Little Ouse (Thelnetham to Hopton Common) Water Body
Moderate ecological status
Get Little Ouse (Thelnetham to Hopton Common) data
Attributes
- Water Body IDGB105033043110
- Water Body TypeRiver
- Hydromorphological designationheavily modified
- NGRTM0030679899
- Catchment area6.378 km2
- Surveillance Water BodyNo
- Length4.764 km
- Catchment area637.824 ha
Classifications
| Classification Item | 2019 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Ecological | Poor | Moderate |
| Biological quality elements | Poor | Poor |
| Fish | Poor | Poor |
| Invertebrates | Moderate | Moderate |
| Macrophytes and Phytobenthos Combined | Poor | |
| Macrophytes Sub Element | Poor | Poor |
| Physico-chemical quality elements | Moderate | Moderate |
| Ammonia (Phys-Chem) | Moderate | Moderate |
| Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) | High | |
| Dissolved oxygen | Bad | Bad |
| Phosphate | Good | Good |
| Temperature | High | High |
| pH | High | High |
| Hydromorphological Supporting Elements | Supports good | Supports good |
| Hydrological Regime | Does not support good | Supports good |
| Supporting elements (Surface Water) | Moderate | Moderate |
| Mitigation Measures Assessment | Moderate or less | Moderate or less |
| Chemical | Fail | Does not require assessment |
| Priority hazardous substances | Fail | Does not require assessment |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | Good | |
| Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds | Good | |
| Heptachlor and cis-Heptachlor epoxide | Good | |
| Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) | Good | |
| Hexachlorobenzene | Good | |
| Hexachlorobutadiene | Good | |
| Mercury and Its Compounds | Good | |
| Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) | Good | |
| Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) | Fail | |
| Priority substances | Good | Does not require assessment |
| Cypermethrin (Priority) | Good | |
| Fluoranthene | Good | |
| Other Pollutants | Does not require assessment | Does not require assessment |
Investigations into classification status
| Classification Element | Cycle | Year | Status | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonia (Phys-Chem) | 2 | 2014 | Poor | Very certain there is a problem |
| Dissolved oxygen | 2 | 2014 | Bad | Very certain there is a problem |
| Hydrological Regime | 2 | 2015 | Does Not Support Good | Certain there is not a problem |
Reasons for not achieving good (RNAG) and reasons for deterioration (RFD)
All reasons (RFDs and RNAGs) attributed to the classification elements in this water body.
| Reason Type | SWMI | Activity | Category | Classification Element | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RNAG | Physical modification | Land drainage | Agriculture and rural land management | Fish | Details |
| RNAG | Flow | Surface water abstraction | Agriculture and rural land management | Dissolved oxygen | Details |
| RNAG | Flow | Groundwater abstraction | Water Industry | Fish | Details |
| RNAG | measures delivered to address reason, awaiting recovery | Not applicable | No sector responsible | Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) | Details |
| RNAG | Flow | Groundwater abstraction | Agriculture and rural land management | Dissolved oxygen | Details |
| RNAG | Flow | Groundwater abstraction | Agriculture and rural land management | Fish | Details |
| RNAG | Flow | Groundwater abstraction | Water Industry | Dissolved oxygen | Details |
| RNAG | Point source | Groundwater | Industry | Fish | Details |
| RNAG | Point source | Trade/Industry discharge | Industry | Invertebrates | Details |
| RNAG | Point source | Trade/Industry discharge | Industry | Dissolved oxygen | Details |
| RNAG | Physical modification | Other (not in list, must add details in comments) | Other | Invertebrates | Details |
| RNAG | Physical modification | Flood protection - water level management | Sector under investigation | Macrophytes and Phytobenthos Combined | Details |
| RNAG | Diffuse source | Transport Drainage | Industry | Ammonia (Phys-Chem) | Details |
| RNAG | Physical modification | Flood protection - other operational management | Local and Central Government | Macrophytes and Phytobenthos Combined | Details |
| RNAG | Point source | Trade/Industry discharge | Industry | Ammonia (Phys-Chem) | Details |
| RNAG | Point source | Trade/Industry discharge | Industry | Macrophytes and Phytobenthos Combined | Details |
| RNAG | Diffuse source | Transport Drainage | Industry | Macrophytes and Phytobenthos Combined | Details |
| RNAG | Physical modification | Land drainage | Agriculture and rural land management | Fish | Details |
| RNAG | Physical modification | Other (not in list, must add details in comments) | Local and Central Government | Mitigation Measures Assessment | Details |
| RNAG | Physical modification | Barriers - ecological discontinuity | Local and Central Government | Fish | Details |
| RNAG | Diffuse source | Transport Drainage | Industry | Dissolved oxygen | Details |
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 | Physical modifications | Pollution from waste water | Pollution from towns, cities and transport | Changes to the natural flow and level of water | Invasive non-native species | Pollution from rural areas | Pollution from abandoned mines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and rural land management | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Industry | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mining and quarrying | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Navigation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urban and transport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water Industry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Local & central government | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Domestic general public | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Recreation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Waste treatment and disposal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No sector responsible | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sector under investigation | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Objectives
| Classification Item | Status | Year | Reasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecological | Good | 2060 | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens; Natural conditions: Groundwater status recovery time |
| Biological quality elements | Good | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Fish | Good | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Invertebrates | Good | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Macrophytes and Phytobenthos Combined | Not assessed | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Physico-chemical quality elements | Good | 2060 | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens; Natural conditions: Groundwater status recovery time |
| Ammonia (Phys-Chem) | Good | 2060 | Natural conditions: Groundwater status recovery time |
| Dissolved oxygen | Good | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Phosphate | Good | 2015 | |
| Temperature | Good | 2015 | |
| pH | Good | 2015 | |
| Hydromorphological Supporting Elements | Supports good | 2015 | |
| Hydrological Regime | Supports good | 2027 - Low confidence | Technically infeasible: Cause of adverse impact unknown |
| Supporting elements (Surface Water) | Good | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Mitigation Measures Assessment | Good | 2027 - Low confidence | Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens |
| Specific pollutants | Not assessed | 2015 | |
| Chemical | Good | 2063 | Natural conditions: Chemical status recovery time |
| Priority hazardous substances | Good | 2063 | Natural conditions: Chemical status recovery time |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | Good | 2015 | |
| Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds | Good | 2015 | |
| Heptachlor and cis-Heptachlor epoxide | Good | 2015 | |
| Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) | Good | 2015 | |
| Hexachlorobenzene | Good | 2015 | |
| Hexachlorobutadiene | Good | 2015 | |
| Mercury and Its Compounds | Good | 2015 | |
| Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) | Good | 2015 | |
| Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) | Good | 2063 | Natural conditions: Chemical status recovery time |
| Priority substances | Good | 2015 | |
| Cypermethrin (Priority) | Good | 2015 | |
| Fluoranthene | Good | 2015 | |
| Other Pollutants | Does not require assessment | 2015 |
Protected areas
| PA Name | Id | Directive | More information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ely Ouse and Cut-off channel NVZ | S390 | Nitrates Directive | |
| Anglian Chalk | G71 | Nitrates Directive | |
| Waveney & Little Ouse Valley Fens | UK0012882 | Special Area of Conservation | Natural England |
Monitoring sites which have been used to classify this water body
Shows which sites were used for classification for which years within each cycle.