THE NORFOLK RIVERS TRUST RESTORING NORFOLK’S RIVERS THE RIVER HEACHAM A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE RIVER STIFFKEY A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN | PAGE A CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Introduction 1 The Water Framework Directive 1 This plan has been produced by Norfolk Rivers Trust in The plan begins by providing an audit of the current A choice of rivers for our future 2 consultation with relevant agencies, landowners, farmers state of the catchment, put together by a combination and residents in the Heacham Catchment. The aim of of river walks, reviews of existing data, consultation River Heacham statistics 4 the plan is to provide a framework for improvement of the with stakeholders and requests for specialist reports Why restore rivers? 4 ecological status of the Heacham, guided by the Water from relevant individuals and organisations. These data Framework Directive. Delivery of the actions outlined in are then used to identify ecological pressures in the the plan will lead to ecological improvements to the river catchment. In the final stages of the plan, solutions to THE CATCHMENT which may enhance the amenity value of the river, and these pressures are identified, costed and prioritised. encourage economically valuable fish species. Community involvement 5 Overview of restorations options 6 Geology and geodiversity 7 Wildlife 10 A history of human management 12 THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE The Heacham from source to mouth 14 The Water Framework Directive (WFD) was introduced moderate, good or high. Each member state is required Section 1 – Fring to Ladywell Springs 14 in 2000 and commits European Union member states to bring its water bodies to good status by 2015. Where Section 2 – Ladywell springs to A149 Road Bridge 16 to improving the physical and ecological quality of their this is not possible, good status must be achieved by Section 3 – A149 Road Bridge to Outfall 19 rivers, groundwater areas and lakes. The quality of 2021 or 2027, depending on the severity of the barrier to these waters is measured using a range of indicators good status. The majority of Britain’s rivers currently fail outlined below which combine to give a picture of a to attain good status due to a wide variety of pressures. THE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS river’s health. Using this combination of indicators a river In England, the Environment Agency is responsible for (or groundwater unit or lake) is then graded on its overall WFD delivery. River structure 22 “ecological status”, and designated as either bad, poor, Connection of the river to its floodplain and fish passage 22 Environmental flows and abstraction 23 Water Framework Current river Predicted by 2015 Directive Status Status (2009) Status of invasive non-native species on the River Heacham 24 Key invasive species close to the River Heacham 25 Bad Biosecurity considerations 26 Poor The ecosystem 26 Moderate Overall status, Fish Overall status, Fish Summary and Recommendations 26 Good Macro-invertebrates Macro-invertebrates Trees and woody habitat 27 High Dissolved oxygen, pH, Ammonia, Dissolved oxygen, pH, Ammonia, Phosphate Phosphate AN ACTION PLAN Heavily modified water body Heavily modified water body – Flood protection – Flood protection An action plan 28 Section 1 – Fring to Ladywell Springs 28 Hydrology supports good status Hydrology supports good status Section 2 – Ladywell springs to Norfolk Lavender weir 28 Table 1. Results of detailed water body investigations undertaken by the Environment Agency to determine Section 3 – A149 Road Bridge to Outfall 28 the status of the River Heacham. A prediction about the status at the next “waypoint” in the WFD schedule Costs and timeline 29 Author: Olly van Biervliet of Norfolk Rivers Trust (2015) is also shown. Further Information 29 Design: Ark Creative (UK) Ltd This plan has been enriched by Janet Hammond Howard Nelson Nina Birkby cooperation and contributions THANKS Tim Hammond Ray Stocker Fiona Wood from many different people and organisations. Norfolk Rivers Trevor Forecast Kye Jerrom Jonah Tosney Trust are grateful to the help from Jon Austin James Dyke Jonathan Lewis these individuals, and do not seek to imply that the document is Harry Buscall Ellis Selway Chris Roberts necessarily endorsed by those listed Charlie Campbell Helen Blower Emmie van Biervliet (Artist) below. NRT would like to thank all those involved for their help: Roger Kelting Richard Bowen Sam Brown THE RIVER HEACHAM A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN | PAGE 1 A CHOICE FOR THE FUT URE OF OUR RIVERS… Emmie van Biervliet PAGE 2 | THE RIVER HEACHAM A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN THE RIVER HEACHAM A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN | PAGE 3 RIVER HEACHAM STATISTICS SECTION 1 THE CATCHMENT Approximate river length: 11 km The River Heacham is a chalk stream which flows through Directive report undertaken by the Environment Agency Catchment area: 59 km2 (Approximate, as this is not quite entire catchment) an undulating landscape from its source to its outfall at has designated hydrology as “good.” Nevertheless, many North Beach in Heacham. A majority of the catchment local people are concerned about abstraction in the Discharge at named point: Heacham Gauging station in Heacham. National Rivers Archive. overlies high permeability bedrock, making the aquifer upper part of the river which has allegedly suffered from Base Flow Index: 0.96 productive, and accounting for a high proportion of the increasingly long periods of seasonal drying. Mean Flow: 0.208 m3/s flow originating from the aquifer. A Water Framework Protected Areas: Coastal area into which Heacham discharges is a Ramsar site and SSSI. Legal designations: Bathing Water Directive, Freshwater Fish Directive, Natura 2000 (Habitats and/or Birds Directive), Nitrates Directive, Shellfish Water Directive. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT It is part of the Norfolk Rivers Trust’s mission to gain the have also been very pleased with the enthusiasm and active participation of the community to restore their river. participation of several locals in the process of planning Stakeholders help us to set objectives, keep us informed future conservation work, and would be very happy to about issues on the ground such as pollution, and hear from anyone who has an interest in conservation WHY RESTORE RIVERS? actively volunteer to make many more worthwhile projects around the River Heacham. possible. Cooperation from landowners and support from Britain’s rivers generally fail to reach “good” ecological also absorb and process pollutants. This enhances water Norfolk Rivers Trust have recently started to work in volunteers have been vital in the first projects which we quality. This is both a problem in itself and a sentinel quality within limits. However, very polluted rivers have the Heacham catchment, and we were very pleased to have undertaken on the Heacham, such as the work at of trouble. less wildlife and in turn a reduced capacity to provide receive over 100 people at our latest event. So far, we Heacham Lavender which was underway in March 2014. such benefits. This leads to a downward spiral. Wildlife A well-functioning river system is an inseparable itself also has an intrinsic value and is enjoyed by interest combination of good water quality, distinctive physical groups such as fishermen, ramblers and bird watchers. processes and diverse wildlife. These factors interact to provide benefits. A naturally functioning river has a If any of the three pillars of the river system are damaged floodplain with sufficient capacity to absorb inundation (water quality, physical processes, ecosystem), then the and to act as a store for silt carried by high flows. The river value of the entire interconnected system is reduced. channel is also naturally self-scouring. This reduces flood Arguably, we also have a responsibility to repair our risk and the need for expensive management. Headwater damaged natural heritage for future generations. Thus, forests reduce surges of water into the system by ecological restoration aims to enhance the functioning, as increasing drainage and removal of water. Moreover, the well as the intrinsic value of our beautiful rivers. vegetation, microbes and invertebrates in the river corridor Interested people discussing the river in a community Volunteers and Norfolk Rivers Trust staff work together to plant session lead by Norfolk Rivers Trust. an area of marginal habitat created at Heacham lavender. Before restoration work. Immediately after restoration work. PAGE 4 | THE RIVER HEACHAM A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN THE RIVER HEACHAM A WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE LOCAL CATCHMENT PLAN | PAGE 5 Norfolk. They are fed principally from groundwater rather OVERVIEW OF RESTORATIONS OPTIONS GEOLOGY AND than surface water, and flow is gradually released through springs or directly up through the river bed. Chalk rivers GEODIVERSITY have a distinctive flow regime: their springheads tend to Summary of possible restoration options on the river have steady flow, although some headwater valleys may Heacham. These proposals will greatly enhance the value, be dry in summer when groundwater levels fall. They tend water quality and wildlife value of the river. It is stressed Introducing Chalk Rivers to have more stable temperature regimes than other rivers that these are subject to landowner consent and are only Chalk rivers are a distinctive part of England’s landscape. due to a constant baseflow component. Their waters are outline ideas at this stage. There are more found here than anywhere else in the highly alkaline, which gives rise to a distinctive ecology world. They are located wherever rivers flow across chalk and suite of plants and animals. High quality chalk streams bedrock or chalk-rich superficial deposits, in a tract of land are prized by anglers because they support abundant stretching from East Yorkshire, Norfolk and the Chilterns brown trout populations, which shelter and feed amongst to Wiltshire and Dorset. There are at least 12 such rivers in characteristic water plants such as water crowfoot.