River Ock catchment
- Catchment HostFreshwater Habitats Trust
- River Basin DistrictThames
- Management CatchmentGloucestershire and the Vale
- Management Catchment ID3038
Catchment partnership vision
The Ock Catchment Partnership is working to protect and restore freshwater and wetland habitats, to reduce flooding and diffuse pollution and to ensure the freshwater environment is valued by local people. In partnership with local stakeholders we are doing this by:
- using evidence to direct project delivery;
- tackling point-source and diffuse water pollution;
- adding new and restoring existing clean water habitats in the landscape;
- raising awareness of the importance of all freshwater environments, including ponds, ditches and headwater streams as well as larger rivers and lakes
- increasing recognition of the freshwater environment in local planning frameworks.
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
The catchment is largely comprised of agricultural land where diffuse and point source pollution is a problem
Physical modifications
Physical modifications such as weirs affect a significant number of tributaries in the catchment
Pollution from waste water
Waste water pollution incidents affect the water quality at times in the catchment
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
Presence of rare Alkaline Fens and chalk streams within the catchment with poor water quality, declining ecological health, and intense modification
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Diffuse pollution from agriculture has major adverse effects on freshwater but very difficult to address, requires landscape changes to land use
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Regular pollution incidents from sewage treatment works and many unregulated private sewage treatment systems
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Negative impacts of climate disruption leading to flooding, drought, severe weather, habitat damage and resource issues
Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
Continuing loss of habitat and decline in freshwater species, in particular those reliant on good water quality
Improved bathing waters (including inland)
Local people in the catchment want clean water for bathing such as at Port Meadow, Oxford and Wallingford
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Diffuse pollution of nutrients and sediment from agriculture has adverse effects on freshwater wildlife and are difficult to address, requiring landscape changes to land use
Pollution from waste water
Many rare freshwater species cannot tolerate pollution incidents from sewage treatment works and unregulated private systems, whilst exceeding safe bathing waters standards
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Rivers, streams and headwaters are heavily modified by drainage and urbanisation, increasing vulnerability to floods and droughts and unable to support rare wetland wildlife
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Pollution from waste water
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
Emerging challenges
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from waste water
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
We were successfully awarded funding from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund to deliver Building Oxfordshire's Freshwater Network which restore additional Alkaline Fens, restore and create floodplain mosaics and floodplain meadows and deliver a major wetland rare plant re-introduction scheme with major public engagement. Much of this is occurring in the Ock. Other ongoing work includes:
- Water Environment Grant in the catchment to undertake restoration work on 4 SSSI Annex 1 alkaline fens.
- Completing the Saving Oxford's Wetland Wildlife project which falls entirely in the catchment and includes ex-situ rare wetland plant conservation, wetland site habitat improvements, surveys including environmental DNA, water pollution and community engagement.
- Implementation of locally funded spring-fed alkaline fen restoration project in the catchment working on a Local Wildlife site at Hinksey Heights and expansion to other LWS fens on the Boars Hill escarpment, all within catchment.
- Ock Catchment Farmer Group to improve collaboration and increase delivery of habitat improvement and Natural Flood Management measures across the catchment and coordination of regular catchment-wide farmer meetings.
Partnership development plans
To increase amount of practical work, including small waterbodies such as ponds and headwater streams as well as rivers. To engage with more local businesses, a sector that is currently under-represented in the Ock catchment partnership, and increase stakeholder engagement. To continue our collaborative catchment-wide work with farmers to reduce diffuse pollution and improve wetland habitat and biodiversity across the Ock catchment. To introduce Natural Flood Management measures to help ameliorate flooding in the catchment.
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
- Ock
Confident
Ock Arable Project to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution to improve the water environment and create or enhance freshwater habitat
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Ock
Less certain
Practical work at Kingston Hill Farm
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Volume of work required on one farm
- Location
- Frilford and Marcham Brook
Less certain
Practical work at Wicklesham Farm
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage invasive non-native species
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Volume of work required on one farm
- Location
- Ock (to Cherbury Brook)
Less certain
Practical work at Compton Beauchamp Estate
- Reason for measure
- Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Volume of work required on one estate
- Location
- Ock (to Cherbury Brook)
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: