Avon Bristol and Somerset North Streams Management Catchment
About
The river basin is encircled by the hills of the Cotswolds, Salisbury Plain and the Mendips. The river runs through gentle pastoral landscapes and old towns such as Bradford and Bath before emerging through the Clifton Gorge at Bristol into the Severn Estuary at Avonmouth. A number of rivers in the catchment drain directly to the Severn Estuary including the Little Avon in Gloucestershire and the North Somerset Streams. The upper reaches of the catchment are very rural with significant arable agricultural activity on the higher ground and livestock more common on the lowland pasture. The main river is slow moving lowland clay river which has been modified by impoundment, land drainage, flood alleviation engineering and by intensive agriculture in the flood plain. Avonmouth is a key industrial area and port. Historically the river and many tributaries were impounded to serve the many watermills along its length, subsequent siltation has resulted in changes to depth and plant communities. The Severn estuary is an internationally important site for conservation and there are 66 Sites of Special Scientific Interest across the catchment, and 8 of these are directly related to rivers. The catchment supports a diverse fish fauna and is highly regarded as a coarse fishery. There are major potable water supply groundwater abstractions located in the Malmesbury area and from surface waters lower down the cathment. Most of the licensed water abstractions in this catchment are for public supply, including several large reservoirs (Blagdon and Chew Valley). The Bristol Avon and North Somerset Streams management catchment has been divided into 16 operational catchments (4 surface water operational catchments). The operational catchments have distinct characteristics and pressures, and require a different mix of measures to achieve long-term objectives for the water environment and reduce the risks of flooding. We are proposing amending the Bristol Avon and North Somerset Streams Defra Management catchment boundary so the River Axe will now be included in the South and West Somerset Defra Management Catchment (as part of the Brue and Axe Operational Catchment).
![River Congresbury Yeo](/catchment-planning/photos/managementcatchment/3005.jpg)
Classifications data for Avon Bristol and Somerset North Streams Management Catchment
Number of water bodies
The number of water bodies in the river basin district. It shows whether these are natural, artificial (such as canals and reservoirs) or have been modified ('heavily modified') for particular uses.
Water body categories | Natural | Artificial | Heavily modified | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
River, canals and surface water transfers | 79 | 4 | 21 | 104 |
Lake | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Coastal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Estuarine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Groundwater | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 79 | 4 | 23 | 106 |
Ecological status for surface waters
Table summarises the current ecological status of surface water bodies. Water bodies are classified as being at high, good, moderate, poor or bad ecological status or potential.
Ecological status or potential | Bad | Poor | Moderate | Good | High | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 0 | 22 | 71 | 13 | 0 | 106 |
Number of water body elements | 3 | 61 | 121 | 118 | 633 | 936 |
Chemical status for surface waters
Table summarises the current chemical status of water bodies. These are classified as being at good or fail.
Chemical status | Fail | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 106 | 0 | 106 |
Number of water body elements | 237 | 1135 | 1372 |
Quantitative status for groundwater
Table summarises the quantitative status of groundwater water bodies. These are classified as being at good or poor.
Quantitative status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Number of water body elements | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chemical status for groundwater
Table summarises the chemical status of groundwater water bodies. These are classified as being at good or poor.
Chemical status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Number of water body elements | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Challenges data for Avon Bristol and Somerset North Streams Management Catchment
Reasons for not achieving good status by business sector
The issues preventing waters reaching good status and the sectors identified as contributing to them. The numbers in the table are individual counts of the reasons for not achieving good status with a confidence status of 'confirmed' and 'probable', where the latest classification is less than good status. There may be more than one reason in a single water body. Note, table does not include reasons for deterioration.
Significant water management issue | Changes to the natural flow and level of water | Invasive non-native species | Physical modifications | Pollution from abandoned mines | Pollution from rural areas | Pollution from towns, cities and transport | Pollution from waste water |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agriculture and rural land management | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 141 | 0 | 0 |
Domestic general public | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Industry | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Local & central government | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mining and quarrying | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Navigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No sector responsible | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Recreation | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sector under investigation | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Urban and transport | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
Waste treatment and disposal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Water Industry | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 73 |
Total | 13 | 3 | 82 | 2 | 141 | 33 | 74 |
Objectives data for Avon Bristol and Somerset North Streams Management Catchment
Ecological status or potential objectives for surface water bodies
Table summarises the ecological status and ecological potential objectives set for water bodies in the river basin management plan. Each water body is only counted once in this table. Each water body objective consists of a target status and a date when it was, or is expected to be, met.
Status | Bad | Poor | Moderate | Good | High | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
By 2015 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
By 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
By 2027 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 72 | 0 | 79 |
Total | 0 | 0 | 20 | 86 | 0 | 106 |
Chemical status objectives for surface water bodies
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
Status | Fail | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
By 2063 | 0 | 106 | 106 |
Total | 0 | 106 | 106 |
Quantitative status objectives for groundwater
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
Status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chemical status objectives for groundwater
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
Status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |