13/01/2005 - The Environment
Agency is inviting people to have their
say on a proposed strategy for managing
the water resources of the River Teme and
its tributaries, the Rivers Clun, Onny,
Corve and Rea.
The ‘Teme Catchment Abstraction Management
Strategy’ (CAMS) consultation document sets
out a proposed framework for how water resources
should be managed.
It looks at the existing licensing system
for the removal, or abstraction, of water
from the river, and how water resources
can be protected for the future. The consultation
document invites local people and interested
organisations to comment on the following
key issues:
Whether to maintain the existing flow restrictions
in order to protect the Site of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSI) status of the
catchment and ensure that existing license
holders are not disadvantaged
Extension of the time limit to be placed
on licences from 2008 to 2013
And how the Agency can promote water efficiency
measures.
Water is a precious resource and there
are competing priorities between the needs
of public water supply, agriculture, power
companies, industry, navigation and recreation.
CAMS will make more information on water
resources publicly available. It will also
allow the balance between the needs of abstractors,
other water users and the water environment
to be considered, in consultation with the
local community and other interested parties.
When the strategy is finished, it will
set out the licensing practice for taking
water out of the Teme and its tributaries
and identify how this should be managed
in a sustainable way. The strategy will
then be reviewed every six years.
Environment Agency Regulatory Officer,
Kate Hurst, says: "Water is a vital
resource. It is important that we manage
it in a sustainable way so as to protect
the river for future generations, but we
must regulate it in a way that is fair to
everyone. The comments that people send
in to us will help us to achieve that balance."
A copy of the consultation document will
be posted on the Environment Agency’s website:
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Copies can also be obtained from Kate Hurst
at the Environment Agency, Hafren House,
Welshpool Road, Shelton, Shrewsbury SY3
8BB or by e-mail request to cams.uppersevern@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Comments and/or queries are welcome and
should be made in writing to Kate Hurst
at the above address by 2nd April 2005.
Notes to Editors
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
(CAMS)
The development of CAMS was one of a number
of proposals made by the Government 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 (CAMS). 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.
The River Teme catchment
The area surrounding the River Teme and
its tributaries, the Rivers Clun, Onny,
Corve and Rea, is largely rural and is renowned
for its attractive landscape. The River
Teme rises in the Kerry Hills and flows
122 kilometres to join the River Severn
just south of Worcester. It has been designated
as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
as it represents a near-natural river, biologically
rich in river plants and animals, including
otters, lamprey and crayfish. A large part
of the area is also designated as an Area
of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The River Teme passes through three market
towns, Knighton, Ludlow and Tenbury Wells.
This area has high quality water resources
and is of high conservation value, including
the River Clun, which is designated a candidate
Special Area of Conservation.
Much of the area is classified as exempt
area under the Severn River Authority (Exemption
from Control Order) 1967. This means that
no abstraction licence is required to take
groundwater, thus in the majority of the
area we have no precise knowledge of the
volume of groundwater being removed from
this area.
