Title of Report (limit to 10 words) Subtitle of Report Like This Do Not Use Full Caps The Carmarthen Bay Abstraction Licensing Strategy May 2014 A licensing strategy to manage water resources sustainably On 1 April 2013 Natural Resources Wales brought together the work of the Countryside Council for Wales, Environment Agency Wales and Forestry Commission Wales, as well as some functions of Welsh Government. Our purpose is to ensure that the natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, used and enhanced, now and in the future. We work for the communities of Wales to protect people and their homes as much as possible from environmental incidents like flooding and pollution. We provide opportunities for them to learn, use and benefit from Wales' natural resources. We work for Wales' economy and enable the sustainable use of natural resources to support jobs & enterprise. We help businesses and developers to understand and consider environmental limits when they make important decisions. We work to maintain and improve the quality of the environment for everyone. We work towards making the environment and natural resources more resilient to climate change and other pressures. Published by: Natural Resources Wales Tŷ Cambria 29 Newport Road Cardiff CF24 0TP Tel: 0300 065 3000 Email: [email protected] www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk © Natural Resources Wales. All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of Natural Resources Wales. Map 1 - The Carmarthen Bay CAMS (Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy) area 1 Foreword Water is the most essential of our natural resources, and it is our job to ensure that we manage and use it effectively and sustainably. The latest population growth and climate change predictions show that pressure on water resources is likely to increase in the future. In light of this, we have to ensure that we continue to maintain and improve sustainable abstraction balancing the needs of society, the economy and the environment. This licensing strategy sets out how we will manage water resources in the catchment and provides you with information on how we will manage existing abstraction licences and water availability for further abstraction. Martyn Evans Ecosystems Planning and Partnerships Manager, South 2 Contents MAP 1 THE CARMARTHEN BAY CAMS AREA 1 1. ABOUT THE LICENSING STRATEGY 4 2. THE CARMARTHEN BAY CAMS AREA 6 3. WATER RESOURCE AVAILABILITY OF THE CARMARTHEN BAY CAMS AREA 9 4. HOW WE MANAGE ABSTRACTIONS IN THE CARMARTHEN BAY CAMS AREA 15 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 30 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 31 3 1. About the Licensing Strategy This Licensing Strategy sets out how water resources are managed in the Carmarthen Bay Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS) area. It provides information about where water is available for further abstraction and an indication of how reliable a new abstraction licence may be. This strategy was produced in May 2014 and it supersedes the Tywi, Taf & Gwendraeth strategy issued in March 2006 and the Tawe, Loughor & Gower strategy issued in September 2007. The revised CAMS process We have developed a more streamlined CAMS process. The new process includes a number of changes to how we produce CAMS: We now use CAMS as a “live” assessment which is continuously updated rather than reviewed on a six year cycle; We will incorporate consultation on water resource issues into the Water Framework Directive (WFD) River Basin Planning process. However, we will still undertake any targeted consultation for CAMS as required; We will produce more concise, customer focused documents in-house and publish these on the internet. Anyone wishing to receive a paper copy of the document may still do so; We can now report the results of the resource assessment at a more local level, based on water bodies defined by the WFD. This approach will help us to meet WFD objectives and contribute to River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs); We have regrouped the river catchments into fewer CAMS areas. This means less duplication of general information and better use of our resources in producing CAMS. How CAMS contributes to achieving environmental objectives under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) The WFD’s main objectives are to protect and enhance the water environment and ensure the sustainable use of water resources for economic and social development. CAMS set out how we will manage the water resources of a catchment and contribute to implementing the WFD. CAMS contribute to the WFD by: providing a water resource assessment of rivers, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and groundwater, referred to as water bodies under the WFD; identifying water bodies that fail flow conditions expected to support good ecological status; preventing deterioration of water body status due to new abstractions; providing results which inform RBMPs. When is an abstraction licence required? You need a licence from us if you want to abstract more than 20 cubic metres (m3) (4,400 gallons) of water per day from: a river or stream; 4 a reservoir, lake or pond; a canal; a spring, or; an underground source. Whether or not a licence is granted depends on the amount of water available after the needs of the environment and existing abstractors are met, and whether the justification for the abstraction is reasonable. If you want to apply for an abstraction licence or make changes to a licence that you already have then please contact us: by telephone on 0300 065 3000 by email at [email protected] or visit our website at www.naturalresourceswales.gov.uk. Sustainable abstraction This Licensing Strategy has been produced using evidence and information gathered during the CAMS process. Through this process we consider the impact of abstraction at all flows. This helps to manage future abstraction more sustainably. We now assess water resources at a sub-catchment level called water bodies. This means that we can provide more detailed information on the availability of water resources in the Carmarthen Bay CAMS area compared to the scale used in the previous strategy. Within this strategy we also outline where we may need to reduce current rates of abstraction and our approach on time limiting licences. The background, aims and principles of CAMS, the overarching principles we use when managing abstraction licences and links with other initiatives are detailed in our document Managing Water Abstraction. You should read Managing Water Abstraction when reading this catchment specific licensing strategy. 5 2. The Carmarthen Bay CAMS area Since the first CAMS were published we have changed the CAMS areas. The Carmarthen Bay CAMS covers the area formerly included in the Tywi, Taf & Gwendraeth CAMS (2006) and the Tawe, Loughor & Gower CAMS (2007), with the exception of the Tawe (which is now included in the Swansea Bay CAMS). This CAMS area includes the catchments of the rivers Loughor, Lliedi, Lliw, Llan, Tywi, Taf, Gwendraeths, and Pennard Pill on the Gower, all of which are surface water-dominated catchments. With the exception of Pennard Pill, all the rivers within this CAMS area flow into Carmarthen Bay, also known as the Three Rivers Estuary. The CAMS area falls largely within the local authority areas of Carmarthenshire and the City and County of Swansea. The main towns in the area are Llanelli, Pontarddulais, Ammanford, Kidwelly, Llandovery, Llandeilo, Carmarthen, St Clears and Whitland. The CAMS area supports a diverse range of natural habitats and species. This is reflected in the number of designated sites of European and National importance within the area, including Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSI) Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA). Parts of the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are also within the CAMS area. All of the rivers in this CAMS area support important fisheries and conservation interests. The area contains a wide variety of landscape types from wooded, steep valleys and low-lying river floodplains to the estuaries and coastal landscapes of Carmarthen Bay. The features and landscapes of the rivers and estuaries, and the habitats and species that they support, are of importance to the environment and economy of the area. The coastal grazing marshes and the hydrological regimes required for their maintenance are of particular significance. The CAMS area is predominantly rural with some areas of urban and industrial development. The developed areas are concentrated around Carmarthen and Llanelli and adjacent to the river in the Amman Valley. There is large-scale metal industry associated with the Swansea and Llanelli areas, although only the latter is within this CAMS area. Agriculture dominates the land use in this area and plays an important role in the local economy in the form of dairy, beef and sheep farming. Forestry accounts for a large percentage of the land use in the upper reaches of the Tywi catchment and on a few of the tributaries. There are 71 licensed abstractions within the Carmarthen Bay CAMS area, 56 from surface waters and 15 from groundwaters. Over 99% of the total volume licensed for abstraction is from surface waters. This reflects the large proportion of the catchments that are currently exempt from licensing for abstractions from groundwater. Abstractions from groundwater sources over a large part of southwest Wales are currently exempt from licensing by Statutory Instrument (South West Wales River Authority (Exceptions from Control) Order 1965). This groundwater exemption is likely to be removed under the Water Act 2003. Groundwater is used extensively throughout the area to support large numbers of small domestic and agricultural abstractions. Although these may be numerous, the quantities are not significant. Abstraction for public water supply accounts for over 90% of the water licensed for abstraction. This is a consumptive use. The main non-consumptive use is lake & pond throughflow, which accounts for less than 7% of the water licensed for abstraction.