Windrush
Catchment partnership vision
Our partnership vision is where the Windrush catchment has clean water, is healthy and full of wildlife, is enjoyed and valued by all, and managed sustainably for the long-term. The target areas for the Windrush Catchment Partnership to address are agreed as; water quality, natural environment, development pressures, co-ordination and monitoring. Our declared aims are to:
- conserve, protect and improve water quality and biodiversity
- increase awareness of the importance of clean water, sustainable water use, and the benefits of a healthy river system, as well as the need for measures and actions to conserve and protect the water environment
- have a shared evidence base.We want to increase partnership representation and bring new voices into the room, such as farmers, flood groups, recreational users, and our ability to bring in money to advance our partnership aims, including selling the wider society benefits and tapping into new funding streams.
Related websites
Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.
Catchment challenges
Current challenges identified by partnership
Pollution from waste water
Sewage discharges have damaged the rivers ecology, compounded by a lack of monitoring and enforcement
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Much of the catchment is rural: impacted by diffuse and point source pollution from farming and other rural activities
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Borehole abstraction in the upper catchment and changes to the flow regime downstream of Witney is adversely impacting on the rivers ecology
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Storm sewage discharges are seriously damaging the rivers ecology
Improved bathing waters (including inland)
Public concern that rivers are not fit to swim in
Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
Cotswolds limestone streams have witnessed serious ecological declines, including invertebrates and some fish species
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Modern agriculture has seriously damaged soils through both compaction and erosion of top soils
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Helping nature recover given the economic constraints and other conflicting demands, e.g. development needs
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
The ephemeral streams in the Cotswolds at risk from future predicted summer droughts
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Pollution from waste water
Eliminating pollution from untreated/semi-treated sewage discharges is the catchment partnerships number one priority
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas remain major adversely impacting water quality in the catchment
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Borehole abstraction in the upper catchment and changes to the flow regime downstream of Witney is adversely impacting on the rivers ecology
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Pollution from waste water
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
Emerging challenges
- Pollution from waste water
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
Partner successes include:
- Gloucester Wildlife Trust Cotswold Rivers Programme, extension for natural flood management, invasive non-native species control, water vole and fish habitats, land management advice to riparian owners including National Trust collaboration
- awareness raising campaigns on poor water quality including sewage spills led by Windrush Against Sewage Partnership and supported by ongoing citizen science sampling and 'big data' analysis
- successful engagements included River Rangers and Yellow Fish schemes with local schools, and at large events such as Countryfile Live and Oxford Festival of Nature
- ecosystem service modelling and mapping of the Windrush catchment, guiding project development
- Lower Windrush Valley project community engagement: increased access, habitat restoration and production of a detailed biodiversity opportunity review to guide future work
- 5 years of Upper Thames Farmer Conservation Group, building on RSPB Upper Thames Waders project, linked to BBOWT Living Landscape programme
- Cotswold Flyfishers fish habitat restoration work with volunteer work parties including River Windrush at Sherborne, Widford, Asthall, Sherborne Brook, River Leach at Lechlade and Southrop and River Dikler at Bourton on the Water, Lower Swell and Upper Swell
- BBOWT near £2 million Chimney Duxford Water Environment Grant funded wetland habitat creation, restoration, and fish bypass projects started
- metaldehyde reduction projects with FWAG South West and Thames Water
- Water Vole Recovery Project surveying, mink control and habitat advice.
Partnership development plans
We would like to have:
- Wider partnership involvement
- More substantive outcomes as a partnership, moving the partnership on from discussion to action
- greater influence addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis at a catchment level
- more community ownership, including stewardship of water to recognise it as a resource and provider of ecosystem services
- more co-developed research, monitoring and evidence sharing - guiding risk assessments and plans to adapting to water pressures changes in the region
- funding for substantial project development, completion and long-term partnership hosting.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Enhancement/no deterioration measures in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environment Programme
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Windrush
Confident
Enhance 'Upper Thames Farmer Conservation Group': natural flood management, INNS, soil health, habitat restoration
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Location
- Windrush
Confident
Extend Cotswolds Rivers Living Landscape work: INNS control, natural flood management, fish habitat restoration
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Windrush
Confident
Continue Water Vole Recovery project: recruit more volunteers and landowners: species protection, greater biodiversity
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage invasive non-native species
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Windrush
Confident
Floodplain restoration (Chimney and Duxford Old River): natural flood management, habitat creation biodiversity increase
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Windrush
Less certain
Emma's Dyke and Colwell Brook restoration (if sewage spills stopped): fish habitat creation, higher oxygen levels
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Cessation of heavy pollution from Witney Sewage Treatment Works, funding
- Location
- Windrush
Less certain
'Windrush in Witney' landscape scale project: habitat restoration, community engagement, natural flood management
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Secure funding
- Location
- Windrush
Less certain
Lower Windrush lakes and ponds project: UK BAP Priority Habitats creation and restoration, threatened species recovery
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Secure funding
- Location
- Windrush
Less certain
Conduct or support surface water flow route surveys to better understand flooding and pollution routes
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage regulated flows
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Funding - including more catchment host time
- Location
- Windrush
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership:
- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
- Lower Windrush Valley Project
- Ducklington Parish Council
- Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP)
- Thames Water
- RSPB
- West Oxfordshire District Council
- Natural England
- National Farmers Union
- Wychwood Project
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group SW
- Cotswold Local Authority
- Cotswolds Rivers Trust
- National Trust
- Forestry Commission
- Northmoor Parish Council
- Upper Thames Fisheries Consultative
- Cotswold Flyfishers
- Cotswolds Conservation Board / Cotswolds National Landscape
- Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) West Oxon
- Standlake Parish Council
- Freshwater Habitats Trust
- Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
- Environment Agency
- Smiths of Bletchington
- Witney Town Council