3A-Anglian 58 4 * i UPPER OUSE CAT CHMENT M A N A G E M E N T P LAN - CONSULTATION REPORT NRA National Rivers Authority Anglian Region MARCH 1996 KEY DETAILS A rea 1487 km 2 Major Sewage Brackley, Cotton Valley (Milton Treatment Keynes), Dunstable, Leighton Works Linslade, Towcester Population 1996 381,900 Predicted 2006 444,600 Internal Buckingham, River Ouzel Drainage Ground Min Level 24 m AO D Boards Levels Max Level 243 m A O D Main Towns Milton Keynes 173,200 Geology South East Lower Greensand, (Populations Leighton Buzzard 33,600 Gault Clay and for 1996) Newport Pagnell Chalk. 15,700 Buckingham 9,800 Central Jurassic clays - Brackley 9,360 Kimmeridge, Towcester 6,800 Ampthill and Oxford Clay. Length of statutory main river 225.5 km (maintained by NRA) N orth West Lias; Cornbrash and Oolite. Embanked main river 0 km (% of catchment area) Length of navigable river 53 km C o u n ty Northamptonshire 22% (Grand Union Canal) (approximately) C ouncils Buckinghamshire 53% Bedfordshire 21% Water Quality GQA grades Length of river Oxfordshire 4% in km A (excellent) 0 (% of catchment area) B (good) 143 District & Daventry 0.4% C (fair) 139 Borough Milton Key nes 22% D (fair) 60 C ouncils Aylesbury Vale 31% E (poor) 0 Bedford 10% F(bad) 0 South Beds. 6% Mid Beds. 5% Water Quality Biological Survey 1994 Cherwell 4% A (excellent) 257 B (good) 86 NRA Anglian Region C (fair) 8 Organisation Central Area The catchment of D (poor) 0 Administrators the River Great Ouse from Brackley to the Sea. Salmonid (Game) fishery 4 km Catchment The River Great Cyprinid (Coarse) fishery 114 km South Office Ouse upstream of Administrators Hermitage Lock, Sites of Special Scientific Interest 33 Earith. (SSSIs) W ater Anglian Water Services Limited Water dependent SSSIs 15 C om panies Thames Water Utilities Three Valleys Water Company Water Related Scheduled Ancient 48 M onuments The National Rivers Authority Guardians of the Water Environment The National Rivers Authority is responsible for a wide range of regulatory and statutory duties connected with the water environment. Created in 1989 under the Water Act it comprises a national policy body coordinating the activities of 8 regional groups. The main functions of the NRA are: Water resources — The planning of resources to meet the water needs of the country; licensing companies, organisations and individuals to abstract water; and monitoring the licences. Environmental quality and — maintaining and improving water quality in rivers, estuaries and Pollution Control coastal seas; granting consents for discharges to the water environment; monitoring water quality; pollution control. Flood defence — the general supervision of flood defences; the carrying out of works on main rivers; sea defences. Fisheries — the maintenance, improvement and development of fisheries in inland waters including licensing, re-stocking and enforcement functions. Conservation — furthering the conservation of the water environment and protecting its amenity. Navigation and Recreation — navigation responsibilities in three regions — Anglian, Southern and Thames and the provision and maintenance of recreational facilities on rivers and waters under its control. NRA EMERGENCY HOTLINE The National Rivers Authority will form part of a new organisation which will have responsibilities for the environmental 80 70 60 protection o f water, land and air. The new emergency telephone line Environment Agency starts its work of Help the managing the environment in England and NATIONAL RIVERS AUTHORITY Wales on I April 1996. to protect the water environment N R A Published by the Public Relations Department of the National Rivers Authority, Anglian Region, Kingfisher House, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR. Telephone (01733) 371811. Printed on 20% virgin, 40% pre-consumer waste, 40% post-consumer waste - totally chlorine free paper. AN 2/96 0.3K E ATGT Awarded for ru rllm c f E n v ir o n m e n t Ag e n c y NATIONAL LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICE HEAD OFFICE Rio House, Waterside Drive, Aztec West. Almondsbury, Bristol BS32 4UD NATIONAL RIVERS AUTHORITY ANGLIAN REGION UPPER OUSE CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN C onsultation R e p o r t MARCH 1996 Environment Agency inrormafion Centre Head Office ENVIRONMENT AGENCY Class N o.................... Accession No. /xT.c?X 099658 Upper Ouse CMP YOUR VIEWS This Consultation Report is the first stage of the Catchment Management Planning Process for the Upper Ouse Catchment. We want to hear your views: • Have we identified the realistic objectives? • Have we identified all the major issues? • Have we identified all the potential options for action to resolve these? • Have you any comments on the appearance and contents of the report? Please comment in writing to: The Planning Manager Upper Ouse Catchment Management Plan National Rivers Authority - Anglian Region Central Area Brampton HUNTINGDON Cambs PE 18 8NE Telephone enquiries: (01480) 414581 (After 1 April 1996, please address to Environment Agency) ALL COMMENTS SHOULD REACH US BY 13 JUNE 1996 Further Copies are available from the above address. NRA - Anglian Region (Central Area) Page 2 Upper Ouse CMP FOREWORD The National Rivers Authority (NRA) is committed to protecting and improving the water environment in its broadest sense. Establishing a sound base for the integrated management for river catchments is fundamental to our operations and therefore, the Authority has devised Catchment Management Plans (CMP). This vehicle will ultimately achieve environmental improvements which will continue as responsibility after 1st April 1996 moves to the Environment Agency Local Management Plans (EALMPs) Public consultation secures input and helps provide commitment from all interested parties towards achieving action on important issues. The issues to be considered in this plan, include: • Securing the protection against river flooding (through surface water management and development control in), for example, Newport Pagnell, Leighton Buzzard which impact on the flood plain; • The need for balance between river maintenance standards in the catchment and nature conservation priorities; • Reviewing the water resource balance for the catchment, restating the quantities allocated to the environment and the proportion available for abstraction; • Water quality issues (concerning nutrients) on the River Great Ouse (at Clapham), River Ouzel and Foxcote Reservoir; • Navigation and Recreation issues upstream of Bedford (for example at Felmersham) and the implications of the proposed new canal link to the Grand Union Canal. I look forward to receiving your comments to assist in the production of an action plan which balances the conflicting demands placed upon the Upper Ouse Catchment. G E O FF B E E L Area Manager NRA - Anglian Region (Central Area) Page 3 Upper Ouse CMP CONTENTS Page Foreword 3 1. Introduction 9 2. Catchment Background 2.1 Catchment Overview 14 2.2 Geology and Landscape 14 2.3 Surface Water Hydrology 15 2.4 Water Quality 16 2.5 Data Collection 18 3. Uses, Resources and Activities 3.1 Flood Defences 20 3.2 Housing, Industry and Commerce 23 3.3 Agriculture and Forestiy 27 3.4 Agricultural Abstraction 29 3.5 Industrial Abstraction 30 3.6 Potable Water Supply: Surface Water Abstraction 31 3.7 Potable Water Supply : Groundwater Abstraction 32 3.8 Raw Water Transfer 32 3.9 Effluent Disposal 33 3.10 Mineral Extraction 36 3.11 Waste Disposal 37 3.12 Landscape and Archaeology 39 3.13 Angling and Commercial Fishing 40 NRA - Anglian Region (Central Area) Page 4 Upper Ouse CMP 3.14 The Water Environment as Habitat 41 3.15 Navigation and Boating 43 3.16 Recreation and Amenity 44 3.17 Hydropower 45 4. NRA Objectives and Catchment Status 4.1 Flood Defence Objectives 47 4.2 Flood Defence Status 48 4.3 Surface Water Quality Objectives 51 4.4 Surface Water Quality Status 52 4.5 Groundwater Protection Objectives 54 4.6 Groundwater Protection Status 57 4.7 Water Quantity Objectives 58 4.8 Water Quantity Status 59 4.9 Environmental Features Objectives 64 4.10 Environmental Features Status 66 4.11 Development Control Objectives 71 4.12 Development Status 72 5. Catchment Issues and Options 5.1 Introduction 74 5.2 Flood Defence Issues 74 5.3 Water Quality Issues 79 5.4 Water Resources Issues 87 5.5 Nature Conservation and Recreation Issues 91 NRA - Anglian Region (Central Area) Page 5 Upper Ouse CMP 5.6 Development Issues 98 6. Next Steps 102 APPENDICES A Glossary B Background Information C Pre-consultation Exercise ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (i) All those organisations, groups and individuals who are involved in the informal liaison period. (ii) Great Ouse Catchment Panel especially the sub-panel group members, R Bennett, P Wix, D Payne, K Ball. (iii) NRA area project Team; B Elsdon, M Doyle, M Duplock, K Rutterford, D Jones, M Whiteman, M Sargeant, I Finnigan, T Ross, J Kent, R Pickering and H Rimmer. NRA - Anglian Region (Central Area) Page 6 Upper Ouse CMP LIST OF MAPS Page (nearest) 1 Location Map 13 2 Catchment Overview 14 3 Geology and cross-section 15 4 Mean Annual Rainfall Map 3 5 General Quality Assessment 16 6 Biological Grades Map 5 7 Control Structures 21 8 Flooding and Flood Alleviation 22 9 Land Classification 27 10 Industrial Abstraction 30 11 Public Water Supply Abstraction 31 12 Sewage Treatment Works Discharges 34 13 Major Trade Discharges Map 12 14 Active Mineral and Gravel Extraction sites 37 15 Licensed Waste Facilities 38 16 Ancient Monuments 39 17 Angling 40 18 Statutory Conservation Sites 41 19 Flood Defence Existing Levels of Service 48 20 Flood Defence