Local Environment Agency Plan
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£ " /\ - S o [ A J ^ h 6 0 y 5 local environment agency plan TAMAR ESTUARY AND TRIBUTARIES CONSULTATION REPORT JULY 1996 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 Published July 1996 l+o E n v i r o n m e n t A g e n c y Information Services Unit Please return or renew this item by the due date Due Date Foreword The Tamar Estuaries and Tributaries Local Environment Agency Plan is the first in a series of such plans to be published by Cornwall Area Environment Agency. These plans expand the concept of former National Rivers Authority's Catchment Management Plans to encompass the wider range of responsibilities of the Agency. This plan sets out the Agency's vision for realising the potential of the local environment and will be used as a principle tool by the Agency at a local and regional level in planning and delivering environmental improvements. This document is inter-related with the Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum's Tamar Estuaries Management Plan. The latter concentrates specifically on Plymouth Sound and the estuaries of the Rivers Plym, Tamar, Tavy and Lynher, and is concerned with social, economic and environmental improvements to the estuarine catchment. An important stage in the production of both plans is a period of public consultation. We are keen to draw on the expertise and interest of the local communities and for them to have a say in the development of Agency plans and work programmes. This document includes relevant information about the catchment and lists the issues we have identified and which we feel need to be addressed. Both plans set out strategic and specific issues and objectives which we consider will enable the effective planning and management of this area into the next century. Please send us your comments, your views are important. Please send your comment by 23 October 1996 to: Darragh Turley Environment Planner - Cornwall Area Environment Agency South West Region Sir John Moore House Victoria Square, Bodmin Cornwall, PL31 1EB We look forward to hearing from you. * ^ ^ < 5 ROB ROBINSON AREA MANAGER (CORNWALL) CONTENTS Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... i G lossary............................................................................................................................................... vi CATCHMENT VISION .................................................................................................................... 1 SCOPE OF THE PLAN .................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 Catchment Statistics..............................................................................................................3 CATCHMENT CHARACTERISTICS............................................................................................ 7 CATCHMENT USES ...................................................................................................................... 13 4.1 Conservation - Landscape, Wildlife and Archaeology ........................ ......................... 13 4.2 Fisheries .................................................................................................... ......................... 19 4.3 Agriculture ............................................................................................... ......................... 27 4.4 Forestry...................................................................................................... ......................... 33 4.5 Recreation and Amenity......................................................................... ......................... 35 4.6 Aquaculture ............................................................................................. .......................... 39 4.7 The Built and Developing Environment ............................................... .......................... 41 4.8 Flood D efence.............................................................................................. ......................... 49 4.9 Mining and Q uarrying............................................................................ ......................... 57 4.10 Contaminated Land ................................................................................ ......................... 63 4.11 Abstraction and Water Supply............................................................... ......................... 67 4.12 Effluent Disposal ................................................................................ ......................... 73 4.13 Waste Management ................................................................................ ......................... 79 4.14 Controlled Processes .............................................................................. ......................... 83 TARGETS AND STATE OF THE CATCHMENT .....................................................................87 5.1 Water Q u ality ..................................................................................................................... 87 5.2 Water Q uantity............................ ................................................................................. 115 5.3 Physical Features ....................................................... .................................................... 122 5.4 Flood Defence............................................................. .................................................... 140 5.5 Waste Management .................................................. .................................................... 146 5 6 Air Quality .................................................................. .................................................. 149 TABLE OF ISSUES ......... ......................................................................................................... 156 APPENDICES A Conservation, Sites of Special Scientific Interest B Fisheries C Water Quality D Flood Defence Standards of Service E Categories of pollution incidents F Water Resources Units and Abbreviations References TABLES 1: Drainage A reas............................................................................................................................................ 3 2: Hydrometric gauging stations ....................................................................................................................5 3: Flows at Ludbrook, River T av y ............................................................................................................... 11 4: Fisheries Surveys......................................................................................................................................21 5: Open rod fishing seasons..........................................................................................................................24 6: Agricultural Land Use ..............................................................................................................................29 7: Farm Types...............................................................................................: ...............................................30 8: Agricultural Pollution Incidents............................................................................................................... 31 9: Fish farm abstractions/discharges........................................................................................................... 40 10: Development restraints due to inadequate sewerage infrastructure and/or sewage treatment......... 48 11: Flood defence structures ......................................................................................................................... 51 12: Nett private licensed resource commitment in the Tamar Estuary and Tributaries Catchment. 71 13: Percentage of population on mains sewerage........................................................................................76 14: Pollution incidents arising from industrial and sewage effluents 1992 to 1994 .............................. 77 15: Controlled Processes in Tamar Estuaries and Tributaries C atchm ent................. ..............................84 16: Translation of River Quality Objectives based on the NWC scheme to River Ecosystem Classes . 87 17: Stretches where data has been 'set aside' .............................................................................................. 89 18: Proposed RQOs which are higher than historical RQOs based on the NWC system ..................... 90 19: Proposed RQOs which are lower than historical RQOs based on the NWC system ..................... 90 20: Proposed Long Term RQOs for the Tamar Estuary Catchment ........................................................91 21: Compliance with EC Bathing Water Directive......................................................................................94 22: Sites monitored for List I substances .....................................................................................................95 23: Sites monitored for List LI substances.....................................................................................................97 24: Designated salmonid stretches with derogations...............................................................................