Staffordshire Trent Valley Catchment Partnership
- Catchment HostStaffordshire Wildlife Trust
- River Basin DistrictHumber
- Management CatchmentTrent Valley Staffordshire
- Management Catchment ID3101
Catchment partnership vision
Our vision is to recreate one of Britain’s great network of wetlands for wildlife and people. Our catchment will benefit from improved resilience to climate change, flooding and pollution and an improved environment. By working in partnership across the catchment we will inspire others to care for and care about their water environments. We will have a catchment that people are proud of and will enjoy living in, working in and visiting. We will have a diverse water environment with healthy rivers, lakes and canals which will attract a host of wildlife species.
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
Over 70 percent of the catchment area is mixed farming, including maize and intensive dairy units, and can lead to pollution
Pollution from towns, cities and transport
Conurbations located in the headwaters of the Trent, Blithe and Penk impact significantly on the catchment
Physical modifications
Deepening and straightening of these rivers in urban and rural areas, weirs, reservoir and canal feeder dams
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Connecting communities with nature
Its crucial that local communities value, celebrate and care for their local rivers, streams and wetlands
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Nature Recovery Networks provide a blueprint to help co-ordinate meaningful partnership working and action
Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
Rare habitats such as Meres and Mosses, Inland Salt Marsh, Valley Mires, Fen and Tufa Petrifying Springs need to be protected and buffered
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Valuing and protecting healthy soils is paramount for future farming and for addressing run off problems to help reduce diffuse pollution
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Severn Trent is continuing to invest in improvements to the system, but this needs to be accelerated
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Keep rivers cool with wooded buffers, restore river, floodplain and wetland habitats for species adjusting to changing conditions
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Pollution from towns, cities and transport
Urban areas and infrastructure in headwaters: Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cannock, Wolverhampton, M6
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Ongoing intensive farming practices in some areas, e.g. Penk & Blithe, overgrazing and run off issues, soil, slurry and pesticides
Pollution from waste water
An interactive map on our website shows where the latest waste water pollution incidents are in our catchment
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
- Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
Emerging challenges
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
- Pollution from waste water
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
Recent successes include implementing the multi-partnered SUNRISE programme in Stoke on Trent and urban Newcastle-under-Lyme; SuDS retrofit and removing weirs. Significant river restoration schemes on the River Trent at former Victoria Ground, Staffordshire University, Bucknall Park and Cromer Road plus grassland and woodland enhancements to improve the habitat, biodiversity and blue-green connectivity in this urban area. Completed further river restoration schemes on the River Trent at Trentham, Milton and Weston creating more naturalised profiles, flow diversity, improved habitats and water quality. Engagement with and technical guidance provided to ‘Friends of’ groups and farmer facilitation projects at Perton, Lyme Brook, Bilbrook, the Whiston Brook and Upper Sow Catchment; implemented a Water Environment Grant funded project to support local improvements and reduce diffuse pollution. Strengthened and developed new partnerships including Transforming the Trent Valley, Forestry England, Forest of Mercia, Canal and Rivers Trust, Staffordshire University, Staffordshire invertebrate and mammal groups, Cannock Chase AONB and St Modwen Homes. Successful funding applications to Highways England for 'Stafford Brooks' which is a range of nature based solutions across Stafford to improve water quality, biodiversity and reduce flood risk. Funds from HS2 to conserve and enhance the ‘Trent, Sow Washlands landscape’.
Partnership development plans
- Update opportunity mapping with partners, local communities and volunteers
- Catchment-wide volunteer River Rangers' team
- Headwaters project to include the Head of Trent, Needwood Forest, Cannock Chase AONB Scotch Brook, Gayton Brook and Saredon Brook
- Closer working with South Staffs Water, Severn Trent, Sow and Penk Internal Drainage Board and the farming sector
- Development and implementation of natural flood management schemes across the catchment
- More ambitious catchment-wide restoration schemes
- Establish, support and work with more community-led groups
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
HS2 mitigation measures - compensation habitat creation schemes, weir removal and river restoration
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Developer funded
- Location
- Trent - Sow to Tame Rivers and Lakes Trent - Source to Sow Rivers
Confident
Transforming the Trent Valley - Living Floodplains Project
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Location
- Trent - Tame to Dove Rivers Trent - Sow to Tame Rivers and Lakes Dove Lower Rivers and Lakes
Confident
Stoke & Urban Newcastle - river restoration and improvements to water quality
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Lyme Brook Catchment (trib of Trent) Longton Bk - source to R Trent Trent from Source to Ford Green Brook Causeley Brook from Source to River Trent Fowlea Brook from Source to River Trent Trent from Fowlea Brook to Tittensor Ford Green Brook from Source to R Trent Trent - Ford Green Bk to Fowlea Bk
Less certain
Stafford Brooks Project - river restoration, improvements to blue green connectivity and improved water quality
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Highways England Programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Spend profile
- Location
- Sow - Doxey Bk to R Penk
Less certain
White-clawed Crayfish conservation, ARK sites, Action for Invertebrates, Forest Streams, Cannock Chase SAC and AONB, Upper Penk and Swarbourn
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage invasive non-native species
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Additional funding required
- Location
- Saredon Brook from Source to River Penk Trent from River Sow to Moreton Brook Swarbourn Catcment (trib of Trent) Whiston Bk Penk - Whiston Bk to R Sow Penk from Source toSaredon Brook Rising Brook
Less certain
Whiston Brook Farming Facilitation Group - influencing land management practices to reduce diffuse pollution
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Barriers to delivery
- Additional funding required and greater number of farmers to join the facilitation groups
- Location
- Whiston Bk
Less certain
Upper Sow Farming Facilitation Group - influencing land management practices to reduce diffuse pollution
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Barriers to delivery
- Additional funding and greater number of farmers to join group
- Location
- Sow Rivers and Lakes
Less certain
Staffordshire Trent Valley Canal Network water quality, canal corridor and feeder reservoirs habitat enhancements
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Funding and staff to manage volunteer network
- Location
- Trent Valley Staffordshire
Less certain
Citizen science groups - Bilbrook, Perton, Lyme Brook and Trent headwaters: river restoration and monitoring
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Barriers to delivery
- Funding and staff to manage volunteer network
- Location
- Lyme Brook Catchment (trib of Trent) Fowlea Brook from Source to River Trent Trent - Ford Green Bk to Fowlea Bk Trent from Fowlea Brook to Tittensor Penk from Source toSaredon Brook Ford Green Brook from Source to R Trent Trent from Source to Ford Green Brook Causeley Brook from Source to River Trent Longton Bk - source to R Trent
Wider water environment
Establish River Rangers & Riverfly team
- Reason for measure
- Connecting communities with nature
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Location
- Trent Valley Staffordshire
Wider water environment
Co-ordinate and deliver water environment action for Nature Recovery Network in Stafford Borough
- Reason for measure
- Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Trent Valley Staffordshire
Wider water environment
Protect, enhance buffer and re-connect wetland SSSI / SAC / RAMSAR site network
- Reason for measure
- Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Location
- Trent Valley Staffordshire
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership:
- Friends of Bilbrook
- Environment Agency
- Farming in Protected Landscapes
- Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
- Forestry England
- Groundwork West Midlands
- Trent Rivers Trust
- Wild Trout Trust
- Wild about Perton
- Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
- South Staffordshire Water PLC
- Natural England
- Stafford Borough Council
- Staffordshire County Council
- City of Stoke-on-Trent Council
- Severn Trent Water
- Friends of Lyme Brook
- Cannock Chase AONB
- Forest of Mercia CiC
- Trentham Estate
- Canal and Rivers Trust
- National Farmers Union
- Keep Britain Tidy