RIVER TORRIDGE & HARTLAND STREAMS ACTION PLAN PLAN from SEPTEMBER 1999 to SEPTEMBER 2004 T ▼ En v ir o n m e n t A g e n c y T Further copies of this Action Plan can be obtained from: LEAPs Team Leader (Devon) The Environment Agency Exminster House Miller Way Exminster Devon EX6 8AS (01 392) 444000 En v ir o n m e n t Ag e n c y En v iro n m e n t Ag« NATIONAL LIBRARY & This report is intent INFORMATION SERVICE opied or reproduced in any way, provided !xt and that due acknowledgement HEAD OFFICE •r, maps are reproduced from Ordnance Sur Agency with the per- mission of the Com Rio House, Waterside Drive, rown Copyright, Unauthorised repro Aztec West, Almondsbury, lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. L Bristol BS32 4UD Note: This is not a Map 1 - River Torridge and Hartland Streams © Crown Copyright ENVIRONMENT AGENCY Map 4 Map 4 - 1998 Compliance with River Quality Objectives (River Ecosystem Classification) River Quality Objectives (River Ecosystem Classification) — — Compliant Marginal Failure — ► Significant Failure ----- Unclassified, Insufficient Data From New Monitoring Point ----- Unmonitored River Stretch RET River Quality Objective (RE1 ] Long Term River Quality Objective (pH) Bracketed Determinands Have Been Set Aside For This Classification Stretch Boundary Catchment Boundary Settlement © Crown Copyright Map 3 Map 3 - River Quality Objectives (River Ecosystem Classification) North West Punt River Quality Objective* (River Ecosystem Classification) ----- RE Class 1 ----- RE Class 2 ----- RE Class 3 ----- RE Class 4 -----* RE Class 5 __ Unmonitored River Stretch R£1 River Quality Objective (RE1) Long Term River Quality Objective / Stretch Boundary ---- Catchment Boundary Settlement 10km © Crown Copyright Map 2 Map 2 - Simplified Geology and Special Conservation Areas North West Potnt 50 Lundy Sort P o int TattHd istuary BIDEFORD Seckington Water 'e lc o m b e SI 10km HatheHeigh H Tertiary Deposits ss Permian Breccias 00 sx s Carboniferous Bude Formation □ Carboniferous Crackington Formation r "i Lower Carboniferous OKEHAMPTON * Igneous Rocks □ Z j Granite Dolerite/Basalt Environmentally Sensitive — 90 Area Boundary Site of Special Scientific Interest (see Appendix Four) SSSI within Candidate Special Dartmoor Environmentally Area of Conservation Sensitive Area (see Appendix Four) Catchment Boundary Settlement 80 Sticklepath Fault © Crown Copyright Foreword The Torridge and Hartland Streams Local Environment Agency Plan (LEAP) aims to promote integrated environmental management of this important area of Devon. It seeks to develop partnerships with a wide range of organisations and individuals who have a role to play in the management of the Torridge and Hartland Streams. This plan embodies the Agency's commitment to deliver improvements to the environment. We are very grateful for the contributions made during the consultation period and are convinced that they represent the spirit of partnership that will be required to implement the plan. GEOFF BATEMAN Area Manager (Devon) TORRIDGE & HARTLAND STREAMS ACTION PLAN Contents Contents 1. Introduction 1 1.1 The Environment Agency 1 1.2 Local Environment Agency Plans 2 1.3 Action Tables 2 2. The LEAP Area 4 2.1 Physical Features 4 2.2 Wildlife 5 2.3 Archaeology & Heritage 6 2.4 Land Use 6 3. Our Targets for Water Quality 8 3.1 Managing Water Quality 8 3.2 Compliance with RQOs 8 4. Issues and Proposed Actions 10 Issue 1: Impact of Farming 11 Issue 2: Impact of Effluent Discharges 15 Issue 3: Potential Eutrophication of the River Torridge 17 Issue 4: Impact of Waste Generation and Disposal 17 Issue 5: Impact of Mineral Extraction 21 Issue 6: Unknown Causes of Non-compliance with River Quality Objectives 22 Issue 7: Addressing Climate Change 23 Issue 8: Decline of Spring Salmon 24 Issue 9: Barriers to Fish Migration 25 Issue 10 Fish-eating Birds 26 Issue 11 Introduction of Non-native Flora and Fauna 27 Issue 12 Impact of Urban Development 29 Issue 1 3 Increasing Demand for Water Resources 31 Issue 14 Risk of Cryptosporidium Entering Public Water Supply 33 Issue 15 Flood Warning 33 Issue 16 Improving Air Quality 34 Issue 17 Enhancing Biodiversity 36 Issue 18 Integrated Coastal Zone Management 47 Issue 19 Impact of Recreational Use of the Catchment 48 Issue 20 Lack of Information on Catchment Resources 49 5. A Better Environment Through Partnership 51 5.1 The LEAP Steering Group 51 5.2 Links with Development Plans 51 5.3 Links with Non-statutory Plans 52 5.4 Local Environment Agency Plans and Catchment Management Plans 53 5.5 Links with Local Agenda 21 53 5.6 Links with the Water Industry 53 5.7 The Environment Agency and Public Information 54 Appendix One - Duties, powers and interests of the Environment Agency 55 Appendix Two - The RQO Classification 60 Appendix Three - River Quality Objectives 61 Appendix Four - SSSIs falling within catchment 62 Appendix Five - Actions from the Consultation Draft September 1998 63 Appendix Six - List of Consultees who responded 68 Glossary 69 Abbreviations and Units 72 References 74 TORRIDGE & HARTLAND STREAMS ACTION PLAN TORRIDGE & HARTLAND STREAMS ACTION PLAN __________________________________ Introduction 1. Introduction 1.1 The Environment Agency We have a wide range of duties and powers relating to different aspects of environmental management. These duties are described in more detail in Appendix One. We are required and guided by Government to use these duties and powers in order to help achieve the objective of sustainable development. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development 'as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' At the heart of sustainable development is the integration of human needs and the environment within which we live. Indeed the creation of the Agency itself was in part a recognition of the need to take a more integrated and longer-term view of environmental management at a national level. We therefore have to reflect this in the way we work and in the decisions we make. Taking a long-term perspective will require us to anticipate risks and encourage precaution, particularly where impacts on the environment may have long-term effects, or when the effects are not reversible. We must also develop our role to educate and inform society as a whole, as well as carrying out our prevention and enforcement activities, in order to ensure continuing protection and enhancement of the environment. One of the key outcomes of the United Nations 'Earth Summit' held in Rio de Janeiro in 199228 was agreement by governments that, in order to solve global environmental problems, local action is crucial: we must all therefore think globally but act locally. Our vision is: • a better environment in England and Wales for present and future generations Our aims are: • to achieve major and continuous improvements in the quality of air, land and water • to encourage the conservation of natural resources, animals and plants • to make the most of pollution control and river-basin management • to provide effective defence and warning systems to protect people and property against flooding from rivers and the sea • to reduce the amount of waste by encouraging people to re-use and recycle their waste • to improve standards of waste disposal • to manage water resources to achieve the proper balance between the country's needs and the environment • to work with other organisations to reclaim contaminated land • to improve and develop salmon and freshwater fisheries • to conserve and improve river navigation • to tell people about environmental issues by educating and informing • to set priorities and work out solutions that society can afford We will do this by: • being open and consulting others about our work TORRIDGE & HARTLAND STREAMS ACTION PLAN page 1 l The LEAP Area • basing our decisions around sound science and research • valuing and developing our employees • being efficient and businesslike in all we do Local Environment Agency Plans We are committed to a programme of Local Environment Agency Plans (LEAPs). They help us to identify and assess, prioritise and solve local environmental issues related to our functions, taking into account the views of our local customers. LEAPs replace the Catchment Management Plans, which were produced by the former National Rivers Authority and build on their success by covering all the Agency's functions. This LEAP Action Plan has been produced following consultation of the River Torridge and Hartland Streams LEAP, Consultation Draft (September 1998). The Annual Review - We will monitor implementation of the Plan and report on progress in a published Annual Review. The Annual Review will also identify any additional actions needed to maintain progress in the light of any changes in the plan area and also whether any actions need removing or amending where they are no longer appropriate. After five years, or sooner if required, we will carry out a major review of the progress we have made. Review of the consultation process - The issues listed in this Action Plan were either identified in the Consultation Draft or resulted from the consultation process. The Consultation Draft was launched in September 1998 and the consultation period concluded on 14 December 1998. Responses were received from 43 individuals and organisations; these were collated and summarised in our "Summary of Responses to Public Consultation document" (available on request). In general, consultees were very supportive of the