Post by Hoppy on Nov 17, 2005 20:00:23 GMT -1
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE TEXT:
CCW = Countryside Council for Wales:
EA = Environment Agency for England & Wales:
EAW = Environment Agency Wales:
FRAWC = Flood Risk Assessment Wales Committee (formerly Flood Defence Committee):
NRA = National Rivers Authority:
WAG = Welsh Assembly Government.
E. PROTECTING THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT.
CLIMATE CHANGE.
The unknown threat posed to our natural flora and fauna and to the status and wellbeing of our fisheries from climate change must be taken seriously: although the many predictions of the nature, extent, rate and environmental consequences of change remain largely speculative at this time. The need to take action to minimise the increased risk of flood damage to property is fully accepted. A scenario of severe winter floods followed by prolonged periods of low river flows during the summer months would create further significant problems for salmon and sea trout. More, sudden and severe winter flooding would result in extensive movements of gravel and its downstream displacement in to the holding pools. This would adversely affect the quality and availability of spawning gravels and juvenile nursery habitat for salmonids in the upstream catchment and the loss of deeper holding pools and glides for adult fish (and angling) in the lower river. The loss of spawning and nursery habitat and deeper holding water would exacerbate the existing problems that now occur on the many gravel, spate rivers in Wales.
E.2.1. ABSTRACTION
The effects of climate change, when taken with inevitable changes in future land use and agricultural practice, will increase the demand for the total amount of water to be abstracted from rivers and streams during the prolonged periods of lower summer flows when they are least able to support such abstractions without suffering ecological injury.
WATER QUALITY.
Maintaining water quality to a standard that will sustain fish stocks and allow them to thrive is clearly of paramount importance. A primary objective of the Water Framework Directive will be to ensure that the quality of the water in the rivers, lakes and near coastal water is returned to and maintained in a ‘natural’ state. The historical problems of gross pollution from industrial and domestic sources are now largely a thing of the past, but these have been replaced by concern about the problems affecting the aquatic environment caused by acidification, acid mine-waters and, more recently, diffuse and insidious pollution from agriculture and other land uses. Of particular concern here is pollution by sheep-dips – which are lethal to invertebrates in minute amounts. Although Government, EA, Association of Rivers Trusts and others are currently addressing a range important strategic and tactical issues relating to water quality, the following topics are of immediate concern:-
HABITAT IMPROVEMENT.
The investment of external funding from the Objective 1 & 2 schemes has helped start to repair a long history of degradation of the aquatic environment in Wales and the extent and quality of the different habitats suitable for fish. But a great deal more needs to be done.
E.5.3. BLOCKAGES & OBSTRUCTIONS:
BLOCKAGES & OBSTRUCTIONS:The removal of man-made barriers and log-jams that deny fish access to their upstream spawning and nursery areas is an important and highly cost-effective means of improving fish stocks.
CCW = Countryside Council for Wales:
EA = Environment Agency for England & Wales:
EAW = Environment Agency Wales:
FRAWC = Flood Risk Assessment Wales Committee (formerly Flood Defence Committee):
NRA = National Rivers Authority:
WAG = Welsh Assembly Government.
E. PROTECTING THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT.
CLIMATE CHANGE.
The unknown threat posed to our natural flora and fauna and to the status and wellbeing of our fisheries from climate change must be taken seriously: although the many predictions of the nature, extent, rate and environmental consequences of change remain largely speculative at this time. The need to take action to minimise the increased risk of flood damage to property is fully accepted. A scenario of severe winter floods followed by prolonged periods of low river flows during the summer months would create further significant problems for salmon and sea trout. More, sudden and severe winter flooding would result in extensive movements of gravel and its downstream displacement in to the holding pools. This would adversely affect the quality and availability of spawning gravels and juvenile nursery habitat for salmonids in the upstream catchment and the loss of deeper holding pools and glides for adult fish (and angling) in the lower river. The loss of spawning and nursery habitat and deeper holding water would exacerbate the existing problems that now occur on the many gravel, spate rivers in Wales.
- Action to reduce the severity of floods by undoing the historical land drainage work on the uplands to improve the water storage capacity of soils is broadly welcomed as it could have important incidental fishery benefits. However such works could also cause serious fishery damage they deny fish access to spawning and juvenile nursery grounds or they impound sections of the river. It is important that the EAW/FRAWC should involve fishery interests at the earliest possible stage in developing future strategies or detailed schemes to minimise flooding.
- EA should commission a fully funded pilot scheme to establish the most effective and environmentally acceptable means of reinstating deep fish holding pools on degraded sections of the main river. The results of this work would have a widespread application throughout England and Wales.
- The EA should commission a parallel pilot scheme to establish the most cost-effective means of maintaining and recreating stable sections of spawning gravel in upland sections of the main river and the tributaries.
- Consideration should be given to the installation and operation of permanent gravel-traps as a practical means of minimising the adverse effects of downstream gravel displacement on river ecology and flood defence schemes.
E.2.1. ABSTRACTION
The effects of climate change, when taken with inevitable changes in future land use and agricultural practice, will increase the demand for the total amount of water to be abstracted from rivers and streams during the prolonged periods of lower summer flows when they are least able to support such abstractions without suffering ecological injury.
- The EAW has a good record of monitoring and enforcing compliance with licensed effluent discharge consents. More of the same magnitude must now be done to monitor and to enforce compliance with licensed consents to abstract water.
WATER QUALITY.
Maintaining water quality to a standard that will sustain fish stocks and allow them to thrive is clearly of paramount importance. A primary objective of the Water Framework Directive will be to ensure that the quality of the water in the rivers, lakes and near coastal water is returned to and maintained in a ‘natural’ state. The historical problems of gross pollution from industrial and domestic sources are now largely a thing of the past, but these have been replaced by concern about the problems affecting the aquatic environment caused by acidification, acid mine-waters and, more recently, diffuse and insidious pollution from agriculture and other land uses. Of particular concern here is pollution by sheep-dips – which are lethal to invertebrates in minute amounts. Although Government, EA, Association of Rivers Trusts and others are currently addressing a range important strategic and tactical issues relating to water quality, the following topics are of immediate concern:-
- Planning developments and approvals for new property should not proceed without a commensurate improvement in the treatment capacity of local sewage works: especially in those areas where recurrent pollution by storm-overflows and inadequate treatment of effluents is already a cause of chronic pollution. Many of the older and smaller sewage treatment works throughout Wales are overloaded. This is particularly so in rural areas. EAW should oppose such schemes until such criteria are met.
- The impact of climate change on the ability of natural stream flows to dilute previously consented discharges during extended periods of low flows over the summer is of particular concern. Many of the lawful discharges that were previously non-detrimental to water quality and river ecology will become so during periods of lower dilution flow
- Pollution by sheep-dips is perceived by the Welsh angling community as an ‘ecological time-bomb’ throughout much of Wales that must be defused as a matter of the utmost priority.
- The Governments in England & Wales must take immediate action to prevent pollution of the aquatic environment by sheep-dips. Urgent attention must be given to addressing this problem in hill farming regions – especially in central Wales.
- The financial penalties and costs of the environmental and fishery damage caused by sheep-dip pollution must be fully quantified and these costs must be offset against the economic benefits to Wales of maintaining the current use of organophosphate and synthetic pyrethroid sheep-dips. Arguments for continuing their use based solely on the higher costs of alternative means of maintaining flock health are untenable and unacceptable.
- The disposal of sheep-dips to land and the continuation of plunge-dipping are of particular concern. As a matter of urgency, the EAW must review and then amend as appropriate its current procedures.
- The existing regulations on the use and disposal of sheep-dips must be consolidated, updated and strengthened. They must be effectively monitored and rigorously enforced. All literature in Wales must be bi-lingual.
- The WAG should promote a more constructive and candid dialogue between representatives from the farming industry, the fisheries community and other environmental interests on the problems caused by sheep-dip pollution.
- Siltation is now accepted as a major pollutant that smothers the stream bed, reduces habitat diversity, species biodiversity and renders gravels less suitable for incubating the eggs of spawning salmonids and grayling, The EA in concert with others should develop a national strategy for minimising the ecological and fishery problems caused by the mobilisation and deposition of silt in the aquatic environment.
- Greater emphasis must be placed on controlling bank erosion and maintaining the integrity of the riparian corridor in this context. [See E.5.2.]
- Acidification of waters remains a significant problem that adversely affects the ecology and productivity of rivers and lakes in certain parts of Wales. The EAW should continue to support, monitor and up-date ‘best-practice’ for schemes of liming to neutralise the effects of acidity.
HABITAT IMPROVEMENT.
The investment of external funding from the Objective 1 & 2 schemes has helped start to repair a long history of degradation of the aquatic environment in Wales and the extent and quality of the different habitats suitable for fish. But a great deal more needs to be done.
- The various schemes operated by the EAW and CCW for the protections of the riparian corridor are fragmented and too opportunistic in their application in situations of greatest need. They need to be ‘joined-up’ with current schemes.
- There is need to consider the introduction of a comprehensive scheme to protect the riparian corridor as a whole irrespective of any linkage with existing agri-environment schemes. Only then will it be possible to provide a continuous length of wildlife corridor.
- The use of cross-compliance under the revised Common Agriculture Policy should be enforced rigidly to provide protection for the riparian corridor within all farm-grant schemes.
- The EAW/CCW should make greater use of the owners and occupiers of fishing to help control the spread of invasive weeds within riparian corridor and the EAW should progress the proposed work-shops in this context.
- The diffuse literature produced by different agencies at different time to encourage environmentally friendly ‘Codes of Conduct’ and ‘Best-Practice’ needs to be updated, consolidated, better communicated and more widely applied in practice. The EAW should undertake this task. There is a need ensure that this material is communicated to contractors employed to do any work on site.
E.5.3. BLOCKAGES & OBSTRUCTIONS:
BLOCKAGES & OBSTRUCTIONS:The removal of man-made barriers and log-jams that deny fish access to their upstream spawning and nursery areas is an important and highly cost-effective means of improving fish stocks.
- The current programme to provide improved fish passage facilities over major obstructions should continue.
- Greater emphasis should now be placed on removing the very many minor obstructions associated with poorly designed spillways and culverts and by natural log-jams that prevent access to the myriad of smaller streams that are so important as spawning and nursery streams for salmon, and, particularly, sea trout and brown trout. Such low-cost, small-scale projects can provide a very high rate of return on investment.
- The EAW should actively encourage and support the formation of a ‘task force’ of volunteers drawn from within the local angling community to walk the tributaries on an annual basis to report blockages and new log-jams and to monitor the utilisation of spawning sites within the headwaters. These volunteer groups should be encourage and supported to take part in activities to mitigate the effects of these blockages.