London Management Catchment
About
While many consider the Tidal Thames to be Londons iconic river, only non-tidal tributaries belong to the London Management Catchment, which covers eight separate river systems. Three (Brent, Crane, and Lower Lee) lie north of the Thames, with another five south of the River: the Hogsmill, Beverley Brook, Wandle, Ravensbourne and Marsh Dykes. There are also numerous lost rivers in central London that run underground in culverts, having been incorporated into the Victorian sewer network. Typically, the rivers rise in the rolling hills and relatively open spaces of rural or suburban areas around the outskirts of London. As they flow towards the Thames, they pass through increasingly built-up areas, with dense housing development and industrial estates often built right to the rivers edge. The catchment area is intersected by roads and railways. This dense urban development has resulted in major modifications to most rivers, and serious pollution problems. Nevertheless, in many places the rivers serve as valuable green corridors leading into the heart of the capital and connecting city-dwellers with nature. Groundwater is mainly contained in chalk aquifers beneath a layer of clay, but in the south the rivers have their sources in the groundwater springing from a chalk ridge. At 1487 km the London management catchment is relatively small, but has by far the largest population of any management catchment, with complex, intertwined and conflicting socio-economic pressures. It covers roughly 70% of the Greater London area, extending into Hertfordshire and Essex in the north, and Surrey in the south.
![River Lee with Olympic Stadium in the background](/catchment-planning/photos/managementcatchment/3049.jpg)
Classifications data for London Management Catchment
Number of water bodies
The number of water bodies in the river basin district. It shows whether these are natural, artificial (such as canals and reservoirs) or have been modified ('heavily modified') for particular uses.
Water body categories | Natural | Artificial | Heavily modified | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
River, canals and surface water transfers | 5 | 0 | 23 | 28 |
Lake | 1 | 18 | 0 | 19 |
Coastal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Estuarine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Groundwater | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 6 | 18 | 23 | 47 |
Ecological status for surface waters
Table summarises the current ecological status of surface water bodies. Water bodies are classified as being at high, good, moderate, poor or bad ecological status or potential.
Ecological status or potential | Bad | Poor | Moderate | Good | High | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 2 | 9 | 33 | 3 | 0 | 47 |
Number of water body elements | 36 | 56 | 56 | 45 | 215 | 408 |
Chemical status for surface waters
Table summarises the current chemical status of water bodies. These are classified as being at good or fail.
Chemical status | Fail | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 47 | 0 | 47 |
Number of water body elements | 89 | 694 | 783 |
Quantitative status for groundwater
Table summarises the quantitative status of groundwater water bodies. These are classified as being at good or poor.
Quantitative status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Number of water body elements | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chemical status for groundwater
Table summarises the chemical status of groundwater water bodies. These are classified as being at good or poor.
Chemical status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Number of water bodies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Number of water body elements | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Challenges data for London Management Catchment
Reasons for not achieving good status by business sector
The issues preventing waters reaching good status and the sectors identified as contributing to them. The numbers in the table are individual counts of the reasons for not achieving good status with a confidence status of 'confirmed' and 'probable', where the latest classification is less than good status. There may be more than one reason in a single water body. Note, table does not include reasons for deterioration.
Significant water management issue | Changes to the natural flow and level of water | Invasive non-native species | Physical modifications | Pollution from abandoned mines | Pollution from rural areas | Pollution from towns, cities and transport | Pollution from waste water |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agriculture and rural land management | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
Domestic general public | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 2 |
Industry | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Local & central government | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mining and quarrying | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Navigation | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
No sector responsible | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Other | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Recreation | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sector under investigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Urban and transport | 0 | 0 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 0 |
Waste treatment and disposal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Water Industry | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 101 |
Total | 6 | 6 | 144 | 0 | 16 | 141 | 103 |
Objectives data for London Management Catchment
Ecological status or potential objectives for surface water bodies
Table summarises the ecological status and ecological potential objectives set for water bodies in the river basin management plan. Each water body is only counted once in this table. Each water body objective consists of a target status and a date when it was, or is expected to be, met.
Status | Bad | Poor | Moderate | Good | High | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
By 2015 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
By 2021 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
By 2027 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 26 |
Total | 1 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 0 | 47 |
Chemical status objectives for surface water bodies
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
Status | Fail | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
By 2063 | 0 | 47 | 47 |
Total | 0 | 47 | 47 |
Quantitative status objectives for groundwater
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
Status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chemical status objectives for groundwater
Including those with less stringent objectives and extended deadlines
Status | Poor | Good | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 0 | 0 | 0 |