River-Teise-Catchment-Information.Pdf

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Catchment information | Spring 2020

Catchment information

This is a summary document about the River Teise catchment. If you need any more information, please get in touch.

Overview The River Teise catchment covers an area of approximately 236 km2. The River Teise is a tributary of the River Medway which flows from springs in the High Weald and springs located in Dunorlan Park. It then flows eastwards through Lamberhurst where it is joined by the River Bewl before heading north below Goudhurst and splitting south west of Marden, creating the Lesser and Greater Teise. The urban and suburban areas of the catchment include Paddock Wood, Marden, Horsmonden, Goudhurst, Royal Tunbridge Wells, and Wadhurst.

The Lesser Teise heads north via Collier Street to join the River Beult at Benover, before finally joining the Medway. The Greater Teise heads north, passing to the east of Paddock Wood before joining the Medway near Yalding upstream of the Lesser Teise. Like many other rivers in southern England, the River Teise was subject to a Land Drainage Improvement Scheme during the 1950s. The underlying impervious Wadhurst Clay adds to a high flood risk around the confluence of the

Al Stewart Catchment Adviser E: [email protected]

In partnership with:

South East Water Ltd Registered in England No. 2679874 Registered Office: Rocfort Road, Snodland, Kent ME6 5AH River Teise Catchment information | Spring 2020

Rivers Teise, Beult and Medway at Yalding; a significant number of properties are also at risk at Paddock Wood and Lamberhurst.

Successive land drainage improvement schemes have widened, straightened and deepened the Lesser Teise, creating a modified and meandering channel with a wide flood plain of pasture, orchards and wooded land from Horsmonden to the River Beult confluence.

The Lesser Teise now carries much of the rivers’ flow and hence is the larger of the two rivers; the Greater Teise was left largely untouched. Whilst this work effectively drained the land, it has massively impoverished the ecology of the river, and led to a massive loss of floodplain habitat along its course Water quality monitoring In 2016 South East Water, Southern Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with regards statutory obligations in the River Medway. As part of this the three water companies agreed to share water quality monitoring responsibilities in the wider catchment.

Prior to 2012, there were nine catchment monitoring points on the River Teise and sampling was undertaken on a sporadic basis. In September 2012 weekly metaldehyde sampling commenced between September and January. In 2013 these were reviewed and four new sample points – Pullen Farm (Lamberhurst Road), Smugley Farm and Bedgebury Road (both off Bedgebury Road), and Finchcock Lane were added to the monitoring programme. There were also an additional four ad-hoc sample points used to identify high spikes in metaldehyde following heavy rainfall.

In May 2015, the National Environment Programme (NEP) was introduced on the sample point and abstraction point at Smallbridge. Although only Southern Water abstracts from the River Teise, it was agreed with regard to monitoring the wider Medway catchment, South East Water would be responsible for monitoring the River Teise catchment.

In 2016, Lamberhurst, Risebridge (Ranters Lane), Chain Dene (off Tilden Lane), Great Pattenden (off Crest Industrial Estate), Spitz Bridge (Green Lane) and Boddingford (off Spenny Lane) were added to the NEP. Support available The catchment overall is at high risk of carbetamide, metaldehyde and propyzamide specifically the middle parts of the River Teise – Smallbridge, Kippings Cross and the Bedgebury/Goudhurst tributaries are within close proximity to Southern Water’s abstraction point at Smallbridge. The monitoring data shows that metaldehyde spikes occur during the months of October, November and December which is linked to the application of slug pellets to arable land. Since 2012 there has been a significant improvement in metaldehyde results in the upper and middle River Teise areas compared to previous years. Samples taken from Bewl Reservoir since 2012 have not breached the drinking water standard (0.1 microgram per litre (μg/l)) for metaldehyde.

Although we use complex water treatment processes to keep drinking water clean, metaldehyde is particularly difficult to remove. Within the River Teise catchment, we are currently running a metaldehyde mitigation scheme, which is designed to support farmers in reducing the amount of metaldehyde reaching watercourses. This includes:

 free 1-1 Catchment Adviser visit  slug pelleter calibrations  events  specialist advice services  PA1 training  Countryside Stewardship advice and support  PA4s Training  Capital Grants Scheme

If you would like more information about the advice and support we offer please contact our River Teise Catchment Adviser, Al Stewart – [email protected].

South East Water Ltd Registered in England No. 2679874 Registered Office: Rocfort Road, Snodland, Kent ME6 5AH River Teise Catchment information | Spring 2020

Designations The Environment Agency identifies Safeguard Zones for Drinking Water Protection Areas ‘at risk’ of not meeting WFD drinking water objectives. Safeguard Zones are non-statutory areas where land use, management practices and other activities may affect the quality of the raw water. Measures to prevent pollution are targeted within these zones.

In June 2016 South East Water and the Environment Agency agreed the Drinking Water Protection Area Safeguard Zone (DWPASZ) designation for Bewl Water Reservoir.

DWPASZ ID: SWSGZ4223 Management Catchment: Medway River Basin District: Thames

The current actives of concern are the herbicides carbetamide and propyzamide, and the slug pellet metaldehyde.

If you want to find out if an area is situated in a Safeguard Zone, enter the postcode in either of the following links.

Environment Agency: https://environment.data.gov.uk/farmers/

DEFRA: https://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx

South East Water Ltd Registered in England No. 2679874 Registered Office: Rocfort Road, Snodland, Kent ME6 5AH