2014_02_15 Page1 of 58 PONTELAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Drainage, Flood Risk and Water Supply Report V3 Contents 1. Introduction and Process 2. Water Cycle Summary 3. Roles and Responsibilities 4. Surface Water Drainage 5. Waste Water Drainage 6. Potential Flooding 7. Water Supply 8. Proposed Neighbourhood Planning Policies Appendix 1 – List of Information Sources (Evidence Base) Appendix 2 – Summary of Relevant Extracts from Information Appendix 3 – Extracted Information by Subject Area 2014_02_15 Page2 of 58 PONTELAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Drainage, Flood Risk and Water Supply Report V3 1. INTRODUCTION AND PROCESS 1. The purpose of a Neighbourhood Plan for the Parish of Ponteland is to set out a locally developed spatial planning strategy and policies to guide and manage development in Ponteland during the period up to 2031. 2. This report has been prepared by the Drainage and Potential Flooding Sub-Group of the Ponteland Neighbourhood Plan Group. It comprises evidence for the Group in relation to drainage, potential flooding and water supply. The report provides a description of the work undertaken, the information assembled and its assessment. It has been produced to assist in the preparation of a Neighbourhood Plan and its proposals will be reviewed as part of the development of the plan and may be subject to change. 3. The information gathered includes the results of discussions with key stakeholders including Northumberland County Council, The Environment Agency, Northumbrian Water Ltd, and Ponteland Town Council. It also includes comments and information provided by members of the public. 4. The views of the public have been sort through, inter alia: An initial survey based on answers to a locally distributed a questionnaire; Invitation for comments in a local news paper, Pont News and Views; Public consultation at Ponteland’s Party in the Park 2013; Enquiries to public authorities about public representations that they had received; Questionnaire in November - December 2013 Anecdotal information. 5. In order to establish a sound understanding of the issues underlying the subject, detailed enquiries have been made to: Northumberland County Council; The Environment Agency; Ponteland Town Council; Northumbrian Water Ltd. 6. The enquiries identified a number of key documents relevant to the subject. The documentary evidence assembled is listed in Appendix 1. 7. Much of the evidence received covers a wider area than Ponteland Parish and extracts relevant to Ponteland have been summarised in Appendix 2 8. The extracted data has then been organised into the main subject areas. This work is reported in Appendix 3. 9. The following chapters provide a summary of the water cycle, the distribution of responsibilities for managing water and a review of local circumstances related to: Surface water drainage; Waste water drainage; 2014_02_15 Page3 of 58 PONTELAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Drainage, Flood Risk and Water Supply Report V3 Flood risk management; Water supply. 10. Finally issues of local importance to the neighbourhood are identified and, where relevant, draft planning policies and other actions needed are proposed. 2. WATER CYCLE SUMMARY 11. Water covers about three-quarters of Earth's surface and almost 97% of the world’s water is contained within the oceans. Energy from the sun drives a continuous cyclic process where water from the surface absorbs energy and is turned into water vapour. This is continually redistributed around the globe through atmospheric circulation and is returned to the surface by precipitation as rainfall, snow or condensate. 12. Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land. Where water is precipitated onto land it flows over the ground as surface water, or infiltrates into the ground to form groundwater. Some is also absorbed by living organisms, mainly plants. A large proportion of surface water collects into watercourses which combine together to form rivers most of which eventually discharge into back the ocean. 13. Infiltrating water may sink into deep aquifers where it can be stored for thousands of years or can be released through springs. In some cases it is abstracted through boreholes. 14. Some of the water contained in watercourses, ponds and lakes evaporates back into the atmosphere. Water absorbed by living organisms becomes part of their metabolism as they grow, but a large proportion is released back into the atmosphere by evapotranspiration. 15. Some of the surface water is collected by humans for potable or industrial use. This is eventually discharged back into rivers or the oceans as waste water, in most cases after treatment. 16. The parish of Ponteland has no coastline and the water enters and passes through the area by the following mechanisms. Water enters the study area as: Direct precipitation; Inflowing watercourses; Surface and groundwater draining from higher land outside the subject area; Public water supply. Water leaves the study area by: Evaporation and transpiration from the ground surface and from living organisms; Seepage into the ground and groundwater flow; Flow across the land surface; Entry into water courses which carry the water into rivers which flow out of the study area; Discharge through the waste water sewerage system. 2014_02_15 Page4 of 58 PONTELAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Drainage, Flood Risk and Water Supply Report V3 3. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 17. Responsibility for managing water on or under the ground surface lies with a number of organisations and individuals. a) Environment Agency Watercourse Management 18. The Environment Agency Agency has permissive powers to carry out works to main rivers to manage flood risk. Riparian owners of any watercourse (main river or ordinary watercourse) are responsible for the maintenance of the watercourse 19. The Environment Agency have consenting powers on Main River 20. Main rivers are described in the Environment Agency’s leaflet “Living on the Edge”. They are usually larger streams and rivers, but some of them are smaller watercourses of local significance. Main Rivers are marked on an official document called the Main River Map. 21. Other water courses are called “Ordinary Watercourses” and include every river, steam, ditch, cut, dyke, sluice, sewer (other than a public sewer) and passage through which water flows, but which do not form part of a main river (and presumably also excludes public water supply pipes). Water quality 22. The Environment Agency is responsible for maintaining or improving the quality of fresh, marine, surface and underground water in England and Wales. Water resources 23. The Environment Agency has a duty to secure the proper use of water resources in England and Wales. It monitors water in the environment, and issues 'abstraction licences' to regulate who can take water from the environment. It also has a long term strategy for water resources that looks 25 years ahead and considers the needs of both the environment and society. Flood risk management 24. The Environment Agency has a role in warning people about the risk of flooding, and in reducing the likelihood of flooding from rivers and the sea. 25. The Agency defines Flood Zones which are used to establish criteria for planning purposes. The Flood Zones apply only to the risk of River and Sea flooding and ignore the effects of flood defences. 26. The Agency also publishes maps showing areas at risk of flooding from surface water and reservoirs. 2014_02_15 Page5 of 58 PONTELAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Drainage, Flood Risk and Water Supply Report V3 Navigation 27. The Environment Agency is one of the major navigation authorities in charge of inland rivers, estuaries and harbours in England and Wales. Environmental regulator 28. The Environment Agency is the environmental regulator for the water industry. It analyses, informs and advises on the water industry’s environmental performance in the delivery of existing environmental requirements by: monitoring compliance with their consents recording the number of pollution incidents taking and monitoring enforcement action 29. The Environment Agency is one of two water quality regulators; the other, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), regulates the quality of water supplied to customers. The Office of Water Services (OFWAT) is the economic regulator of the water industry. b) Northumberland County Council Flood Management 30. Northumberland County Council is the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) in Northumberland as defined by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. 31. The Council undertakes Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) to help reduce flood and coastal erosion risk. 32. The County Council has a number of duties and responsibilities to assist in the management flood risk from local sources within its administrative boundary. Sources of flood risk identified as local by the Act include: Surface Water Ordinary Watercourses Groundwater Canals Lakes And Small Reservoirs 33. The Council is in the process of developing a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy. The strategy will state the objectives for managing flood risk within Northumberland, contain an action plan with the measures proposed to achieve those objectives, and specify how and when the measures are expected to be implemented. 34. The County Council has the responsibility to investigate flood incidents under Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act. Watercourse Management 35. Land Drainage Consent is required from Northumberland County Council for any works that are likely to impede the flow of water within an ordinary watercourse. 2014_02_15 Page6 of 58 PONTELAND NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN Drainage, Flood Risk and Water Supply Report V3 36. The County Council has powers under Section 25 of the Land Drainage Act (1991) to serve notice on persons impeding the flow of an ordinary watercourse without consent and causing an increase in flood risk. Highway Drainage 37. Northumberland County Council is the Highway Authority for non-trunk roads and is therefore responsible for highway drainage under Section 41 of the Highways Act (1980). They are responsible for maintaining road gullies, highway drains and culverts except for those associated with trunk roads.