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INDEX
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE – FLOODING
Fifth Report 2007-08 (HC 49-I) and Oral and Written Evidence (HC 49-II)
(Posted 28 May 2008)
EFRAC, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, has decided that it will hold an inquiry into flooding. The Committee has appointing Members to gather information from some of those directly involved in order to help inform its inquiry. According to the Parliamentary Business press release the Committee found areas that had been considered at low risk of flooding were badly affected by the surface water flooding in June and July last year. It found flood defence measures focussed almost exclusively on river and coastal flooding and that the infrastructure to deal with floods caused by heavy rainfall was in an “unclear and chaotic state”.
The report and the evidence documents are available for download on the UK Parliaments website:
(http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/environment__food_and_rural_affairs/efraflooding.cfm)
For a full text of the press release visit the UK Parliament website:
(http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/environment__food_and_rural_affairs/efra_pn34_080507.cfm)
Water UK’s response to EFRA Flooding Report is available on the Water UK website:
(http://www.water.org.uk/home/news/press-releases/efra-report)
Links to other reviews of 2007 Summer floods are available on the Environment Agency website:
(http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/flood/1867303/1883039/1867421/?version=1&lang=_e)
SCOTTISH RURAL AFFAIRS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE:
2ND REPORT 2008: FLOODING AND FLOOD MANAGEMENT,
SP PAPER 96
(Posted 28 May 2008)
At the start of the parliamentary session, the Committee consulted stakeholders on which issues they viewed as being of highest priority for the Committee’s attention. Flooding and flood management was identified by a number of stakeholders as a high priority. The remit of the inquiry was to examine Scotland’s current and future vulnerability to flooding and consider how flooding should best be managed in the future.
In particular, the Committee sought responses to the following questions:
- What is the potential impact of climate change on the frequency and severity of all types of flooding in Scotland?
- What changes are needed to the existing legislation?
- Who should be responsible for flood management and how should it be funded?
- What role should sustainable flood management play in mitigating the effects of flooding?
- What role can land-use management, the planning system and building regulations play in mitigating the effects of flooding?
- Are there any improvements needed to existing flood warning systems?
- How effective are the responses to flooding events?
To view the report visit the Scottish Parliament website:
(http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/rae/reports.htm)
UK ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS AND CONDITIONS (PHASE 2) – FINAL (SR1-2007)|
UK Technical Advisory Group on the Water Framework Directive (UKTAG)
(Posted 28 May 2008)
A technical report on proposals for a first set of standards and conditions was published for review in 2006. The revised report was issued in August 2006 in the form of a recommendation to the UK governments. The UKTAG updated the report in November 2007. This report covers standards and management approaches for temperature, nutrients and suspended solids. It also proposes a system for assessing the impact of changes to freshwater flows to estuaries and the effect of managed flows, such as the releases to rivers from impoundments. The report also proposes a system for assessing the structure or condition of the beds and banks of lakes, estuaries and coastal waters.
The UKTAG expects that the standards and conditions will be used to help develop policy, and to guide the Directive’s first cycle of river basin management plans. The Phase 2 report was opened for consultation from 27 June to 8 August 2007 and the UKTAG has taken the comments received into account in producing this final report. The report will be sent as advice to Defra, to the administrations of the devolved governments, and to the environment and conservation agencies.
The final Phase 2 report, together with the final reports on Groundwater Classification and Specific Pollutants, can be accessed from the UKTAG website:
(http://www.wfduk.org./stakeholder_reviews/stakeholder_review_1-2007/)
SCOTLAND’S WATER ENVIRONMENT REVIEW 2000-2006
(Posted 28 May 2008)
In addition to regulatory duties, SEPA is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the condition of rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, lochs and groundwater across Scotland for national reporting and, increasingly, to demonstrate compliance with European environmental directives. This report describes trends in water quality for rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, lochs and groundwater since 2000. 2006 is the last year that SEPA will use the classification schemes reported here (and in previous years’ reports). From 2007 onwards, new Water Framework Directive (WFD) quality classification schemes will be applied to all waters. Other methods will be used to enable long-term water quality trends to be tracked across the changeover from SEPA to WFD methods.
According to the report water quality in Scotland is generally good and continues to improve. In recent years there have been major investments in sewage treatment and greater control of other sources of pollution from individual sites. Although diffuse pollution originating from farmland and urban areas is being reduced, it remains a significant issue and is now the largest source of pollution to Scotland’s aqueous environment. Other pressures include fish farming, acidification, forestry and agricultural point sources. The increasing environmental awareness shown by the public and ease of reporting incidents has also helped tackle local environmental issues.
The full report (html) and a summary report (pdf) are available online at the SEPA website:
(http://www.sepa.org.uk/publications/waterenv/index.htm)
UKTAG GUIDANCE - ALIEN SPECIES REVISED TAG TABLE
(Posted 28 May 2008)
The alien species list has been updated and can be found at the UKTAG website:
(http://www.wfduk.org./tag_guidance/Article_05/Folder.2004-02-16.5332/alien_tag_table/view)
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT AND WATER SERVICES (SCOTLAND) ACT 2003 - FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT TO SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ON WFD IMPLEMENTATION IN SCOTLAND
The Scottish Government
(Posted 28 May 2008)
Michael Russell MSP, Minister for Environment identified the following key achievements during 2007:
- Development of collaborative approaches to the delivery of River Basin Management Planning
- Continued development of measures to control diffuse pollution from rural land use
- Publication of SEPA’s Significant Water Management Issues reports
- Updated designation of Drinking Water Protected Areas
- Publication of their policy on the setting of environmental objectives through the River Basin Management Planning process
- Publication of their policy on the development and use of environmental standards to protect aquatic ecosystems
To view the report visit the Scottish Government website:
(http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/environment/water/15561/wews2007)
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