Witham Catchment Partnership
Catchment partnership vision
Our aim is to work jointly to protect and improve the water environment in the Witham valley, for the benefit of its people and wildlife. Our objectives are:
- identifying and understanding the issues and priorities in the Witham catchment through continual sharing of information
- identifying interested groups, organisations, businesses and local communities and, where appropriate, involving them into the partnership and its decision making
- be the forum for understanding relevant work and funding opportunities in the catchment that will contribute towards its improvement
- develop and administer a shared list of proposed future projects that will contribute towards the priorities of the partnership
- identifying opportunities for organisations and groups to work together to complete effective outcomes
- look for appropriate opportunities to link environmental benefits with flood risk management outcomes through the use of natural processes.
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
Disconnected floodplains and barriers to fish passage affects species connectivity and disrupts natural river processes
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Frequent pollution incidents and chronic diffuse pollution results in sediment and phosphates affecting drinking water
Pollution from waste water
Waste water inputs are a significant source of phosphate leading to excessive plant growth in summer months
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
These plans will be key to project investment in the future, we must ensure that areas of interest to the partnership are well represented
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Extreme events are already having a significant impact on rivers and ground water, this is only likely to worsen if we do not act
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
Soil health across the catchment is key to many of the issues we are facing from flood risk to pollution and agricultural productivity
Achieving Net Zero including supporting a move to a low carbon economy
Our priority for re-connecting floodplains and creating wetlands in the right locations should be recognised as an important potential carbon sink
Connecting communities with nature
If communities are not connected with nature then we will fail in making the projects we are delivering now sustainable in the longer term
Removing plastics/litter from the water environment
We are fortunate to have some great Rivercare groups in our catchment but we must do more to support their excellent work
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Invasive Non-native Species
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
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
- Pollution from waste water
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
The partnership’s successes have focused on the Limestone Becks, Slea and Upper Witham. Habitat improvement projects have been completed on Branston, Dunston and the Upper Cringle Limestone Becks. This will help reinstate and protect these special watercourses and offer a demonstration of the benefits of larger scale river restoration. Grantham and Sleaford have a large, funded programme of works to improve their rivers for wildlife and people. This is headed by the ESIF funded Blue, Green Project which complements the recently completed Heritage Lottery funded ‘Reconnecting the Witham’ project in Grantham. Work in Lincoln has seen fish refuges installed along the Witham and beautiful floating islands, planted by volunteers bringing enhancement to lifeless concrete banks on the Brayford Pool. These projects are helping to transform the urban river corridors across the Witham catchment. Work continues to target Himalayan balsam and floating pennywort. Rivercare in Grantham, Lincoln and Sleaford brought volunteers together to improve urban rivers for their communities, collecting data through citizen science. Mayfly and elver in the classroom initiatives are introducing the next generation to the value of the natural world. The partnership is looking to support the landowner facilitation groups forming in the catchment to help get it’s messages out and develop future project work. The Upper part of the Witham catchment remains a focus for large scale wetland and floodplain reconnection work with the recent project at Manthorpe providing a catalyst for exciting up and coming projects.
Partnership development plans
We will secure resilient, longer term funding from a range of sources for water quality and habitat improvements. Natural environment and future changes to farm payments will scale up current projects and we promote working with natural processes. Rivercare projects, citizen science data and classroom work brings communities together. The Cringle Brook land managers group targets diffuse pollution and habitat improvement; further work with landowners will aid large scale restoration projects.
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
- Witham
Confident
Floodplain re-connection project including stage zero restoration (Grange Farm) on Upper Witham
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Location
- Witham - headwaters to conf Cringle Bk
Confident
Grantham and Sleaford Blue Green Project, council led to improve Slea and Witham through Grantham and Sleaford
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- EU funding
- Location
- Witham - conf Cringle Bk to conf Brant Slea
Confident
Mid Witham Habitat Improvements, in-channel and on-line improvements in section with poor habitat that is on boundary of several water bodies
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Witham - conf Brant to conf Catchwater Drain Brant - Lower
Confident
Lincoln Brayford Pool Improvements, continuation of work to enhance the hard banks of the Brayford Pool for habitat and amenity
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Location
- Witham - conf Catchwater Drain to conf Bain Fossdyke Canal
Confident
Witham Invasive plants, Himalayan balsam and floating pennywort are significant threats to catchments native ecology
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage invasive non-native species
- Delivery mechanism
- Other philanthropic/charitable/trust funds
- Location
- Witham - conf Cringle Bk to conf Brant Witham - headwaters to conf Cringle Bk
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: