Humber River Basin District

About

The Humber river basin district covers an area of 26,100km2 and extends from the West Midlands in the south, northwards to North Yorkshire and from Staffordshire in the west to part of Lincolnshire and the Humber Estuary in the east. In total more than 10.8 million people live and work in towns and cities within the district, with the main urban centres being Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Hull and Grimsby. The Humber river basin district has a rich diversity of wildlife and habitats, supporting many species of global and national importance. The management catchments that make up the river basin district include many interconnected rivers, lakes, groundwater and coastal waters. The catchments range from the uplands of the Peak District to fertile river valleys of the Trent to chalk aquifers of the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds and vary from rural catchments to others heavily influenced by urban and industrial land use. The main economic sectors in the region include business services, health, wholesale and distribution. Manufacturing contributes to the economy along with some mineral abstraction, including some deep coal mines, potash mines and numerous gravel workings. Agriculture is critical for the rural economy of the district and supports natural and cultural assets that help underpin both the region's tourism and quality of life for those who live and work in the district.