INDEX

MAKING SPACE FOR WATER: QUARTERLY UPDATE, MARCH 2007
Delivered in partnership with the flood and coastal erosion risk management community
(Posted 12 April 2007)

This document provides an overview of the projects under the Making Space for Water Programme, gives an update on progress and key achievements to date, and sets out upcoming key milestones. Key highlights for this reporting period:

  • The Environment Agency Strategic Overview: 100 responses to public consultation were received and an analysis of the responses is currently in progress.
  • The New Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 25 (SD8) on development and flood risk was published on December 2006.
  • The Code for Sustainable Homes (RF3) was published in December 2006 with references to the importance of flood resilience measures in new homes.
  • Outcome Measures (SD4): Full public consultation on measures and prioritisation was launched in December 2006
  • The Flood Management Innovation Fund (SD7): Six pilots were announced by Ian Pearson (Minister for Climate Change and Environment) on 4 January 2007.
  • Integrated Urban Drainage (HA2): Ian Pearson (Minister for Climate Change and Environment) launched the start of the fifteen integrated urban drainage pilot studies on 15 January.

The document is available for download at the Defra website:
(http://www.defra.gov.uk/environ/fcd/policy/strategy/update2.pdf)

CLIMATE CHANGE, THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT AND THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE
Report 07/CL/065
(Posted 12 April 2007)

This project examined the likely effects of climate change on UK water industry compliance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD), set in the context of other expected changes, such as demographic shifts or changes in land-use. A range of other drivers were identified – changes in energy prices, new regulatory targets for energy efficiency, water conservation and flooding, demographic and land use changes, and new environmental legislation – that are likely to directly or indirectly affect the water industry. The report proposes a Conceptual Assessment Framework to identify linkages between different drivers and industry operations and specific aspects of performance.

The framework of drivers and effects was then used to assess the effects of the WFD, climate change and other drivers, which, with further development, could be used by water companies to identify appropriate responses.

This report (ISBN: 1 84057 434 8, £300) can be ordered from the UK WIR website:
(http://www.ukwir.org/ukwirlibrary/91470)

DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES AND PRIORITY HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES/ PRIORITY SUBSTANCES UNDER THE WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE: INITIAL REPORT: A COMPARISON BETWEEN OPTIONS AND COSTS FOR SOURCE CONTROL VERSUS END-OF-PIPE TREATMENT
Report 07/WW/17/6
(Posted 12 April 2007)

The work reported here is an extension to the UKWIR WW/17 project and has been co-funded by UKWIR, OFWAT, the Environment Agency and Defra. The report provides an overview of the environmental, social and economic implications of tackling pollution at source (for the substances for which Environmental Quality Standards are likely to be introduced under the Water framework Directive) compared with installing additional sewage treatment.

The study has taken into account existing and proposed legislation to ensure that cost projections take into account, and reflect the current, medium-term (2015) and long-term (2027) percentage reductions in emissions required to comply with the WFD

This report (ISBN: 1 84057 435 6, £200) can be ordered from the UK WIR website:
(http://www.ukwir.org/ukwirlibrary/91495)

WWF REPORT - WORLD’S TOP 10 RIVERS AT RISK
(Posted 12 April 2007)

The report states that the primary objective is to illustrate the most menacing threats to the world’s great river basins, in order to encourage dialogue, provoke debate, and urge governments and other stakeholders to take action before it is too late. WWF assessed the six most important threats based on their known impact on roughly 225 river basins. These are dams and infrastructure, excessive water extraction, climate change, invasive species, over-fishing, and pollution.

WWF has selected the ‘top ten’ major rivers that, in their view, either already suffer most grievously under the weight of these threats or are bracing for the heaviest impacts.

The report is available for download at the WWF website:
(http://assets.panda.org/downloads/worldstop10riversatriskfinalmarch13.pdf)

NEW SNIFFER REPORTS
(Posted 12 April 2007)

WFD46: RIVPACS Database and WFD Screening

RIVPACS is a model that predicts the freshwater macro-invertebrate fauna expected to occur at a site in the absence of pollution. With the advent of the WFD the concept of the ‘reference condition’ has become explicit within the legislative framework of the European Union. The Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service are engaged in a European WFD intercalibration process that is currently underway within several Geographical Intercalibration Groups (GIGs). These Agencies therefore need to gain full access to the RIVPACS dataset and its associated pressure data to contribute to the process of setting common standards for reference sites at a European level.

As the data underpinning the RIVPACS system is central to the setting of reference conditions for UK streams and rivers, the UK agencies also require the RIVPACS dataset to be available to the public so that their site assessments for WFD monitoring are open and transparent. Formal permissions to release the dataset into the public domain have been obtained from twelve extant organizations that have been identified as having funded various phases of RIVPACS research. In addition, CEH/NERC has also agreed to release the RIVPACS dataset to the public domain. Terms and conditions relating to the end use of the RIVPACS dataset have now been established. The RIVPACS database has been assembled in Microsoft® Access and can now be downloaded from the CEH web site.

UKCC13: Preparing for Changing Climate in Northern Ireland

This report examines the ways in which Northern Ireland must prepare to meet both the opportunities and threats presented by the impacts of a changing climate.  It focuses specifically on the impacts on, and the need for adaptation by, the public sector in Northern Ireland.

The reports are available in pdf format on the SNIFFER website:
(http://www.sniffer.org.uk)

Printed copies or other outputs can be ordered by e-mail from FWR:  office@fwr.ofg.uk