Soar Catchment Partnership
Catchment partnership vision
A healthy and functioning catchment that has a sustainable and diverse water environment that benefits people, the natural environment and the economy of the area. A catchment in good ecological condition with improved resilience to climate change, flooding and pollution events which is connected by robust and healthy habitats. This will be achieved by focussing on priority areas to restore natural river habitats and also support a thriving river. A priority is to reduce flood risk to areas of Leicester working with partners and using natural solutions to provide multiple benefits to the catchment in a coordinated, strategic way. The Soar Catchment Partnership will continue to build on its successes by cultivating and maintaining strong working relationships with stakeholders by sharing resources and expertise to work towards improving the profile and status of the river.
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
Intensive land management in the upper reaches of the Soar contributes to high levels of diffuse agricultural pollution
Pollution from towns, cities and transport
Urban areas are affected by polluted runoff from impermeable areas, roads and water treatment system discharges
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Rivers adapted for intensive agriculture and historical industrial activity now affect natural flows and water levels
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Diffuse loading of nutrients and sediment into rivers from widespread farming continue to affect water quality
Connecting communities with nature
Greater public engagement required to enhance well-being through nature and improve understanding of the need to protect our river systems
Removing plastics/litter from the water environment
Litter and plastics remain problematic across the catchment, disrupting drainage systems and having detrimental impacts on water quality and ecology
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Greater coordination needed to conserve a wider range of habitats at landscape and catchment scale
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Improved habitat management and diversity needed to protect against climate driven drought, flooding and abstraction pressures
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Poor urban drainage systems and surface water management cause localised flooding and impact groundwater recharge and stream conditions
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Physical modifications
Heavily modified waterways and historical barriers alter flows, block fish passage and reduce biodiversity across the catchment
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Loading of nutrients, sediment and agricultural chemicals from rural areas alter aquatic ecosystem dynamics, lower resilience and reduce biodiversity
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Changing climate, catchment practices and modification of river channels impact on flow levels and contribute to increased flood risk across the catchment
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Pollution from waste water
- Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
Emerging challenges
- Physical Modifications
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
Through effective partnership working there have been diverse and valuable projects delivered in the Soar catchment. The Shared Water project addressed pollution issues in Leicester through wide ranging community initiatives, including a play for children to improve their appreciation of the water environment, and the River Monster Project that highlighted the issue of plastics in the Soar. This engaged the community in creating the Monster from plastics. The WATERLIFE project supported investment to grow the partnership via a range of innovative projects such as combining sediment fingerprinting with flood risk mapping to establish priority areas. Improving the environment for people and wildlife, particularly in deprived communities lead to projects such as river restoration in Spinney park and Willow park in Leicester. This success has been built on with the significant investment in the Saffron Brook, Leicester from Defra’s Green Recovery Fund, which will both restore sections of the river and have wide ranging public engagement aspects. Delivering multiple benefits through Natural Flood Management (NFM) is a focus for the partnership. The Upper Soar NFM project delivered wide ranging benefits to people of Leicester in terms of flood risk and significant habitat creation. The Charnwood NFM project is helping to slow flows into Loughborough, whilst also reducing sediment run off and creating new habitat. In addition pollution from rural areas has been addressed through a number of projects focusing on farmer advice (e.g. River Eye). The partnership has helped distribute significant funding from Botanica to improve habitats in the Soar particularly for pollinators.
Partnership development plans
Increased promotion of the projects of all members the catchment partnership and the benefits of collaboration to create wider external interest in the partnership. Continue to support local projects, organisations and authorities with shared aims to benefit the Soar, via increased engagement and awareness of risks, challenges, opportunities and the value of the water environment to the local community. We would like to see a wider range of projects and initiatives, with increased financial support for partners and network of organisations. We hope to see an increase in active partners working collaboratively and greater understanding of the needs and issues faced by businesses, landowners and the wider community to improve the natural environment for all. The partnership is committed to the wider goals of habitat creation and improved biodiversity and is well placed to be a key delivery partner for the Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Trent Rivers Trust working with Tesco and their beef and dairy suppliers to identify and reduce agricultural pollution
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Soar River
Confident
Botanica Project to improve habitats across the Soar Catchment particularly for pollinators
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Soar River
Confident
Charnwood natural flood management project, a range of interventions in Wood Brooks to reduce diffuse pollution, flood risk and increase biodiversity
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Location
- Black Brook from Source to Grace Dieu Brook
Confident
Enhancement/no deterioration in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environmental Programme
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Soar
Confident
Saving the Saffron: river restoration and natural flood management of Saffron and Wash Brook and community engagement
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Green Recovery Challenge Fund/Challenge Fund
- Location
- Wash Brook Catchment (trib of Soar)
Confident
AVIVA Natural Flood Management project: reduce flood risk, improve water quality and biodiversity in multiple sub-catchments of the Soar
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage regulated flows
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Soar
Less certain
Soar Fish pass project- improving fish passage on the Soar
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Lack of funding for project needing high capital expenditure
- Location
- Soar from Thurlaston Brook to Sence Soar from Rothley Brook to Long Whatton Brook Soar from Sence to Rothley Brook Soar from Source to Soar Brook Soar from Long Whatton Brook to Trent
Less certain
Wilder Wreake, river restoration and biodiversity project
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage regulated flows
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing suitable funding
- Location
- Eye / Wreake from Langham Brook to Soar
Less certain
A Wilder Willow, community, habitat and river restoration project
- Reason for measure
- Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Scoping study needs to be undertaken to determine focus for broader catchment-scale project
- Location
- Willow Brook Catchment (trib of Soar)
Less certain
Sileby & Syston Urban Rivers - water quality, natural flood management, sustainable drainage systems, river restoration
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding and partners support for the project
- Location
- Syston Brook Catchment (trib of Wreake)
Less certain
Focus on the Eye
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding
- Location
- Somerby Brook Catchment (trib of Langham Brook) Eye / Wreake from Langham Brook to Soar Whissendine Brook Catchment (trib of Langham Brook)
Less certain
River restoration including barrier removal on Kingston Brook
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- More readily available funding for fish passage projects of all scales
- Location
- Kingston Brook Catchment (Trib of Soar)
Wider water environment
Develop an informative criteria-based system for assessing flood risk and prioritising sub-catchments for future focus to mitigate key problems
- Reason for measure
- Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Soar
Wider water environment
Develop a comprehensive programme of engagement with farmers, e.g. farm advice groups, to help improve aquatic systems
- Reason for measure
- Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Eye / Wreake from Langham Brook to Soar Willow Brook Catchment (trib of Soar)
Wider water environment
Improve community and business engagement in monitoring and restoring aquatic systems
- Reason for measure
- Connecting communities with nature
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Willow Brook Catchment (trib of Soar) Wash Brook Catchment (trib of Soar)
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership:
- Natural England
- River Soar and Grand Union Partnership
- Keep Britain Tidy
- Trent Rivers Trust
- Leicestershire County Council
- Canal & River Trust
- Harborough District Council
- National Forest Company
- The Environment Agency
- Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust
- Wild Trout Trust
- Ernest Cook Trust
- Severn Trent Water
- Blaby District Council
- Leicester City Council
- Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust