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local environment agency plan BRUE AND AXE FIRST ANNUAL REVIEW JULY 1999 H BRISTOL WELLS BURNHAM-ON-SEA SHEPTON MALLET BRIDGWATER STREET E n v ir o n m e n t A g e n c y NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE HEAD OFFICE Rio House, Waterside Drive. Aztec West. Almondsbury. Bristol BS32 4UD Map 1 - River Brue Catchment Weston-Super-Mare -------- Principal Channel -------- MENDIP Catchment Boundary AONB — Tidal Limit o m Settlement RAMSAR and SPA m Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty □ Area of Avalon Marshes □ Environmentally Sensitive Area This map is diagrammatic \ R.Brue 10 km --------------- „ © Crown Copyright 'formation correct as of January 1998 Map 2 - Compliance with River Quality Objectives Compliance with River Quality Objectives CCompliant o m n lia n t Marginal Failure Map Map 2 Significant Failure Unclassified- insufficient data at new monitoring point Unmonitored River Stretch Stretch Boundary River Quality Objective (All RQOs apply from 1/1/1997 unless dated) Long Term River Quality Objective Stretch Number Catchment Boundary © Crown Copyright Information correct as of January 1998 based on 1996 River Ecosystem Classification Data CONTENTS Contents t. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... ..................................................................... 1 1.1 T he En v iro n m en t A g e n c y .................................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 T he LEAP Steering G r o u p ................................................................................................................................................................2 2. OVERVIEW OF THE CATCHMENT.........................................................................................................................3 3. SUMMARY OF PROGRESS............................................................................................................ ..............................4 3.1 C onservation ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3.2 D evelopm en t P r essu r es.....................................................................................................................................................................4 3.3 F is h e r ie s .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3.4 F lood D e f e n c e ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 3.5 R e c r e a t io n ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 3.6 W a ter Q u a l it y .......................................................................................................................................................................................6 3.7 W a ter r e so u r c e s..................................................................................................................................................................................6 3.8 W a s t e .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 3.9 Som erset L evels a n d M o o r s ...........................................................................................................................................................8 3.10 In teg ra ted P ollu tio n Co n t r o l .................................................................................................................................................... 8 3.11 A ir Q u a l it y ..............................................................................................................................................................................................8 3.12 H ow we are d o in g ........................................................... ................ ................................................................................................. 10 4. ACTION PLAN MONITORING REPORT............................................................................................................... 11 5. APPENDICES................................ ................................................................................................................................ 22 5.1 D u ties, pow ers a n d in terests o f t h e a g e n c y ......................................................................................................................22 5.2 G lo ssa ry of T er m s a n d A bbreviations .................................................................................................................................. 26 / M ap 1 - River Brue Catchment Map 2 - Compliance with River Quality Objectives Environment Agency Copyright Waiver This report is intended to be used widely and may be quoted, copied or reproduced in any way, provided that the extracts are not quoted out of context and that due acknowledgement is given to the Environment Agency. Note: This is not a legally or scientifically binding document. For further Information or copies, please contact: Alan Turner Team Leader, Local Environment Agency Plans Rivers House, East Quay, BRIDGWATER Somerset TA6 4YS Tel: 01278 457333 The Brue and Axe First Annual Review INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction This is the First Annual Review of the River Brne & Axe Action Plan. It introduces the Environment • Agency and summarises progress made with actions. Previous publications relating to this catchment contain more background detail, and this Review should be read in conjunction with these publications: River Brue & Axe Consultation Report - July 1997 • River Brue & Axe Action Plan - March 1998 1.1 The Environment Agency The Environment Agency is a non-departmental public body established by the Environment Act 1995 and formed on 1 April 1996. We are sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) with policy links to the Welsh Office and the M inistry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). We have taken over the functions of our predecessors: the National Rivers Authority (NRA), Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP), the Waste Regulation Authorities (WRAs) an d some parts of the DETR. We provide a comprehensive approach to the protection of the environment by combining the regulation of air, land and water into a single organisation. We cannot work in isolation, but seek to educate and influence individuals, groups and industries to promote best environmental practice, and develop a wider public awareness of environmental issues. Our Vision is: a better environment in England and Wales for present and future generations. We will: ? protect and improve the environment as a whole by effective regulation, by our o w n actions and by working with and influencing others operate openly and consult widely value our employees • be efficient and businesslike in everything we do. Our Aims are: • to achieve significant and continuous improvement in the quality of air, land and water, actively encouraging the conservation of natural resources, flora and fauna to maximise the benefits of integrated pollution control and integrated river basin management • to provide effective defence for people and property against flooding from rivers and the sea • to provide adequate arrangements for flood forecasting and warning • to achieve significant reductions in waste through minimisation, reuse and recycling and to improve standards of disposal The Brue and Axe First Annual Review 1 INTRODUCTION • to manage water resources to achieve the proper balance between the needs of the environment and those of abstractors and other water users • to secure, with others, the remediation of contaminated land to improve and develop salmon and freshwater fisheries • to conserve and enhance inland and coastal waters and their use for recreation • to maintain and improve non-marine navigation • to develop a better informed public through open debate, the provision of soundly based information and rigorous research • to set priorities and propose solutions that do not impose excessive costs on society. We do not cover all aspects of environmental legislation and service to the general public. Your local authority deals with all noise problems; air pollution arising from vehicles, household areas, small businesses and small industries; planning permission (they will contact us when necessary); contaminated land issues (in liaison with ourselves); and environmental health issues. 1.2 The LEAP Steering Group LEAP Steering Croups represent a range of interests who endorse the Consultation Report and Action Plan prior to public release. They monitor the implementation of the Action Plan and provide the Agency with specific advice on the importance of issues within the LEAP. They act as a communication link between the local community, the Agency and its committees and help to promote and develop initiatives of benefit to the environment