Till Fell Sandstone Operational Catchment
About
The Till Fell Sandstone groundwater body is a drinking water protected area and is used throughout the catchment for strategic drinking water supplies, as well as small local, private supplies. It is the only source of public water supply for northern Northumberland. The Till Fell Sandstone is at poor status due to abstraction pressures for public water supply, and excess concentrations of nitrate in the groundwater, which put the public water supplies at risk. Measures are being developed to understand the impact of abstraction on the aquifer, and to understand the sources and pathways of nitrate to the groundwater and drinking water supplies. Despite this, the groundwater body will continue to be poor status beyond 2021, as it will take time to identify and enact the most appropriate measures. We have designated a safeguard zone for nitrate to focus our efforts around improving the groundwater quality across the wider Till Fell Sandstone. A prevent and limit approach through planning consents and permitting manages wider pollution and abstraction risks.
Classifications data for Till Fell Sandstone Operational 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coastal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Estuarine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Groundwater | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of water body elements | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of water body elements | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Number of water body elements | 2 | 2 | 4 |
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 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Number of water body elements | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Challenges data for Till Fell Sandstone Operational 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic general public | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Industry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Local & central government | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mining and quarrying | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Navigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No sector responsible | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Recreation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sector under investigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urban and transport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Waste treatment and disposal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water Industry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Objectives data for Till Fell Sandstone Operational 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chemical status objectives for surface water bodies
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
| Status | Fail | Good | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Quantitative status objectives for groundwater
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
| Status | Poor | Good | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| By 2027 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Chemical status objectives for groundwater
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
| Status | Poor | Good | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| By 2040 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 1 | 1 |