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Managing Water Resources in Welsh Region

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Managing Water Resources in Welsh Region fO (1A - s j 0 [ £ MANAGING WATER RESOURCES IN WELSH REGION National Rivers Authority E n v i r o n m e n t A g e n c y NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE AN G LIA N REGION Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR Thanks to the National Museum o f Wales for the illustration on page 1 of the Caergwrle bowl. ENVIRONMENT AGENCY WEQ2952K AKPI. iiig iiiiiiu 089562 Wafer is vital to life. Making the best use o f this essential resource is one o f the prime statutory responsibilities of the National Rivers Authority (NRA). It includes conserving water and balancing the competing needs of abstractors and o f the water environment. This complex role is accomplished through: • Continuously measuring • Predicting future water rainfall, evaporation, river demands o f all kinds. flows, and groundwater levels. • Planning environmentally • Analysing these data to sustainable works to augment establish the availability and water resources to reflect reliability o f water resources. changing demands. • Controlling abstractions from rivers and groundwater. A line drawing o f the Caergurle bowl, a votive model boat made o f slate and decorated with gold inlay, fonnd in Caergwrle, Clwyd. (9th-8th Centuries B.C.) The Welsh Region Severn catchment. It also includes The NRA has eight Regions, covering those parts o f the Dec and Wye England and Wales. Welsh Region is the catchments which lie in England. The fourth largest covering an area of landscape is very diverse, ranging 21,262 square km. It com prises the from the distinctive mountainous w h o le o f W ales apart from that part o f areas o f North Wales to the low-lying mid Wales which falls into the Upper coastal areas o f the Gwent levels. PRINCIPAL WATER RESOURCES OF THE WELSH REGION Key General direction —* of transfen • River abstraction ▲ Reservoirs Welsh Political lloundary NRA Welsh Region Boundary Area Boundary Main Rivers • Principal Towns r LLYSVFRAN, I*— HAVFRFOteWf . L. CANASTON □ Water Resources of the Welsh Region with 845 mm per year in the rest o f Rainfall and Rivers England and Wales. Distribution Rainfall is the sole source of fresh ranges from less than 700 mm in the water. Welsh Region has more o f it Welsh Borders to over 4,000 mm in than any other NRA Region: over 1310 Snowdonia. mm per year on average, compared Over the Region about 45% of the AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL (1941-70) □ STQo rainfall evaporates o r is used by in permeable rocks known as aquifers. plants. The 730 mm per year which The main aquifers comprise the remains is called the “effective" Carboniferous Limestone, the Permo rainfall. Some of this quickly finds its Triassic Sandstone and the Old Red way to the river systems and the sea, Sandstone. Supplies from valley while the remainder is delayed by gravels are also o f local significance. infiltrating into soils and rocks, or by Drought being stored in lakes and reservoirs. Droughts are natural phenomena This may then be released slowly to caused by long periods o f low rainfall. maintain river flow s during dry During such periods the effective periods, or used to satisfy demands by rainfall in a year may be reduced by industry, agriculture and the public. half. The proper management of water Groundwater resources requires assessment o f the Groundwater is found throughout the available resource during droughts. Region and is important where sufficient quantities of water are held River flows are maintained by the □ Although Wales has plentiful water Water Qudty resources, they are heavily utilised by The Welsh Region has very good man. The quantity licensed for quality water in its rivers and lakes. abstraction is more than half the However, in some upland areas the average effective rainfall. In drought effects o f acidification are o f years abstraction quantities appear to concern, and in the larger river exceed the water available. However, valleys intensive agricultural nearly all the water used within the practices can affect both surface and Region is returned to the rivers after groundwater. Across the Region use. This water maintains flow’ and mining and other industries have left keeps the aquatic environment in a contaminated land, and current healthy state. The NRA also sets industrial activity and waste disposal conditions on licences to reduce the pose a pollution risk. The Region’s impact o f abstractions during periods rivers and streams provide w'ater for when water resources are limited. the dilution o f effluent. The main needs for water are as Conservation follow s Many wildlife and landscape features which contribute to the natural Fisheries beauty o f W'ales have developed in The fisheries resource o f the Region is response to the climate and high extensive, diverse and valuable. Fish rainfall of the Region. They rely on rely upon an adequate supply of water the continued availability o f water, throughout their life cycle. O f particular often of high quality and in large importance is the effect o f water flow quantities. The rivers Wye, Usk, Dee, on the migrations of salmon and sea Tywi and Teifi harbour species such trout. Generally, increases in river flow, as otter, dipper, goosander, salmon, known as spates, stimulate these sea trout and shad; the fast flowing movements and are important in mountain streams in North and West enabling adult fish to negotiate Wales support fragile plant obstructions. communities dependent on a moist uncontrolled abstractions can create environment; the extensive areas of problems, particularly when the blanket and lowland bog throughout rivers used to feed canals are the Region are home to unique plant themselves suffering from low flows. communities. Water Abstractions Recreation Water is abstracted from the The Region’s landscape provides the Region’s surface and groundwaters venue for the local population and for a variety of uses. Currently there tourists to enjoy a wide variety o f are about 4,100 licences in force, recreational pursuits. Th e river W ye which authorise the abstraction of offers an unrivalled length of river some 24,368 Megalitres per day (Ml/ for canoe touring, with a trip d). There are also very many small through countryside of outstanding unlicensed abstractions which, scenic beauty. Other rivers offer although important, are not white water and slalom canoeing, significant users o f water. The and on the Tryweryn these uses are Region’s abstractions are covered enhanced through releases of water under the following categories: from Llyn Celyn reservoir. In Hydro Electric Power: About three- addition to the extensive uses of quarters o f all the water licensed in rivers, lakes and reservoirs for the Region is used at 41 sites to angling, they are a popular choice for generate electricity'. No water is lost- bankside walks and picnics. in this process, but the large changes Gnds in river (low can have a major impact The canals o f the Region provide on the aquatic environment and important waterways for pleasure other users of the watercourse. boating and other waterside Three of the largest schemes reacreational use. They are operated recirculate the water used for power by British Waterways and private generation and so limit the companies. However, the rights to downstream impact. take water to feed the canals predate Agriculture: The major agricultural the w ater resources legislation and abstractive uses are for spray so remain unregulated. These irrigation and fish farming. □ Spray irrigation often occurs o f the Region's licensed total. Actual when flows in rivers and streams abstraction is well below the licensed are at their lowest and the quantities available. potential impact at its greatest. Public Water Supply: Water Nearly all water is used by plants Companies are licensed to abstract or evaporated away. around 3,100 Ml/d of water to supply Fish farms account for 80% of the domestic households, commercial Region's agricultural water use. buildings and industry. Some 1,100 However, nearly all water Ml/d is licensed for export from the abstracted is returned after use. Region. Typically about 70% of The Region’s rivers are not ideal public water supply abstraction is for this use due to the low summer returned to rivers via the sewerage flows. system. However, in Welsh Region Industry: Direct abstraction for only about 30% is returned. This is industrial use ranges from the low due to the large volumes exported water loss mineral washing, through from the Region, and the high to high water loss evaporative cooling. percentage of effluent discharged Industrial use accounts for around 5% directly into the sea. LICENSED QUANTITY IN WELSH REGION SI and Mw7« PWS 12.1* o lh ir Agrfc SI and tfnc 2 n M ro fW 737% GROUNOWATfE: 325 Ml/d SURFACI WATIfc 2404J NU/il H Upland Wales has deep valley least 364 Ml/d is maintained over locations for containment of water, Chester W eir in all but the most coupled with high rainfall. As a result testing o f droughts. This safeguards many Welsh river flows are the passage o f migratory fish, and augmented by water released from limits the ingress o f saline water over reservoirs: a process known as river the weir. A further 1028 Megalitres regulation. (M l) o f storage is held to: The NRA has made statutory • mitigate the effects of pollution, agreements with the reservoir • enable canoe events on the Afon owners, Dwr Cymru, to operate the Tryweryn on a number o f days, reservoirs for the benefit of abstractors and the rivers. • provide fishery freshets to Agreements are now in operation on safeguard the grilse and spawning six rivers in Welsh Region:- runs.
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