Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

Our vision is to create a healthy, resilient and wildlife rich environment within the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment, that will bring both social and economic benefits to all. Our aims and objectives are to:

  • improve water quality and the environment; working with land managers, organisations and interested bodies to improve the aquatic habitat of the of the catchment, and the rare and threatened species that the river and wider landscape supports
  • manage water levels; harnessing natural flood processes to create a more naturally functioning river, reducing flood risk and preserving water resources
  • reconnect people to their local river; improve understanding of the river landscape by telling the story of its evolution, encouraging people to protect their heritage, whilst promoting volunteering opportunities
  • ensure effective partnership collaboration and governance, and develop a robust evidence base to deliver our objectives.

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

    Majority of surrounding land use is agricultural, which directly or indirectly inputs into the Esk

  • Physical modifications

    Fish passage of native fish severely restricted through many obstacles such as weirs, fords and culverts

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Signal Crayfish entering the catchment is a significant risk, their presence would be catastrophic for the Esk and the freshwater pearl mussel

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Improved shellfish waters

    Catchment is home to the last surviving population of endangered freshwater pearl mussel in Yorkshire

  • Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams

    Catchment includes designated habitat including upland moorland, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and marine conservation zones

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Combined sewer overflows discharge into the Esk, impacting water quality and recreational use including fishing and bathing

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Significant agricultural activity across catchment; restoring soil health through sustainable land management and regenerative farming are a priority

  • Improved bathing waters (including inland)

    The Esk catchment includes coastal designated bathing waters

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Our moorland is a climate vulnerable habitat but can also be used to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Invasive species, plant and animal, threaten water quality and our existing habitats, ecosystems and species

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Agriculture is a key practice within the catchment, diffuse pollution from this source threatens water quality, ecosystems and species

  • Pollution from waste water

    Waste water overflows negatively impact water quality in the catchment and threaten ecosystems and species pressure will increase with climate change and increased storms

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Physical Modifications

Emerging challenges

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Physical Modifications
  • Invasive Non-native Species

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Established in 2014 and refreshed in 2020, the Esk and Coastal Streams Catchment Partnership has developed into an active partnership of 12 organisations focused on completing a range of projects across the catchment. Our collaborative partnership identifies issues and solutions, funding opportunities and helps ensure successful outcomes. Member organisations, stakeholder and volunteers have helped deliver incredible projects across the catchment; since 2016, the partnership has:

  • treated and removed 18 km of invasive non-native species, particularly focusing on giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed control - the program has been very successful reporting a 50% reduction in Japanese knotweed since 2010
  • established a ‘freshwater pearl mussel steering group’ and completed several projects to improve water quality, habitat and host species populations for this endangered species - an active captive breeding programme is ongoing and work continues for their reintroduction, including the creation of a long-term strategy
  • collaborated with over 107 farmers and landowners, providing grants and advice for implementation of sediment reduction and natural flood management measures
  • attracted funding from 10 grants to deliver projects such as the ‘Blue Corridors’ and natural flood management measures on over 21 small holdings
  • worked creatively with resources to get the best for the catchment, engaging with volunteers to harness 4,260 hours of environmental monitoring and restoration work within the catchment since 2011.

Partnership development plans

The Esk and Coastal Streams Partnership aims to be extremely ambitious with its projects. This means we will be taking an integrated, whole catchment scale approach in resolving the Esk catchments environmental issues, in particular agricultural diffuse pollution, sedimentation and barriers to migratory fish. We are working with our diverse group of partners to achieve landscape projects, whilst also including projects and achieving outcomes on the smaller local scale.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    Blue corridors project - creating passage for the Esk's migratory fish

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    EU funding
    Location
    Esk

  • Confident

    Esk restoration project - tackling agricultural diffuse pollution and sedimentation, through natural capital works

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Water Environment Grant (WEG)
    Location
    Esk

  • Confident

    Invasive non-native species control program focusing on Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    EU funding
    Location
    Esk

  • Confident

    Catchment monitoring - Invertebrate and e-fishing, citizen science annual program

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EU funding
    Location
    Robin Hoods Bay Esk Esk TraC Sandsend and Staithes

  • Confident

    Esk Coastal Streams Restoration Project

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Sandsend and Staithes

  • Confident

    BEACH Esk - tackling a range of urban and rural diffuse and point source pollution in Whitby estuary

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Esk Esk TraC

  • Less certain

    Freshwater pearl mussel - 4 phased reintroduction - assessing water quality and habitat suitability

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding to be obtained
    Location
    Esk

  • Less certain

    Signal crayfish - Establishment of control measures to prevent invasion

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Interventions yet to be scoped by working group
    Location
    Esk

  • Less certain

    Combined sewer overflow Greenflow - Investigation into impact of storm overflows

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Full project development and scoping, funding to be obtained, delivery partners to be agreed
    Location
    Esk

  • Less certain

    INNS Control Program

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding opportunities to continue program past 2023 to be identified
    Location
    Esk

  • Less certain

    Septic tank project - initial education program encouraging best use of septic tanks, distribution of leaflets

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Very much a pipeline project
    Location
    Robin Hoods Bay Esk Esk TraC Sandsend and Staithes

  • Less certain

    Obstacle Esk - In-stream obstacle assessment program, feasibility study to recommend fish passage on non 'Blue Corridor' obstacles

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding to deliver both phases of project to be acquired
    Location
    Robin Hoods Bay Esk Esk TraC Sandsend and Staithes

  • Wider water environment

    Esk Freshwater Pearl Mussel Project

    Reason for measure
    Improved shellfish waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Esk

  • Wider water environment

    Moorland Restoration - Working with projects such as the Moor to Restore and Great North Bog projects to improve peat moorland across the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
    Delivery mechanism
    Landscape Recovery (ELMS)
    Location
    Esk and Coast

  • Wider water environment

    Greenflow Project - Investigating and mitigating impact of combined sewer overflows, storm overflows and other domestic waste water sources

    Reason for measure
    Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Robin Hoods Bay Esk Esk TraC Sandsend and Staithes

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: