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When is a river deemed to be in a critical condition.

Craig Wood

Craig Wood

Senior Member
Due to complete lack of rain my local river the Dorset Stour is in a very bad state in parts and with no meaningful rain predicted for the coming next months i really are starting to get very concerned and worried as to whats going to happen to it. Despite the very low water conditions, water is still being pumped out for such things as watering the Golf course and someones turf company. What i dont understand is why is this being allowed to carry on when its plainly obvious that the river is in a very low water state and getting worse now the weed is dying back. Perhaps im asking a stupid question, but does anyone on here know what criterias have to be met before a river is deemed to be in a "Critical State"?..It seems the EA dont know this either, so im wondering if anyone on here has some idea..
 
The expression 'critical state' would I imagine be given to a river suffering long term effects of drought, not short term lack of rain. The criteria to be met in order to classify a river as being in a 'critical state' would most likely be given to an extended period of very dry weather. I cannot speak for the Stour Craig, but I know the Avon was at the top of it's banks a month or so ago.
Asuming you have spoken to the EA about your concerns on abstraction at this time, you might try to contact Natural England.


Damian
 
We're keeping a close eye on this and will continue working with the industry if less water needs to be taken from rivers to keep them flowing.

"We'll continue to work closely together with those on the ground to deal with dry weather issues such as forest fires, impacts on crop yields or harm to habitats from rivers drying up." THE EA may 2011.

....
a quote from the EA in may this year.
make what you want from this.
 
The EA issue the abstraction licences to the golf courses and farmers and Sembcorp Bournemouth Water PLC. They can easily revoke or limit some of them also in these low flow situations if you complain. If you don't bring it to their attention, they consider the situation satisfactory. They are not looking for problems!
Sorry to say, but the EA tend to favour the commercial business side of things, and the river, its inhabitants (including protected species) and especially anglers and fishing come well down the priority list!
If one keeps cutting the weed growth on throop on a weekly basis in summer as happens, it will unwittingly drop the level and the remaining water will run off much quicker sometimes leaving gravels and macro invertebrates (vital food for fish etc) exposed high and dry to the air thus killing the river environment food chain! The weed holds the water back and keeps the level up, provides the resident fish and wildlife with sanctuary and cover and the fishery much safer long term. If you destroy the fishes etc natural habitat including over abstracting the available water, then you will eventually reap the consequences of such.
 
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The EA has Water Management plans for many river catchments, I don't know about this particular river, the Teme's one is here for instance.

These CAM's (Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy), where agreed in 2005 and run until next year, at least in the Midlands region.
I would assume you would be able to find the one for your river on the EA's site buried away some where, but it may be better just to contact there press office and request a link as navigating the EA web site for stuff like this is a nightmare, which is why I stick the stuff on our own SRT site.

The Teme one is about to be redone, taking into account the WFD and the various "stakeholders" that will be part of the CAMS groups being agreed.

I don't know if it is the same on the Stour, but the problem with abstraction licenses on the Teme is not with new ones being granted by the EA (they don't grant new ones here ) but with the existing licenses which were issued "in perpetuity" to landowners and can only be removed by purchasing them of the landowners. So even when the EA stops all abstraction licenses it cannot prevent certain landowners from abstracting.

The "Hands of Flow" conditions, which require all abstraction to cease on the Teme, has been the level of the river since May this year and remains the case even now in late October!
 
Quote Craig: It seems the EA dont know this either, so im wondering if anyone on here has some idea".

Quite a feeble excuse for the EA not to lift a finger! You wonder why they spend £millions and promote their river flow monitoring equipment and stations on various parts of the river to inform the public!

Craig..You don't need to read up on the CAMS etc as it is time consuming and pretty boring stuff that is deliberately difficult to understand.
Be active, don't sit back like others and just get on the blower and ask if the abstractions you have seen are consented and authorised. You need to get the EA out there to do some ground work and enforcement if necessary. Report the abstraction and location on the 0800 80 70 60 number and state your case, get the EA report number and ask for feedback, and they will have to act promptly. It will be passed on the the local EA office and they must call you back. Don't phone/ask direct to the local EA office as they may not log it in as a report and probably fob you off with little or no answers which seems to be the case! At least they will then know that someone cares and is interested and that is enough to keep them on their toes and looking over their shoulder tyo where they may look into it and possibly take some action!..Good luck mate.
 
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Ray Walton said:
The EA issue the abstraction licences to the golf courses and farmers and Sembcorp Bournemouth Water PLC. They can easily revoke or limit some of them also in these low flow situations if you complain. If you don't bring it to their attention, they consider the situation satisfactory. They are not looking for problems!
Sorry to say, but the EA tend to favour the commercial business side of things, and the river, its inhabitants (including protected species) and especially anglers and fishing come well down the priority list!
If one keeps cutting the weed growth on throop on a weekly basis in summer as happens, it will unwittingly drop the level and the remaining water will run off much quicker sometimes leaving gravels and macro invertebrates (vital food for fish etc) exposed high and dry to the air thus killing the river environment food chain! The weed holds the water back and keeps the level up, provides the resident fish and wildlife with sanctuary and cover and the fishery much safer long term. If you destroy the fishes etc natural habitat including over abstracting the available water, then you will eventually reap the consequences of such.
Click to expand...

call me stupid, but, why on earth would a golf course need an abstraction license?
cheers
jerry

ps dont tell me its to keep the grass growing
 
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I have seen mobile abstraction pumps at work on the Dorset Stour not long ago in dry weather and low flows, that's why they need checking out to see if they are legally authorised. Even if they are, it does not mean that it is morally right to abstract when the river and river life are 'at risk,' or environmentally the correct decision made by the idiot who authorised it 100 miles away in an office.
....Complain!
 
Don't worry. According to the One Show last week the Dorset Stour is in fine condition and absolutely thriving, they can tell that because of the otters don't you know.

D.
 
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