Irwell Catchment Partnership
- Catchment HostGroundwork Greater Manchester
- River Basin DistrictNorth West
- Management CatchmentIrwell
- Management Catchment ID3042
Catchment partnership vision
Partnership's Vision is to make a healthy water environment a positive part of people’s daily lives. To achieve this vision we will endeavour to:
- ensure land is used and managed sustainably to benefit water environments
- ensure our water environments are healthy and rich in wildlife
- provide more attractive and accessible water environments for people to enjoy
- work collaboratively to share information and develop partnerships
- ensure relevant activities are coordinated and designed to achieve multiple benefits for the environment
- learn from others with similar experience and share our experiences.
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
Physical modifications
The Irwell catchment was at the heart of the industrial revolution resulting in most rivers being heavily modified
Pollution from waste water
The large, ever growing population of Greater Manchester puts significant pressure on sewerage infrastructure
Pollution from towns, cities and transport
The legacy of contaminated land, complex drainage systems and road networks make the sources of pollution wide-ranging
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Frequent and extreme rainfall leading to flooding will worsen, partnership working to develop nature-based solutions is a priority in our catchment
Connecting communities with nature
Opportunity to increase environmental participation and promote local ownership, encouraging health and wellbeing especially in deprived communities
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
To address the biodiversity crisis, it is important to have joined up strategies for nature delivered through an integrated partnership approach
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Incidents likely to increase with climate change, better understanding of incidents will help develop solutions and maximise water company investment
Removing plastics/litter from the water environment
The impacts on nature of plastic pollution have caused widespread concern but provide an opportunity for engagement to tackle the problem
Achieving Net Zero including supporting a move to a low carbon economy
The partnership supports commitments to achieving net zero using river corridors for green travel, carbon offsetting and environmental resilience
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Invasive Non-native Species
Lack of investment in INNS control has seen the proliferation of invasive plant species throughout the Irwell Catchment, this is likely to worsen due to climate change
Pollution from waste water
In the face of climate change and population growth, we anticipate an increasing challenge in managing pollution from waste water
Physical modifications
This is currently a major issue in the catchment which is expensive and technically challenging to remediate, future growth and development we anticipate will worsen it
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
- Pollution from waste water
Emerging challenges
- Physical Modifications
- Pollution from waste water
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
Since 2016 the Irwell Catchment Partnership has:
- improved or investigated 38 barriers to fish migration
- enhanced or protected 72.7km of river
- improved 243ha of habitat
- implemented £2,728,026 of project activity
- received £314,984 of in-kind value
- engaged over 3000 people.Activity highlights include:
- engaging farmers through facilitation activities
- delivering environmental measures to benefit water quality, flood risk and biodiversity
- restoration of moorland and peat in the upper catchment
- creating a range of scalable, investment-ready sustainable drainage systems and urban green infrastructure demonstration and learning projects
- improving understanding of the catchment by creating a catchment story map and online interactive evidence base
- engaging citizen scientists in recording and reporting on water quality, aquatic ecology and terrestrial biodiversity
- analysing spatial data to support targeting of measures
- undertaking feasibility studies and options appraisals
- removed / modified a number of weir structures
- reducing physical modifications
- completion of projects which work with natural processes
- launched sub-catchment strategic restoration projects in the Croal, Roch, Irwell, Irk and Medlock
- Involvement in Environment Land Management local nature recovery Test and Trial on behalf of Defra.Partners have taken the opportunity to secure funding through a number of recent funding streams, including:
- Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF)
- Green Recovery Challenge Fund
- Water Environment Grant
- Water Environment Investment Fund (WEIF)
- Ofwat Innovation Fund
Partnership development plans
We will pursue the ambitions of our Catchment Plan and continue to develop our portfolio of collaborative, data-driven, investment-ready, multi-benefit projects offering high impact and value for money. The Catchment Partnership will take on board new and evolving strategies, and policies such as Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) and biodiversity net gain. We will explore more diverse funding streams such as Environment Land Management Schemes (ELM) to deliver more environmental projects. We will seek to include a more representative range of stakeholders and will look at our changing demographic within the catchment. We will continue to build our skills and knowledge of certain subjects such as Natural Capital and innovative finance.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Removal of Scotland Road Weir as part of the Manchester Victoria North development
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Developer funded
- Location
- Irk (Wince to Irwell)
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
- Irwell
Confident
Delivery of river Bawin planning mitigation measures associated with Rochdale Littleborough Flood Alleviation Scheme
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- EA asset capital investment
- Location
- Roch (Source to Spodden) Roch (Spodden to Irwell)
Confident
Delivery of Natural Flood Management schemes in the Upper Irwell, Radcliffe and Redvales Flood Alleviation Scheme
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Location
- Irwell (Rossendale STW to Roch)
Less certain
Use data and work with stakeholders to develop and implement actions addressing catchment management of phosphate
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Green Recovery Challenge Fund/Challenge Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Availability and analysis of relevant data about Phosphate, partner buy-in, funding
- Location
- Irwell
Less certain
Develop and undertake strategic action to locate and control invasive species across the catchment
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage invasive non-native species
- Delivery mechanism
- EU funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Increased regulation and enforcement, strategic coordinated approach, landowner buy-in, funding
- Location
- Irwell
Less certain
Remove barriers to fish migration on the Lower Irwell, Croal, Irk, and Roch sub-catchments
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Methodology requires specialist knowledge, asset owners permission, suitable funding streams
- Location
- Irk (Sourtce to Wince Brook) Croal (including Blackshaw Brook) Bradshaw Brook Eagley Brook Irwell (Roch to Croal) Irwell (Croal to Irk) Roch (Spodden to Irwell) Tonge Irk (Wince to Irwell)
Less certain
Restore habitats & natural processes in Upper Catchment to reduce run-off and improve flood resilience & biodiversity
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Mapping, prioritizing, identifying landowners, developing landowner agreements, funding
- Location
- Croal Irwell
Less certain
Implement green infrastructure solutions, like sustainable urban draining systems to address urban runoff and deliver complementary multi-benefits
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Highways England Programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Better understanding outfall impacts, engagement with Highways England needs to be improved
- Location
- Irwell
Less certain
Engage with land owners, businesses and community groups to identify and deliver environmental improvements
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Secure funding, keep abreast of evolving policy, engage stakeholders, secure community support
- Location
- Irwell
Wider water environment
Delivery of natural flood management schemes
- Reason for measure
- Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
- Delivery mechanism
- Developer funded
- Location
- Irwell
Wider water environment
Catchment management of INNS
- Reason for measure
- Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Irwell
Wider water environment
Supporting volunteers to get involved in riverside conservation work
- Reason for measure
- Connecting communities with nature
- Delivery mechanism
- Other Public funding
- Location
- Irwell
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership:
- Salford Friendly Anglers Society
- National Flood Forum
- Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society
- Moors for the Future Partnership
- Lancashire County Council
- Natural England
- Forestry Commission
- Rossendale Borough Council
- Canal and River Trust
- Greater Manchester Ecology Unit
- Greater Manchester Archaeology Advice Service
- Greater Manchester Natural Capital Group
- Mersey Rivers Trust
- Natural Course
- Manchester City of Trees
- Bolton Council
- The Conservation Volunteers
- Forestry England
- Manchester City Council
- Groundwork Greater Manchester
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
- United Utilities
- Salford City Council
- Peak District National Park Authority
- University of Salford
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority
- Oldham Council
- Rochdale Borough Council
- National Farmers Union
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- GM Flood Hub
- University of Manchester
- Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
- Bury Council
- Lancashire Wildlife Trust
- Environment Agency