Water Orton. The whole catchment is a very important angling resource for the highly populated area it serves and comprises of 80 or more clubs. Historically, water quality has been the main cause for poor fisheries in the River Tame. In 1980 a series of lakes were created at Lea Marston from old gravel workings. The River Tame was then diverted through these lakes to provide settlement lagoons to protect downstream reaches from dry weather and storm impacts. This helps in mitigating large pollution events from affecting the lower reaches of the River Tame and downstream on the River Trent. Catchment Vision Our catchment has a sustainable and diverse water environment that is valued for the benefits it brings to people, the economy of the region and the natural environment. It has improved resilience to climate change, flooding and pollution events, and is in good ecological condition. People from many sectors and disciplines across the catchment are committed to caring for the catchment by working together, and using innovation, to capitalise on the opportunities presented and solutions to the challenges faced. Catchment Objectives To promote the value of rivers, streams and wetlands and to increase their natural capacity to ameliorate the impacts of flooding and pollution. To create a more sustainable and diverse water environment that is a valued asset for the economy, people and the natural environment To work with local stakeholders to harness their support and enthusiasm to address the opportunities and challenges faced by the water environment and to optimise the benefits. To enhance the quality of the natural environment for the benefit of people’s health and wellbeing, giving access to aesthetic and enjoyable landscapes which are rich in wildlife. Catchment Challenges Given the large and diverse nature of the catchment there are number of challenges the TAM CABA partnership face: Engaging with a potential audience of two million people - how do we engage this population and get a fair representation of views Densely populated urban areas with a large variety of cultures and nationalities Producing a coherent and workable vision for a catchment that has such huge contrasts Capturing the true value of ecosystem services natural capital? Aligning this catchment action management plan with the aspirations of other partnerships, communities and organisations in the catchment Physical modifications due to urbanisation, water storage and supply and flood protection Impact of agricultural diffuse pollution and sedimentation into watercourses HS2 and its associated development Data and Evidence Catchment Characterisation Unfortunately no rivers in the TAM catchment area are classed at good status (as of 2015). 53% of Rivers are at moderate status, 36% at poor status and 11% at bad status. 2015 river data of Biological Quality elements (Fish, Inverts, Macrophytes & Phytobenthos) show that within the TAM catchment 4% are at good status, 28% are moderate, 50% are poor, and 18% are bad. 42% of the Tame river basin is urbanised, making it the most heavily urbanised river basin in the UK. The impact of the urban influence reaches beyond the immediate urban area due to