4. Condition of the Region CLEAN and SAFE
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4. CONDITION OF THE REGION – CLEAN AND SAFE 4. Condition of the Region CLEAN AND SAFE such as discharges, diffuse pollution, abstractions, impoundments and engineering works on inland 4.1 Water Framework waters and they also protect groundwater. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency Directive – (SEPA) is the lead national authority responsible for Classification of implementing the WEWS Act, in partnership with other responsible organisations such as Scottish transitional and Natural Heritage (SNH), Scottish Water, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Canals, Local coastal waters Authorities, District Salmon fisheries board and National park authorities. SEPA is also responsible for the enforcements of CAR.61 Monitor Inner Firth, Loch Long, Loch Goil and south Bute to east of Arran River Basin Management ‘corridor’ for continued Good status Water management in the UK is carried out based on the geographical and hydrological unit of river basins. The WFD requires the production of the Scotland river Basin District (all of the CMR’s water bodies are within the Scotland River Basin District) and Solway Tweed river basin district River Basin Colours are explained in the key at the beginning of the document Management Plans (RBMPs). They will identify the current condition of water bodies, where activities KEY SUPPORTING EVIDENCE are reducing the quality of water bodies, and will SEPA first (2009) and second (2015) River Basin describe and carry out actions required to ensure Management Plans waters meet the necessary standards. The RBMPs SEPA Water Environment Hub www.sepa.org.uk/data- visualisation/water-environment-hub/ set out statutory objectives needed to deliver SEPA Water body information sheets http://apps.sepa.org. environmental improvements over a six yearly cycle 62, 63 uk/waterbodydatasheets/ up until 2027. Scotland’s Marine Atlas Clyde: no score included Within the Scotland River Basin District, river basin catchment areas are organised into nine Area Advisory Groups (AAGs) which contribute to the development and the delivery of the River Basin Management Plan. These groups provide a platform for disseminating information on the river basin management process and help identify opportunities for joint working. In addition, active Introduction engagement and partnership working will be The European Union (EU) Water Framework targeted at the appropriate scale; this may involve Directive (WFD) was adopted in 2000, for the small delivery groups at a single water body level protection, improvement and sustainable use of or at a catchment level. There are two AAGs in the rivers, lochs, ground, transitional58 and coastal Clyde Marine Region (CMR) – Argyll and Lochaber, waters across Europe. The WFD was transposed into and Clyde.64 The River Basin Management Plan for Scottish law as the Water Environment and Water the Scotland River Basin District identifies priorities Services (Scotland) Act 2003 (WEWS Act),59 the for environmental improvements and protection and Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) set objectives for water bodies in these two areas. Regulations 2011 (CAR) and their amendments.60 The Clyde AAG area includes all of the land that CAR applies regulatory controls over activities drains into the Rivers Clyde, Ayr, Irvine, Leven, White which may affect Scotland’s water environment and Black Cart Waters and Kelvin. The area covers 58. Areas of water found at river mouths and estuaries which are partly saline, but are also affected by freshwater flows from upstream 59. Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 60. Scottish Environment Protection Agency, g 61. Scottish Environment Protection Agency, d 62. Natural Scotland, 2015 63. Scottish Natural Heritage, 2016b 64. Scottish Environment Protection Agency, a 43 CLYDE MARINE REGION ASSESSMENT 2017 11,139km2 and is made up of 28 catchment areas, may be totally man-made such as canals. The 17 of which include transitional or coastal water former are referred to as Heavily Modified Water bodies. The south east of the Mull of Kintyre, Loch Bodies (HMWB); canals are an example of artificial Fyne, Campbeltown loch and the Kilbrannan Sound water bodies (AWB). Such water bodies may not water bodies make up the small area of the Argyll be able to achieve Good status and are not subject and Lochaber advisory area that is part of the CMR. to the conventional classification system. The Taking forward lessons learned in the first RBMP principal objective in these cases is to achieve Good phase, SEPA intend to work flexibly with AAGs and Ecological Potential (GEcP).65 GEcP can be achieved other partners during the second RBMP. This means when all efforts are made to mitigate man-made not necessarily implementing the objectives of physical conditions, so they impact as little as the plan through the AAGs but working adaptably possible on ecological or chemical conditions. It is in each area depending on issues faced and local called a ‘potential’ status as Good Ecological Status involvement. cannot be achieved under the conditions created by man–made features. Classification of water body status Water bodies of the Clyde Marine Region and their Each water body is classified according to its ecological condition from Bad to High. The status of classification status a water body is determined by the lowest-classed There are nine transitional and 26 coastal water quality element. Water bodies achieving less than bodies in the CMR. Table 4.1 lists all 37 water Moderate status require action to be taken on the bodies, and shows their current and historical pressures affecting the water body; SEPA’s aim is for classifications. Table 4.2 outlines the pressures Good water bodies to be at or higher status. affecting water bodies classified as Moderate based Some of the surface water bodies have been on the 2014 classification results (at the time of substantially modified over time for social and writing, pressures related to the 2015 classification economic purposes including flood protection, are not available). hydropower generation, navigation, drainage and water storage for drinking water supply. Others Figure 4.1 WFD Decision tree for classification of surface water bodies © Source: SEPA 65. The Scottish Government, 2014a. 44 4. CONDITION OF THE REGION – CLEAN AND SAFE Map 10. WFD classification of water bodies in the Clyde Marine Region, 2015 NOT FOR NAVGATION. Created by Scottish Government (Marine Scotland) 2017 © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. OceanWise License No. EK001-201404001. Ordnance Survey License No. 100024655. Transverse Mercator. Scale 1:848,925. The information in table 4.1 is taken from SEPAs to point source pollution from sewage and industrial Water Classification Hub: www.sepa.org.uk/data- waste disposal. The Clyde estuary water bodies visualisation/water-classification-hub – SEPAs have consistently received Moderate Ecological Water Environment Hub: www.sepa.org.uk/data- Potential.67 The other two HMWBs are Ayr estuary visualisation/water-environment-hub/. This site and Girvan estuary; both of these water bodies have provides information on water body status. Please Good Ecological Potential. check this site for updated information. From 2014 to 2015 eight water bodies improved condition overall; none deteriorated. Seven water bodies: East Arran, Firth of Clyde Middle (Offshore), Loch Goil, Seamill and Ardrossan, sound of Bute, Loch Long North and Loch Long South improved from Moderate to Good status. Campbeltown Loch improved from Good to High Status. Of the remaining three water bodies which are at Moderate status, two, the Clyde Estuary Inner and Outer are HMWBs and the third, Irvine Bay is affected by morphological pressures. SEPA will work with relevant partners to improve the condition of water bodies at less than good status and to maintain the Good or High condition of the remaining water bodies. Two of the HMWBs in the Clyde area are those of the Clyde river estuary. The inner and outer Clyde estuary has been changed by dredging to create channelization to improve waterways for traffic and also by the building of weirs and dams. In addition to these physical changes, the inner Estuary is exposed 66. Scottish Environment Protection Agency, F 67. Scottish Environment Protection Agency, F 45 CLYDE MARINE REGION ASSESSMENT 2017 Table 4.1 Classification status of transitional and coastal water bodies in the Clyde Marine Region, from 2008-2014 and the pressures (2014) affecting these water bodies.68,69 WATER SUB BODY WATER BODY 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 BASIN TYPE Ayr Estuary Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Ballantrae Lagoon North High High High High High High High High Ballantrae Lagoon South High High High High High High High High Clyde Estuary – Inner Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate (incl. Cart) EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate CLYDE Clyde Estuary – Outer EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP EcP TRANSITIONAL Gare Loch Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Girvan Estuary Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Good EcP Garnock/Irvine Estuary Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Stinchar Estuary High High High High High Good Good Good Ayr Bay Good Good High High High Good Good Good Ballantrae Good Good High High High Good Good Good Culzean Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good East Arran Moderate Good Moderate Moderate Moderate