Ehen & Calder Catchment Action Plan
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Ehen & Calder Catchment Action Plan Action Required Issues being addressed Priority Links to ongoing Locations Projects Improving wastewater pollution • Water Quality – Pollution from waste water Seascale bathing waters, Cleator Waste water Reducing impacts of sewage treatment • Engagement – Access to rivers/opportunities to Newmill beck, Pow beck, Treatment Works works on river and coastal water enjoy and learn about rivers Lowca beck, Disington improvement quality beck, River Keekle Reducing minewater pollution • Water Quality – Heavy metal pollution Reducing inputs of heavy metals • Biodiversity – SAC failure (Decline in salmonids, River Keekle Keekle restoration pilot and freshwater pearl mussels) River Restoration • Flood risk – to properties Restoring natural river courses and • Biodiversity – Poor in-stream habitat River Keekle Keekle restoration pilot functioning • Biodiversity – SAC failure (Decline in salmonids) Natural Flood Management • Flood risk – to properties St. Bees, Ennerdale Wild Ennerdale; Adopt a Suite of measures to ‘slow the flow’ • Biodiversity – Poor habitat in wider catchment bridge, Calder bridge, beck Black beck/Kirk beck and hold water in the landscape • Water Quality – Diffuse water pollution from Beckermet, Cleator, agriculture Cleator moor, Middletown, Seascale Strengthening Flood Defences • Flood risk – to properties Harrington, Whitehaven, Ongoing appraisal works Engineered defences and infrastructure Egremont, Cleator moor, and investigations improvements to reduce flood risk to Frizington, Moresby properties Parks, Parton, Seascale Protecting freshwater pearl mussel • Biodiversity – SAC failure (Decline in freshwater populations pearl mussels) River Ehen Ehen compensatory Maintaining and increasing a healthy, • Biodiversity – Poor in-stream habitat measures recruiting mussel population. Linked to reducing pollution and improving salmonid habitat. Spawning Habitat Improvements • Biodiversity – SAC failure (Decline in salmonids) River Ehen, River Calder, Ehen compensatory Increasing instream habitat diversity, River Keekle measures bank stabilisation, riparian fencing Removing barriers • Biodiversity – SAC failure (Decline in salmonids & Upper and Lower Ehen, United Utilities West Coast to fish and eel passage including pearl mussels) Black beck supply project; Ennerdale culverts, weirs and dams • Biodiversity – Poor in-stream habitat mill dam project Biosecurity • Biodiversity – Invasive non-native species Ennerdale water Cumbria freshwater Preventing spread of invasive non- Whole catchment Invasive non-native species native species, especially Crassula initiative Invasive species control • Biodiversity – Invasive non-native species Cumbria freshwater Reducing the impact and preventing • Engagement – Lack of access to rivers/ Whole catchment, Invasive non-native species further spread of invasive non-native opportunities to enjoy and learn about rivers Ennerdale water initiative species • Biodiversity – SAC failure Enhancing Agri-Environments • Water Quality – Diffuse water pollution from Whole catchment, River NuGen Adopt a Beck, Kirk Improving farm infrastructure and land agriculture Ehen, River Calder, beck and Black beck; Calder management • Biodiversity – SAC failure (Decline in salmonids & Worm gill, Whitriggs Catchment Sensitive freshwater pearl mussels) beck Seascale Farming; Black pipe Seascale Peat restoration • Flood risk – to properties Restoring areas of degraded and • Water Quality – Diffuse water pollution from Banna fell, Heckbarley Our Common Cause project eroded peat agriculture fell • Biodiversity – Poor habitat in wider catchment Tackling misconnections & • Water Quality – Pollution from waste water Black beck/Kirk beck, ‘Call of Nature’ campaign septic tank care River Calder Increasing awareness and education around managing septic tanks and drainage misconnections to householders, contractors and small businesses Woodland creation and Management • Flood risk – to properties Increasing cover of riparian and • Water Quality – Diffuse water pollution from Whole catchment Wild Ennerdale catchment woodlands and agriculture management of existing woodlands • Biodiversity – Poor habitat in wider catchment Education • Engagement – Lack of access to Whole catchment, Increasing opportunities for people to rivers/opportunities to enjoy and learn about Whitehaven, learn, enjoy and volunteer for rivers rivers Workington, Egremont Electro-fishing & walkover surveys • Evidence – Lack of information about the area Increasing understanding of the current Upper River Calder condition of the catchment .