East Kent

Catchment partnership vision

We will work together to ensure a continual improvement in the health of waterbodies in East Kent. We will collaborate with others to ensure that we minimise the impact of development, population growth and a changing climate on our waters. Actions to improve waterbody health will ensure wider benefits for society, recognising the vital associated ecosystem services. This includes:

  • more wildlife habitat
  • safeguarded water resources - surface and ground water; less flood risk
  • sustainable farming
  • water based economic activity, such as tourism, better recreation opportunities, such as access, fishing, boating, cleaner bathing beaches and shellfish areas
  • a better chance to adapt to climate change.

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 towns, cities and transport

    Proposed development across the catchment will exacerbate existing road and urban run off pollution

  • Pollution from waste water

    Increased housing will further exacerbate the significant levels of phosphate coming from Waste water treatment works

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Inability of catchment to catch/ hold water in poor landscape and over abstraction from agriculture and further development

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams

    Priority habitat chalk river and internationally significant wetland, impacted by urban & rural pollution, over abstraction & physical modification

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Significant pollution from storm over flows impact protected habitats, bathing water, shellfish industry and biodiversity

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Important area for agriculture, important to address poor soils and run off, excessive nutrients as polluting catchment waters

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Water stressed catchment due to increased abstraction through development, agriculture and general public overuse

  • Removing plastics/litter from the water environment

    Litter a big problem at catchment, national and international level

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Important to get more people involved in their catchment to reduce water, waste and pollution

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from towns, cities and transport

    The Catchment is in an area experiencing lots of building growth alongside water pollution already coming from urban areas and roads

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    East Kent is a water stressed county and renaturalisation of the rivers through easement of obstructions and river/ floodplain restoration is vital to protect our water environment

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Our waters are struggling with pollution - impacting on international wetlands and drinking water, we have lots of intensive agriculture and will be tackling these pollution issues

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels

Emerging challenges

  • Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from waste water

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

'Our Stour' is a community project about enjoying and improving the rivers and streams of the Stour Valley. This project has been ongoing for 3 years and has created a group of over 60 trained volunteer wardens monitoring different stretches of the catchment. Huge quantities of rubbish have been removed from the river in regular in-channel litter picks, regular river fly monitoring is occurring on 15 sites - https://www.kentishstour.org.uk/major-projects-2/our-stour-project-page. The project has secured funding for another 3 years. Obstructions to fish passage in the Stour and tributaries have partly been addressed with a step-pool fish pass in Ashford, removal of weir on the Aylesford stream and a lariner fish pass at Chartham. A lariner fish pass in the Stour near Wye has recently been completed at a complete obstruction, a fifth in the river Dour is ongoing. Work has also started on making a low weir passable for all species at Canterbury in main river. An assessment has been made of the majority of structures in the River Stour, by South East Rivers Trust to ascertain impacts on fish populations, this will be completed within the year and will lead to more removals of in-channel obstacles. Community engagement is ongoing on main river in Ashford. Invasive species - particularly Himalayan balsam is regularly tackled in catchment.

Partnership development plans

In the coming years we:

  • hope to see an increase in engagement with communities who live on or near the river
  • will have a greater emphasis on ensuring that the water courses are truly valued for the wider benefits they bring to society
  • will seek opportunities to support net zero carbon ambitions
  • will explore opportunities to participate in local Nature Recovery Networks
  • will ensure the partnership has an understanding of the role we play in ensuring nutrient levels are sustainable.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Less certain

    Farm cluster group habitat assessments to encourage increased biodiversity/ resilient land management practices

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Habitat assessments confirmed, improvements dependent on SFI/ELMS mechanisms for funding farmers
    Location
    Lampen Stream

  • Less certain

    East Kent White Claw Crayfish Strategy will address deterioration in river habitats

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    increased funding and landowner buy in
    Location
    Upper Great Stour Sarre Penn and River Wantsum East Stour Great Stour between Wye and A2

  • Less certain

    input into discussions around development mitigation as regards Nutrient neutrality

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Decision making bodies understanding impacts of development and mitigation on catchment
    Location
    Great Stour between A2 and West Stourmouth Great Stour between Wye and A2

  • Wider water environment

    Catchment Sensitive Farming advisors working throughout catchment

    Reason for measure
    Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
    Delivery mechanism
    Other Public funding
    Location
    Stour

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: