Emily
Poyser - 6-Oct-2008 - Yesterday (Sunday
5 October 2008) the Environment Agency responded
immediately to urgent calls from worried
residents near Illey Brook, Halesowen, as
rising river levels put their homes in danger
of flooding for the second time in a month.
Last month (September
2008) about 40 houses were flooded as water
levels in the brook rose in response to
heavy rain.
Yesterday, residents
noticed that river levels were rising again
and, concerned that they might flood, called
the Environment Agency for help. In response
to the emergency call, a team of six Operations
Delivery staff turned out with a tractor
and a specialist fork lift truck with a
telescopic grab.
Access to the brook,
which flows along the back of the properties,
is extremely difficult. The first job was
to create a 50 metre path along the riverbank,
by removing trees and brambles. This enabled
the team to gain access to a large blockage
that was causing water to back up and placing
the properties at risk.
The blockage was made
up of a number of fallen trees, ivy covered
branches and fence panels. The team braved
raised water levels to drag them out of
the river, using the specialist vehicles
and a winch. The removal of the blockage
lowered water levels in the brook by several
inches.
Operations Delivery
Engineer, Dave Shaw, says “There is no doubt
that the blockage and raised water levels
in the brook were putting people’s homes
at risk of flooding again, just as they
were starting to recover from the last floods.
We had planned to remove the blockage next
week but nature beat us to it, so we went
out straight away in response to their call
for help.
“There is still more
work to do on Illey Brook, and we shall
be picking this up as soon as river levels
are back to normal.”
Summer river flows could
more than halve by 2050 due to climate change
National press office
- 4-Oct-2008 - New research released today
by the Environment Agency suggests river
flows could drop drastically by 2050 as
climate change puts increasing stress on
the water environment and wildlife across
England and Wales.
The Environment Agency
has produced a series of maps showing future
monthly changes in river flow across England
and Wales - a first for the UK. The research
is crucial in helping to plan for future
water resources management.
The work used climate
projections from the UK Climate Impacts
Programme and shows that by 2050 river flows
in winter may rise by 10 to 15%, however
river flows in the late summer and early
autumn could drop by over 50% and as much
as 80% in some places. These patterns would
result in a drop in total annual river flow
of up to 15%. Changes in the frequency and
intensity of storms which bring polluting
runoff to our rivers, and changes in river
flows which dilute discharges could put
wildlife at risk from poorer water quality.
We will use these new
river flow projections along with other
emerging research to look at the extent
and likelihood of impacts on water quality
to plan what actions we and others should
take.
Dr Paul Leinster, Chief
Executive of the Environment Agency, said:
"This ground-breaking research provides
significant information on the effect of
climate change on river flows, water quality
and wildlife. The maps suggest a much harsher
future for the environment across England
and Wales. To be sure we can cope with the
kind of changes expected, we must act now."
There will also be regional
differences in the timing of low flows.
Flows in Wales, the north of England and
the west of England are predicted to drop
most in the late summer (July, August and
September) while low flows in the south
and east of England are likely to extend
well into the autumn with even November
river flows dropping to almost half their
current volume. [Map or graphics to exemplify]
Dr Leinster added: "The
demand for water is also forecast to increase
which will only add to the increased pressure
on the environment. Water companies already
take account of climate change in their
long-term plans for providing secure supplies.
However, this study reinforces the need
for us all to play our part in using water
wisely. We will publish a new Water Resources
Strategy early in 2009 setting out the actions
which we and others will need to take to
make sure there is enough water for people
and the environment."
+ More
New Ways of Measuring
Our Water Environment
Paul Gainey - 6-Oct-2008
- General Quality Assessment figures from
the Environment Agency released today show
that 76 per cent of all UK rivers in the
UK achieved ‘good’ or better status for
chemical water quality in 2007.
From 2008, the new European
Water Framework Directive replaces General
Quality Assessment, which means that the
way of measuring the quality of our water
bodies has changed.
As well as rivers, which
were the focus of the previous system, the
Water Directive Framework covers ground
water, estuaries, coastal waters and lakes,
not previously included in General Quality
Assessment results.
Under the Water Framework
Directive, the Environment Agency is looking
at a far wider range of indicators for our
water environment, such as the health of
river insects and plants. The grading of
each water body is set by the lowest result.
Under this new, more
stringent, measurement, 22 per cent of assessed
rivers by length in the South West were
classed as ‘good’ . Most of those rivers
that didn’t achieve ‘good’ classification
did so due to the levels of fish population
and nutrients.
Richard Cresswell, the
Environment Agency’s Regional Director for
the South West, in welcoming the new way
of measuring our water environment, said
“The Water Framework Directive gives us
new measures that will help improve our
understanding of the water environment and
the health of associated animals and plants.”
“It means that we can
use the data to focus our efforts to continue
to improve the quality of our water environment,
meet new challenges such as climate change
and balance the use of water for economic
and social purposes with the needs of the
environment.”
“Our water environment
has improved dramatically over the last
20 years thanks to the substantial investments
made by the water companies and the work
of the Environment Agency and our partners”
he continued.
“We are working with
the water companies, as part of the current
review of water charges, to ensure that
they continue to invest in improvements.
The Environment Agency is also working with
a range of partners to develop a draft River
Basin Plan for the South West which will
set out how we will continue to protect
and improve the water environment between
2010 and 2015.”
The draft plan will
be published on 22 December 2008 for a six
month public consultation and the Environment
Agency will be encouraging all interested
parties to get involved in the process.
Water quality assessments:
The existing method
for classifying the water quality of rivers
and canals is known as the General Quality
Assessment scheme (GQA). It is designed
to provide an accurate and consistent assessment
of the state of water quality and changes
in this state over time. The scheme consists
of two separate windows on water quality,
focusing on chemical and biological quality.
The chemical GQA describes quality in terms
of chemical measurements which detect the
most common types of pollution. Biological
GQA is based on the macro-invertebrate communities
of rivers and canals. Macroinvertebrates
are small animals that can be seen with
the naked eye and include insects such as
mayflies and caddis-flies, along with snails,
shrimps and worms.
The EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD)
establishes a strategic river basin management
approach to the land and water environment.
It includes a common approach to setting
environmental objectives for all groundwater,
surface waters, estuaries and coastal waters
within the European Community, and requires
Member States to draw up plans for meeting
those objectives in each River Basin District
(geographical areas, approximately regional
in scale and based on river catchment areas).
The WFD establishes a new way of classifying
water quality, concentrating more on the
biological quality of water bodies and significantly
extending the monitoring and classification
processes by looking at all waters (rivers
lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater)
for a much wider range of elements. The
aim is to achieve ‘good’ status in all 6,431
water bodies in England and Wales by 2015.
Periodic review 2009:
The Periodic Review
is a control mechanism which ensures that
investments by the water and sewerage industry,
and the charges made to cover them, represent
the best value. All water companies across
England and Wales draw up business plans
which outline what they will invest in the
environment, infrastructure, a safe and
secure water supply and future planning
over a five-year period. They also set out
what they will charge consumers and businesses
for water and sewerage in order to make
these investments. The plans have to be
agreed by Ofwat, the water industry regulator,
whose role it is to ensure that consumers
receive value for money. Periodic Review
2009 (PR09) will set out the water companies’
plans for 2010-2015.
The Environment Agency
seeks to advise on, and help with, all parts
of water companies’ business plans which
affect the current and future environment.
The EA’s goal is to ensure that they produce
and implement long-term plans to deliver
water and sewerage services across England
and Wales which are consistent with long-term
social, economic and environmental aspirations
and needs of consumers and government.
