Dales to Vale Rivers Network (Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse)
- Catchment HostYorkshire Dales Rivers Trust
- River Basin DistrictHumber
- Management CatchmentSwale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper
- Management Catchment ID3088
Catchment partnership vision
Our vision is that the river environments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Ouse and Wharfe are thriving, supporting the needs and well-being of their biodiversity and communities, now and in the future. We will take the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Ouse and Wharfe river catchments from surviving to thriving by reconnecting the rivers, landscapes and communities. The Dales to Vale Rivers Network will drive collective actions to:
- enhance, create and reconnect habitats
- demonstrate and encourage holistic land management, including water friendly farming and natural flood management measures
- improve water quality
- implement a strategic approach to Invasive Non-native Species management and biosecurity
- link communities to their surroundings.With the overall aim of enabling people and wildlife to be resilient to environmental pressures and maximise the value of our catchments. This will achieve our vision of healthy rivers and abundant wildlife, valued by communities.
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
Fish passage restricted by historical barriers and lowland areas have been historically drained for farming
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Predominantly rural catchment - widespread problems with sediment loading and phosphate
Invasive Non-native Species
Strong populations of crayfish that are under threat plus issues with rapidly spreading riparian invasive plants
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
Migrating Salmon and Eel from the Humber are priority species for recovery, specific measures are required for special sites such as Semerwater
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Historic sewers are causing pollution in urban areas and none mains drainage in rural areas are creating water quality problems
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
The catchment is largely agricultural, soil loss and use of nutrients is widespread, management of lowland drains is exacerbating rapid soil loss
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Increasing flooding and droughts must be mitigated, our communities need to understand the impacts of climate change on the water environment
Connecting communities with nature
Communities need to value nature in order for us to support its recovery and benefit from it
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
We need to work together to bring about large scale sustainable nature recovery in collaboration
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
This is an extensive problem in this rural catchment and its something partners and landowners have the power to change
Invasive Non-native Species
Citizen Science is popular in the catchment and the challenge of invasives affects most, partners and rivers, therefore it’s a common goal to reduce them
Physical modifications
Historic modifications limit river connections with floodplains and providing the best environment for nature
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
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
Dales to Vale Rivers Network partners secured £750k of Water Environment Grant to deliver 3 projects:
- Stank Beck sediment project
- Wild Wiske Revival - clean and green
- Headwaters for Healthy Rivers.Delivering benefits to habitat, natural flood management and rural pollution prevention.The partnership delivered 4 natural flood management projects in Bishopdale, Brompton, Collingham and Ilkley securing £750k for investment in trees, farm plans, leaky dams, wetlands and habitats. York Urban Becks Project commenced, restoring a 500m of Osbaldwick Beck. The Foss Catchment project was formed to prevent sediment loading upstream, taking a catchment based approach. Peat restoration has been significant due to strong collaboration between members forming the Peat Partnership. The Wharfe SSSI, Rivers in Elmet, Addingham 4 Becks and Rivers 2 U projects continue to engage landowners and communities in improving the rivers.Dales to Vale Rivers Network partners have been involved in two successful National Lottery bids in 2020-21, Skell Valley Project and Tees Swale Naturally Connected, totalling approximately £10m for water quality improvements, habitat creation, natural flood management and Invasive Non-native species management. In December 2020 we secured £130k for riparian tree planting. Practical natural flood management guides produced by the partners were welcomed by lowland and upland farmers.
Partnership development plans
The Dales to Vale Rivers Network aims to be more self-sustaining, with its own future funding group to identify and support bids to innovative funding streams. We are engaging with the wider network via sub catchment meetings to work at a community level and provide links between these groups to cover the whole catchment, including large partnership projects across both catchments. We are building on the existing network using our targeted engagement and communications plans.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
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
- Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper
Confident
Improve fish passage to address fish failures at locations such as Hunsingore
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Swale Lower
Confident
Better land management to address water quality delivered through Mid Swale Tribs projects
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Swale Middle
Confident
Habitat creation and strategic Invasive Non-native Species management including INNS Out!
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper
Confident
Mitigation measures addressing failures through York Urban Becks and Foss Project
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Location
- Foss
Confident
Natural flood management through peatland restoration, tree planting, wetland creation and land management projects
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Location
- Swale Upper Ure Upper
Less certain
Increasing shading and connectivity of riparian habitat, starting on the River Ure and building across all rivers
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding
- Location
- Ure Upper
Less certain
Increase resilience to flooding; sustainable drainage systems, natural flood management and Community Beck Stewardship
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding and time to develop
- Location
- Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper
Less certain
Mitigating the impact of historic metal mines
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Coal Authority Mines Programmes
- Barriers to delivery
- Evidence and understanding of measures required
- Location
- Ure Upper Nidd Upper
Less certain
Farm water management plans for sustainable water management, covering water flows, usage and habitats
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Securing funding and time to develop
- Location
- Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper
Less certain
Mitigating the impact of channel management on the ecology, geomorphology and hydrology of lowland watercourses
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Barriers to delivery
- Building our presence in lowland areas and influencing risk management authorities
- Location
- Swale Lower Foss Ouse Upper Yorkshire Swale Middle
Wider water environment
York and North Yorkshire Catchment Management Project led by York Council delivering innovative nature based solutions to climate change
- Reason for measure
- Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
- Delivery mechanism
- Flood and Coastal Innovation and Resilience Fund
- Location
- Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper
Wider water environment
Riparian Tree Planting projects such as Keeping Ure Rivers Cool in Wensleydale
- Reason for measure
- Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Ure Upper
Wider water environment
Tees Swale: Naturally Connected project helping connect communities with their environment and be a part of the solution to problems
- Reason for measure
- Connecting communities with nature
- Delivery mechanism
- Heritage Lottery Fund
- Location
- Swale Upper
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership:
- Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
- Environment Agency
- Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust
- Harewood Estate
- Yorkshire Water
- Lower Ure Conservation Trust
- Forestry Commission
- Woodland Trust
- Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
- Friends of St. Nicholas Fields
- Nidderdale AONB
- Wild Trout Trust
- Natural England
- Addingham Environment Group
- North Yorkshire County Council
- National Trust
- Yorkshire Peat Partnership
- East Keswick Wildlife Trust
- Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership