Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership
- Catchment HostArun and Rother Rivers Trust (ARRT)
- River Basin DistrictSouth East
- Management CatchmentArun and Western Streams
- Management Catchment ID3004
Catchment partnership vision
Our vision is for a healthy water environment where all interested sectors, groups or individuals are actively encouraged to contribute towards restoring and enhancing the natural environment to benefit people and wildlife now and in the future. We want to develop collaborative relationships and shared targets that enable the most complementary actions by each partner towards shared outcomes, widening our partnership as needed. We want our valuable and unique habitats and species to be protected and restored, from chalk streams to highly designated harbours, through wildlife networks to weir removals. We want to improve water and ecological quality and build enterprising nature-based solutions to ensure the reliable management of our land and water natural capital into the future through supporting the development of environmental markets. We aim to support a society that is able to adapt and respond to the challenges of climate change for a resilient future.
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 agriculture and rural areas
Sediment, pesticide and nutrient run-off into our rivers causing multiple downstream effects which need remediation
Physical modifications
Fish passage and sediment connectivity severely impacted by historic infrastructure
Pollution from waste water
Nutrients from treated and untreated wastewater and spills leading to deteriorating ecological status
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Climate Change will affect all of the natural environment, our coastal catchment will be at the forefront of these impacts
Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
Rare and protected species are more vulnerable to pressures, once lost, chances of restoration are greatly reduced
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Connecting protected and designated places through corridors and networks is vital in meeting the biodiversity and climate crisis
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Nitrification, sedimentation and diffuse pollution are having an extreme effect on our local rivers and coastal waters
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Water treatment infrastructure is out-dated and under pressure leading to increased incidence, future pressures will exacerbate this
Connecting communities with nature
Long-term security and health of our water environment can only be achieved with the support of local communities
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
River structures, abstractions / other pressures negatively affecting natural flow / limiting achieving environmental flow and increasing flood impacts
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Nitrification, soil loss and pesticides impacting water quality and river health
Pollution from waste water
CSO issues and aging infrastructure contributing to RNAG
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Physical Modifications
- Pollution from waste water
Emerging challenges
- Pollution from waste water
- Physical Modifications
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
Data and evidence vastly helped develop and plan projects across the AWS, leading to funding from the Water Environment Grant and for a range of projects under the Water Environment Improvement Fund. A septic tank campaign to raise awareness of the nutrient implications of poor septic tank maintenance helped target areas for future work. Improvement in lowland rivers includes a pilot project starting in 2021/22 on the Aldingbourne Rife (ARRT led). There has been an increase in focus on our coastal and TraC waters, including formation of the Downs and Harbours Clean Water Partnership (Ports. Water led) which aims to tackle sources of diffuse pollution, and the 'Save Our Harbours Summit' (Southern Water led) creating a coordinated and integrated programme of partnership actions for our heavily designated and pressured harbours. The Arun and Rother Connections (ARC) project had its last stage in 2016 which drew together 7 organisations working with local communities to promote a thriving river system. A collaborative project was also delivered to coordinate actions on the lower River Arun via the 'Arun Valley Vision' which will inform future work and focus. The SMART project was completed to identify the probable sources and causes of excess sediment in the River Rother preventing the river reaching its objectives. Through the 'Wilder Horsham District' project Sussex Wildlife Trust are working with Horsham District Council to initiate the development and delivery of the Horsham District Nature Recovery Networks – leading the way for other local councils. Development of our new Catchment Management Plan will help further focus and target future work and actions.
Partnership development plans
Pursue our new catchment management plan 2021 which will help target and develop partnership projects in the areas of greatest need. Develop landscape scale projects and programmes that create collaborative opportunities to build ecosystem resilience from source to sea. Encourage a broader membership of active and supporting organisations such as farmer networks and businesses. Collaborate with other strategic partnerships such as Sussex LNP, and Coast to Capital LEP.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Complement and enhance any 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
- Arun and Western Streams
Confident
Aldingbourne Rife - Restore improved natural function and reduce pollution within the lowland rife
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Aldingbourne Rife
Confident
River Ems Flagship Chalk Stream Restoration - 10 year plan
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage abstractions
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Ems
Confident
Improve landowner and farmer engagement in the upper River Arun to improve water and habitat quality
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Arun Source Arun Horsham Arun (U/S Pallingham)
Confident
Develop resilience markets to regenerate our land management using payments for environmental net gain
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Developer funded
- Location
- Arun and Western Streams
Confident
Capital Grant Schemes from Water Co., and Councils covering farming, biodiversity, oil care, flood risk reduction
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Voluntary initiatives
- Location
- Arun and Western Streams
Less certain
Improve flow, water quality and habitat connectivity to create enhanced wildlife and water corridors from chalk to coast
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage regulated flows
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Successful HLF bid and then a successful bid and collaborative shared targets
- Location
- Bosham Stream Ems Lavant (Sussex)
Less certain
Restore improved natural function and reduce pollution within the characteristic lowland riffles
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- UK Shared Prosperity Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Collaborative shared targets and successful funding bids
- Location
- Western Streams
Less certain
Public involvement in monitoring and understanding pressures and the impacts of climate change in the catchment
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Expected results of funding applications to investigate opportunities for match funding
- Location
- Arun and Western Streams
Less certain
Use a nutrient map of the catchment to focus priority action for point and diffuse nutrient reduction programmes
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Developer funded
- Barriers to delivery
- Collaborative agreements with Local Authorities and Developers to make this an expandable option
- Location
- Arun and Western Streams
Less certain
Encourage financial investment through shared regenerative environmental targets based on natural capital
- Reason for measure
- Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Multiple sources of funding and collaborative agreements needed
- Location
- Arun and Western Streams
Less certain
Address implications of climate change for estuarine and coastal habitats, quality of water and ecology
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Expected results of funding applications to investigate opportunities for match funding
- Location
- Arun and Western Streams
Wider water environment
Our new Catchment Management Plan will embed Climate Change in all actions
- Reason for measure
- Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Western Streams Arun Upper Rother Western
Wider water environment
Flagship Chalk stream - River Ems 10 year Restoration Plan, to restore, protect and enhance the River Ems in collaboration with locals
- Reason for measure
- Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Ems
Wider water environment
Strategic Wildlife Corridors (Chichester District Council), 7 strategic wildlife corridors linking harbours and coast to the South Downs
- Reason for measure
- Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
- Delivery mechanism
- None identified
- Location
- Western Streams
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: