GB River Esk from source to Baysdale Beck (Esk and Coast) Ecological Status: Moderate. Failing Elements: Fish, ph, Zinc

Transcription

1 GB River Esk from source to Baysdale Beck (Esk and Coast) Ecological Status: Moderate Failing Elements: Fish, ph, Zinc

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3 Costings Issues identified Solutions / work required Responsibility/Lead (High//) Timings 1) Barriers to fish migration (Manmade structures - Weirs, fords and culverts) 3 Structures identified Walkover surveys to identify problem structures All barriers mapped on GIS / / Westerdale Irish Ford (NZ ) Tower Beck Ford (NZ ) Leith House Bridge (NZ ) Liaison with adjacent land owners and owners of structures NYCC contacted and are open to working with partners to improve fish passage. NYCC are unlikely to have funds to assist with any schemes. / / Yorkshire Esk Trust 2013 Assessment of structures (scale of problem to migratory fish) / / Prioritisation of structures for improvement (removal of problem structure/fish pass installed/fish easement created) / / Feasibility studies and designs / / Implementation/Construction phase / / High

4 2) Water quality Fine Sediment + Nutrients Agriculture One to one visits with farmers in catchment. Whole farm appraisals through Catchment Sensitive Farming Scheme. Identification of any issues. Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer / Whole Farm Appraisals ~ 19 farm holdings Walkover surveys of farm holdings Development of appropriate solution/s to problems (follow up advice and grants) and delivery of improvement work (if required) Group events (advice and training for farmers) Catchment Restoration Fund, other external funding source, grant schemes and/or CSF grant. Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer / High Sediment Monitoring Work Identify hotspots of sediment supply University of Durham and monitoring network ) Water quality Nutrients Liaison with Yorkshire Water / 2013 Yorkshire Water Infrastructure Westerdale Sewage Works (NZ ) Development of appropriate solution/s to problem (separate sewer system, tertiary treatment, storage systems) Yorkshire Water/ / Improvement work Yorkshire Water High

5 4) Water quality Fine Sediment and other pollutants from roads Highways Liaison with NYCC Contact with NYCC possibility to install silt traps and other pollution control measures (i.e. increased use of salt bins). / 2013 Development of appropriate solution/s to problem (silt traps, ponds, swales) NYCC / Environment Agency / Improvement work NYCC High ) Water quality Nutrients Registration of all septic tanks in catchment 2013 Septic tanks EA to raise awareness of issues and offer best practice guidance onwards Records of maintenance 2013 onwards Monitoring of maintenance and quality of discharges 2013 onwards

6 6) Peatland Restoration Baysdale Moor Stockdale Moor Waites Moor Westerdale Moor Liaison with land owners and land managers Walkover surveys to identify problem areas (grips, gullies, bare peat and problem tracks) Yorkshire Peat Partnership / Natural England / Yorkshire Peat Partnership / Natural England / Development of appropriate solution/s to problems (grip and gully blocking, peat stabilisation, reprofiling and re-vegetation) and delivery of improvement work. Yorkshire Peat Partnership / Natural England / High ) Woodland Measures Potential for new native woodland creation and riparian woodland: Stockdale beck Westerdale Liaison with land owners and land managers Identify suitable sites for native woodland creation Carryout woodland creation through the Forestry Commission (English Woodland Grant Scheme) or grant schemes. Forestry Commission / Forestry Commission / Forestry Commission / ) Land Management Liaison with Natural England staff Agri-environment schemes Promotion of resource protection measures in expiring Entry Level Stewardship agreements and new Upland Entry Level Stewardship agreements. Promotion of farms in the Esk valley for the Higher Level Stewardship scheme.

7 Incorporation of resource protection measures in expiring Entry Level Stewardship agreements and new Upland Entry Level Stewardship agreements. Natural England / New HLS agreements signed in the Esk valley (incorporating resource protection measures) 9) Water quality monitoring Chemical and Biological Monitoring of River Esk and its tributaries Expand current network of chemical and biological monitoring sites to include all main tributaries of the Esk 2013 onwards 10) Pollution monitoring Angling Clubs to continue to monitor the river for sources of pollution and report any pollution problems to the via incident hotline Angling Clubs, Natural England,, onwards CSF officer, Natural England staff, staff to report any pollution problems to the via incident hotline

8 11) Spawning habitat improvements Address siltation problems (priority) Lack of suitable spawning Walkover surveys to identify potential habitat and poor quality improvements to spawning habitat in spawning habitat (siltation) the upper catchment / / onwards Investigate potential improvements to spawning substrate i.e. cleaning gravels. Investigate addition of spawning substrate i.e. gravels/cobbles. Investigate tributaries to make sure that spawning areas are accessible to migratory fish i.e. sensitive beck debris clearance. 12) Declining freshwater pearl Continue to carry out habitat mussel population restoration work to restore the Esk. / onwards Monitor freshwater pearl mussel population Monitor re-introduction sites High Status (Water Framework 2013 onwards Directive) - High status target required for the survival of the Freshwater Pearl Mussel population in the Esk. EA to review all waterbodies upstream of the FWPM population. Consider revising the target for these waterbodies to High Status.

9 Continue to work with Freshwater Freshwater Biological onwards Biological Association Ark project Association / Captive breeding of Esk freshwater pearl mussels Re-introduction of freshwater pearl mussels to Esk.