Unclassified Catchment Evidence Summary Old Bedford including the Middle Level January 2014 Old Bedford including the Middle Level Management Catchment The Old Bedford including the Middle Level Catchment is one of Defra’s 100 Water Framework Directive (WFD) Management Catchments within England and Wales. This map shows the first River Basin Management Plan Waterbody names with correct or locally ‘known as names’ in brackets. We are the Environment Agency. It's our job to look after your environment and make it a better place - for you, and for future generations. Your environment is the air you breathe, the water you drink and the ground you walk on. Working with business, Government and society as a whole, we are making your environment cleaner and healthier. The Environment Agency, out there, making your environment a better place. Contact address for queries regarding this document: Michael Nunns (Catchment Delivery Manager) Teresa Brown (Catchment Co-ordinator) Environment Agency Bromholme Lane Brampton Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE28 4NE Email: [email protected] © Environment Agency 2014 All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency. Environment Agency Catchment Evidence – Old Bedford including the Middle Level, Jan 2014. Unclassified 2 Contents 1 Introduction .............................................................................................. 4 1.1 Purpose and scope of the document ....................................................................... 4 1.2 What is Water Framework Directive? ...................................................................... 4 1.3 Baseline from the first River Basin Management Plan.................................................5 Map 1 Status of the waterbodies in the first River Basin Management Plan, December 2009 showing the ecological classification and morphology designation by waterbody area, name and number (ID) ......................................................................................... 5 Map 2 Canal waterbodies as linear features over the other waterbody areas..................9 Map 3 Baseline (2009) WFD Classification Monitoring Points.........................................10 1.4 Pressures and Reason for Failure..............................................................................19 Map 4 Pressures and reason for failure in the Old Bedford including the Middle Level…………...................................................................................................................19 2 Catchment issues and potential actions ............................................ .23 2.1 Water quality .................................................................................. .......................23 2.2 Water resources.................................................................................................... 28 2.3 Ecology ................................................................................................................. 29 2.4 Groundwater ......................................................................................................... 32 2.5 Morphology – river function and form .................................................................... 32 Map 5 The main watercourses within each waterbody and the organisation managing flood risk ..................................................................................................................... 33 3 Protected areas ...................................................................................... 36 3.1 Drinking Water Protected Areas.................................................................................36 3.2 Nutrient Sensitive Areas.............................................................................................37 Map 6 Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in the catchment ...................................................... 37 3.3 Habitat and Species Protected Areas..................................................................... 38 Map 7 Water dependant Natura 2000 sites in the catchment ...................................... 38 Map 8 Freshwater Fish Protected areas in the catchment .......................................... 39 3.4 Bathing Water Protection Areas in the catchment.....................................................39 4 Integrated catchment management ...................................................... 39 4.1 Biodiversity Action Plans..............................................................................................40 4.2 Flood Risk Management..............................................................................................40 5 Looking forward to the next Anglian river basin management plan . 40 Map 9 Future waterbody boundary changes ............................................................... 41 Map10 Second, cycle 2 Classification Monitoring Points...............................................42 Environment Agency Catchment Evidence – Old Bedford including the Middle Level, Jan 2014. Unclassified 3 1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose and Scope of the document This Catchment Evidence report is a summary of available Water Framework Directive (WFD) Evidence for waterbodies in the Old Bedford including the Middle Level (OBML) management catchment. This document can be used in discussions about the issues and projects that will contribute towards delivering overall good status. The 2009 baseline dataset was reported to the European Union (EU), and therefore sets the benchmark against which we need to assess improvements (Map 1 and Table1). This was published in the first River Basin Management Plan (RBMP). The Environment Agency has an investigations programme which is designed to look at the failing elements with the aim of improving our confidence that they are genuinely failing and to identify the main causes of the failures. The majority of our investigations programme was completed by December 2012, however the programme is an ongoing process and as new investigations are completed, we will share the outcomes with others. These investigations help us understand the actions that need to be carried out to improve the status of the waterbodies within the OBML Management Catchment. As well as the direct Water Framework Directive issues that need to be addressed, we also need to consider the issues associated with the Protected Areas such as the Drinking Water Protected Areas and Freshwater Fish Directive stretches. 1.2 What is WFD (Water Framework Directive)? WFD is an EU directive which became law in England in 2000. WFD requires ‘overall good status’ for each of the two types of waterbodies, groundwater and surfacewater, by 2021. Aims and objectives of WFD are to: achieve the overall ‘good’ status of waters prevent deterioration and enhance the quality of the Water Environment promote the sustainable use of water reduce contamination mitigate against the impacts of floods and droughts create better habitats for people and wildlife Environment Agency Catchment Evidence – Old Bedford including the Middle Level, Jan 2014. Unclassified 4 1.3 Baseline from the first River Basin Management Plan Map 1. Status of the waterbodies in the first River Basin Management Plan, December 2009 showing the ecological classification and morphology designation by waterbody area, name and number Environment Agency Catchment Evidence – Old Bedford including the Middle Level, Jan 2014. Unclassified 5 Table 1. Baseline (2009) overall WFD status of the rivers and tributaries from the first River Basin Management Plan phytes Waterbody ID and Status/Potential HeavilyModified Water Body Morphology (supporting element) Hydrology (supporting element) Diatoms Invertebrates Macro Fish Phosphorus Ammonia Dissolved Oxygen pH Temp Classification Method WaterbodyGroup ID Name Ecological GB105033043140 Supports High Lode (Bury Moderate Yes Moderate Good Poor Good Poor High High Calculated Good Brook) GB105033042880 Moderate Yes Bad Good Bad Good Moderate High High Calculated Cranbrook Drain GB105033047922 Moderate Yes Good High Poor High Poor High Good Calculated Counter Drain GB105033043170 Supports Supports Good No High High Good Good High High Good Calculated New Dyke Good Good GB105033043130 Supports Moderate Yes High Good Moderate High Bad High Good Calculated Great Raveley Drain Good GB105033043200 Supports Does not Old Course River Good No Good High Good Good Good High Good Calculated Good support good Nene GB105033047711 Supports Moderate Yes Good Moderate High Moderate High Good Calculated Floods Drain Good GB105033047690 Bevills Leam (inc. Whittlesey Dyke) GB105033043180 Forty Foot (inc. Ash Drain) GB105033042890 Good Yes Crooked Drain GB105033043150 Does not Moderate Yes Good High Moderate Poor Bad High High Calculated Twenty Foot Drain support good GB105033043160 Supports Moderate Yes Poor Moderate Poor Bad High High Calculated Forty Foot Drain Good GB105033042910 Forty Foot (west of Welchs Dam) GB105033047700 Does not Moderate Yes High Good Good Good Moderate High Good Calculated Well Creek support good Environment Agency Catchment Evidence – Old Bedford including the Middle Level, Jan 2014. Unclassified 6 phytes Waterbody ID and Status/Potential HeavilyModified Water Body Morphology (supporting element) Hydrology (supporting element) Diatoms Invertebrates Macro Fish Phosphorus Ammonia Dissolved Oxygen pH Temp Classification Method WaterbodyGroup ID Name Ecological GB105033047712 Supports Mode Moderate Yes High