06/04/2005 - The Environment
Agency has launched its Severn Uplands Catchment
Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS). For
the next six years it will form the basis
for all decisions on the management of the
water resources of the Severn Uplands, an
area covering the upland hills of Powys eastward
to Montford (just west of Shrewsbury) and
from Oswestry in the north to Churchstoke
in the south.
Water is a precious resource and there are
often competing priorities between the needs
of public water supply, agriculture, industry,
navigation and recreation. It is important
that it is managed in a sustainable way so
as to protect the river for future generations.
It must also be regulated in a way that is
fair to everyone, and the CAMS has been the
subject of extensive consultation.
This document provides an overview of the
Severn Uplands and addresses local issues.
It does not consider flood management or water
quality, which are covered by separate studies.
It sets out the licensing policy for taking
water out of the river system and from groundwater
and identifies how this should be managed
in a sustainable way.
The CAMS makes more information on water
resources publicly available. It also allows
the balance between the needs of abstractors,
other water users and the water environment
to be considered.
The rivers Severn and Vyrnwy, which run through
this area, are not covered by this CAMS as
they have already been considered in the Severn
Corridor CAMS which was published in 2002.
The CAMS will be reviewed every six years.
A copy of the CAMS can be obtained in either
English or Welsh by calling Kate Hurst or
Helen Tidridge at our Shrewsbury office (Tel:
01743 283541). A copy will be posted on our
website. The full technical document will
also be available on CD from the end of April.
Notes:
Catchment
According to Chambers Dictionary, a catchment
is "the area of land that is drained
by a particular river system or lake."
Abstraction
Abstraction is the removal of water, either
permanently or temporarily, from rivers, canals,
reservoirs, or underground rocks. The main
challenge is to meet the reasonable needs
of abstractors while leaving enough water
in the environment to conserve aquatic habitats,
and for other water users.
Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies
The development of CAMS was one of a number
of proposals following a review of the abstraction
licensing system in 1999. There are 129 CAMS
areas in England and Wales, where abstraction
is controlled by a licensing system that was
introduced in 1965. This system is administered
by the Environment Agency. In 1999 the Government
reviewed the licensing system and identified
a number of changes. Foremost among these
was the proposal for Catchment Abstraction
Management Strategies. Another key outcome
of the Government’s review was the decision
that abstraction licences should be time limited.
CAMS will be the mechanism for managing time-limited
licences by determining whether they should
be renewed and,if so, on what terms.
