EA-Southern LEAPs EA-Southern local environment agency plan NEW FOREST CONSULTATION REPORT APRIL 1998 New Forest Key Details General Fisheries Area 450.49km2 Length of EC Designated Fisheries (km): Coastline 52km Freshwater Salmonid 1 7.83 Administrative Details Water Quality Local Authorities: % of Area Freshwater River in NWC Class (km): New Forest District Council >99% Class Objective Achieved GQA Christchurch District Council < 1% 1990 Survey (km) County Councils : Hampshire, Dorset 1A Good 45.1 89.1 A 31.3 1 B Good 110.8 88.6 B 98.9 Population (1995 NFDC Parish estimates) 2 Fair 34.4 12.6 C 45.4 YEAR POPULATION 3 Poor 0 0 D 8.7 1995 105,000 4 Bad 0 0 E 2.5 Total 190.3 190.3 Total 186.8 Water Resources Average Annual Rainfall 741-846mm - Number of EC Designated Bathing Waters 5 Number of Licensed Abstractions Pollution Prevention & Control Surface Water 25 Landfill Sites (Inert) 8 Groundwater 31 Landfill Sites (Biodegradable) 4 Waste Treatment/Processing Plants 2 Water Companies Metal Recycling Stations 2 Southern Water Services Incinerators 1 Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water Transfer Stations 6 Conservation Integrated Pollution Control Authorisations Sites of Special Scientific Interest 12 Discharges to Air 23 Special Areas of Conservation 1 Effluent Discharges 8 Special Protection Areas 1 Ramsar Sites 1 Flood Defence National Nature Reserves 1 Coastline inducting main tidal waters 1 08.3 Local Nature Reserves 2 Main River including tidal lengths 1 55.9 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty 1 Sea Defences Agency responsibility 10.47 YOUR VIEWS The New Forest LEAP Consultation Report is the Environment Agency's initial analysis of the state of the water, land and air environment in this catchment. The evaluation of the state of the environment was achieved not only by drawing on experts and data within the Agency but also by early informal liaison with a number of key external organisations. This Consultation Report is intended to encourage comments from the users in the catchment. The issues and actions have been reviewed and prioritised by a stakeholder group, who have an interest in what happens in the area, using an appraisal technique to incorporate consideration of the costs and benefits of each action. We would now like to hear all your views to help us develop an Action Plan Have all major environmental issues been identified? • Do you agree with the ranking of the issues? Have all the options and solutions to the issues been identified? In what way can you or your organisation work in partnership with the Agency to improve the New Forest Area? Please send any comments in writing to: ENViKONMeNT A( ^Uccessnrc * Mat Carter Area Customer Services Manager The Environment Agency N o Southern Region - Hampshire and IOW Area Sarum Court Sarum Road Winchester 142X6; Hampshire OUIIPSOUKNI HOUil w n .ru , S022 5DP q All comments must be received by 30 June 1998 All comments received will be treated as public information unless you explicitly state otherwise in your response. Catchment Overview Winsor n :Netley JOTTON Bartley Marchwood % % % nihH .n^ ^HYTHE % Burley Street Calshot CHRISTCHURCH — ^OoWfrtop ^ymore MILFORD ON SEA Area boundary Main river Ordinary watercourse 0 5km Built up area 1 i i___i__ i----1 Environment Agency CONTENTS Page Foreword ...............................................................................................‘.................................1 Draft Vision for the New Forest Catchment ....................................................................2 CHAPTER 1: THE ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 1.1 Who Are We? ..........................., .............................................3 1.2 Our Principal Aim .......................................................................................3 1.3 Sustainable Development............................................................................3 1.4 Our Objectives............. .. .............................................................. ...........3 1.5 How We Are Structured.............................. ......................................4 1.6 What We Do .............................................................................................5 1.7 What We Do Not Do ....................................................... ..................... 6 • 1.8 Who. Are Our Customers?....................... ; ........................’.............. .. 7 1.9 Environmental Standards...........•................ ..............................................7 1.10 Operational Standards ............................................................................ 8 1.11 Internal Environmental Policy...................................................................8 1.12 Public Registers and.Access to Environmental Information................8 CHAPTER 2: THIS REPORT AND ITS PURPOSE 2.1 The Need for LEAPs ..................................................................... II 2.2 The LEAP Process : .................................................................. ............... II 2.3 The Consultation Report ......................................................................... 12 2.4 LEAPs and Development Plans...............................................................13 2.5 LEAPs and Catchment Management P lan s..........................................13 CHAPTER 3: DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISATION OF THE PLAN AREA 3.1 General Description................................................... ............................. 15 3.2 ' Geology, Soil and Land Use .................................... ............................. 16 3.3 Hydrogeology ...............................................■............ .....................16 3.4 Hydrology and the River System s........................... .................. 19 3.5 Water Quality.............................................................. ............................. 19 3.6 Climate................................... .'......... .................* ............................. 19 3.7 Air Quality................................................................... ............................. 20 3.8 Habitats and Conservation Areas............................. : ...........................20 3.9 Fisheries...................................................................... .............................29 3.10 Landscape ..................................................................... ..............................31 3.11 Archaeology..................................................... .. .............................32 New Forest LEAP April 1998 Environment Agency Page CHAPTER 4: ISSUES LIST 35 CHAPTER 5: PROTECTION THROUGH PARTNERSHIP 41 CHAPTER 6: HUMAN USES, ACTIVITIES AND PRESSURES ON THE CATCHMENT 6.1 Urban Development and Land Use Planning............................................45 6.2 Recreation ...................................................................................................... 51 6.3 Controlled Industrial Processes and Other Emissions.............................54 6.4 Farming and Forestry..................................................................................-.67 6.5 Waste Disposal................................................................................................71 6.6 Water Abstraction ...............................................’ ........................................77 6.7 Effluent Discharges ............................................................! ........................85 6.8 Protection from Flooding .............................................. ...............................92 6.9. Nature Conservation .................................................................................. Ill 6.10 Fisheries................................................................................................... 113 CHAPTER 7: TARGETS AND THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT 7.1 Nature Conservation ..................................................................................119 7.2 Water Resources .........................................................................................123 7.3 Water Quality ...............*.............................................................................126 7.4 Flood Defence .............................................................................................135 7.5 Air Q uality...................................................'...................: .........................136 7.6 Fisheries . : ..................................................’............................................ 138 CHAPTER 8: THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED 8.1 Major Issues........................................................................................ .... 139 8.2 Subsidiary Issues ...................................................-.....................................165 APPENDICES A Glossary of Terms B List of Environment Agency Publications C List of Publications Affecting the LEAP Area D Organisations with Responsibilities Within the LEAP Area E General Quality Assessment Chemical and Biological Grades New Forest LEAP April 1998 Environment Agency MAPS Page 1 Catchment Boundary and River System .......................................................... cover 2 Geology ........................................................................................................................17 3 Nature Conservation Designations........................................................25 4 Planning Designations................................................................................................48