1. WFD and Upland management:
a regulatory perspective
Harriet Orr
Research Expert, Climate Change, Evidence Directorate
9th May 2012
Input from: Robert Brotherton, Zoe Frogbrook, Stacey Roe, Kate Gamble, Simon Hildon

2. Introduction
Good Ecological Status: reasons for failure
Pressures, impacts and measures
How we’re addressing issues and evidence gaps

3. Reasons for Failure

4. Water Body
Failures due to
agriculture and land
management
Northern England

5. Wales Reasons For WFD Failures - Wales
19%
Unknown (investigation to be completed)
3%
1% Agricultural pollution
1% Artificial barriers to fish migration
2%
Abandoned mines and contaminated land
2%
16% Forestry
3%
Acidification
4%
Sewage discharges
Impoundments
7% Flood protection & land drainage
Urban & transport development
11%
Surface water abstraction
7%
Natural conditions
Industrial discharges
7% 10% Septic tanks
7% Other

6. Reasons for Failure Wales
Agricultural Pollution
132 of Wales’ water bodies (16% of failures) fail Good Status because of
pollution from agricultural activities
Abandoned mines & contaminated land
84 of Wales’ water bodies (10% of failures) fail Good Status because of
diffuse and point source pollution from abandoned mines and
contaminated land

7. Reasons for Failure
Forestry
60 of Wales’ water bodies (7% of failures) fail Good Status because of
forestry activities
This may drop to around 20 with further investigations
Map of surface water
failures for forestry

8. Reasons for Failure Wales
Acidification in Wales
59 water bodies (7% of failures) fail Good Status because of the deposition
of acidifying pollutants from combustion on sensitive environments.
Map of surface water
failures due to acidification

9. Upland issues
Failures due to upland condition are few
Looking for cost effective multiple benefits from measures
Holistic approach in uplands e.g. riparian management to
reduce sediment and nutrient delivery

10. Evidence gaps for pressure/impacts
Risks of deterioration
Efficacy of measures
Value for money of measures esp. sediment/morphology
lag time between implementation and ecological recovery.

11. Existing mechanisms
Voluntary agreements e.g. safeguard zones for drinking
water
Pilot studies: learning by doing
NE, moorland condition and fish (non SSSI) 13 water bodies to be
improved through moorland restoration (> 900 water bodies in the
region)
Effectiveness of catchment sensitive farming methods
“Taking a quality rather than quantity approach”

12. Implementing measures: Safeguard zones
Drinking Water Protected Areas for water supply – designated in WFD
DrWPAs provide safe drinking water (Drinking Water Directive)
Protected from deterioration in quality (reduce treatment)
Key variables colour, pesticides, algae and nitrate.
In England, DrWPAs protected through defining Safeguard Zones.
Voluntary Safeguard Zone Action Plans – to focus actions.
Safeguard Zone action plan can link PR09/PR14 programmes.

13. Drinking Water Protected Areas at risk of failure due to
colour
25 DrWPAs at risk in NW feeding into
10 Safeguard Zone action plans
18 DrWPAs at risk inYorkshire & North
East Region, feeding into 5 Safe guard
Zone action plans
WPZ/
product restrictions Water
Company
catchment
Safeguard zones schemes
CoGAP/cross compliance/NVZs/CFE

14. Significant Water Management Issues
Addressing national scale issues in post 2015
Consultation: opportunity to raise issues
Inform evidence development

15. Conclusions
Upland condition not big reason for failure
Future deterioration unclear (incl peat)
Evidence about measures needed
Channel issues/evidence through SWMI
and UHG
Improving the evidence base “learning from doing”