London Lower Lea South Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

Our vision is a healthy River Lea for all! Working in partnership to create a healthy, climate resilient, London Lea Catchment where land and water are managed sustainably making better places for people and wildlife.

Thames21

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

    Significant historic modification to the catchment for navigation and flood protection purposes

  • Pollution from waste water

    Point source pollution from misconnected properties and discharges from the sewage network in densely populated area

  • Pollution from towns, cities and transport

    Densely populated area with significant road network leading to road run-off

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Due to the catchment being heavily urbanised, nature and biodiversity are at a disadvantage, development in the catchment must enhance biodiversity

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    A total of 756 spills from storm overflows took place in the catchment in 2021

  • Connecting communities with nature

    The importance of connecting the urban community with nature has benefits for both the environment and human well-being

  • Removing plastics/litter from the water environment

    Plastic pollution is a high priority in urban rivers and is an increasingly pressing environmental issue

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    The heavily urbanised catchment is at increased risk to surface water flooding as well as fluvial flooding due to climate change

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Aligning our goals as a partnership with these larger networks and strategies will help provide multiple benefits to projects

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from towns, cities and transport

    Heavily urbanised catchment, with a number of roads identified as significant sources of road run-off pollution

  • Pollution from waste water

    Densely populated catchment with frequent waste water pollution events as well as a large number of misconnected properties

  • Physical modifications

    Many rivers in the catchment have been historically dredged and channelised

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport
  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels

Emerging challenges

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from waste water
  • Pollution from Towns Cities and Transport

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

A key achievement has been the rejuvenation of the London Lea Catchment Partnership. The partnership is jointly funded by the local authorities along with the Environment Agency, boosting our resilience. We have established a steering group and engage with local community groups and other stakeholders to develop a joint vision for the next 6 years. Some key successes from 2016-2021: community modelling: empowering and supporting local groups in Enfield and Waltham Forest, using flood risk models to solve environmental issues through implementing constructed wetlands through the road runoff water quality study in Greater London. We identified those roads that have the greatest potential to contribute towards pollution in London's rivers to help identify the best locations for interventions; Firs Farm Wetlands; Broomfield Park Wetlands; Albany Park River Restoration; Enfield Chase Restoration project. Wider NFM project (including both Salmons Brook and Turkey Brook catchments). Chestnuts Park flood alleviation scheme: we produced a feasibility report for this project in the London Borough of Haringey, working with Friends of Chestnuts Park, Haringey Rivers Forum, Environment Agency and Thames21 flood risk project led by Waltham Forest Council which is investigating the creation of wetlands to improve flooding.

Partnership development plans

The partnership was re-established in 2020 and we will continue to develop our relationship with the wider community and local and national stakeholders. We will establish projects that achieve multiple benefits from flood risk and pollution reduction to biodiversity and amenity enhancements. The partnership will deliver more citizen science initiatives in the catchment to engage a wider audience from around the catchment. We will also continue to evaluate our successes annually and identify ways we can deliver more for people and the environment.

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
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Confident

    Lee 2100 programme, identify potential schemes, considering climate change, growth and carbon reduction

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Confident

    Constructed wetlands programme to reduce flood risk and pollution and improve public amenity and biodiversity

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Confident

    Rewilding programme, rewilding the Salmons Brook and Turkey Brook using NFM, tree planting, woody debris and Rural sustainable drainage systems

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Location
    Turkey Brook and Cuffley Brook Salmon Brook upstream Deephams STW

  • Confident

    Catchment Monitoring Cooperative in the Pymmes Brook Catchment

    Reason for measure
    Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
    Delivery mechanism
    Other Public funding
    Location
    Salmon Brook upstream Deephams STW Pymmes Brook upstream Salmon Brook confluence Pymmes and Salmon Brooks - Deephams STW to Tottenham Locks Moselle Brook

  • Confident

    Outfall Safari Programme

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Less certain

    Rivers in parks programme, restore public parks, by identifying opportunities for deculverting and restoration

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    More certainty on the availability of multi-year funding
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Less certain

    Project Reedbed, Lee Navigation, install floating reedbeds on the Lea Navigation to improve habitat diversity

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    More certainty on the availability of multi-year funding
    Location
    Lee (Tottenham Locks to Bow Locks/Three Mills Locks) Lea Navigation (Fieldes Weir to Enfield Lock) Lea Navigation Enfield Lock to Tottenham Locks

  • Less certain

    Tackling INNS, develop a catchment wide plan to control Invasive Non-Native Species

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    More certainty on the availability of multi-year funding
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Less certain

    London Lea SuDS Programme

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other Public funding
    Barriers to delivery
    More funding made available for the project now that Road Runoff Model has been produced
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Wider water environment

    Increase the number of participants in citizen science through training and engagement

    Reason for measure
    Connecting communities with nature
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

  • Wider water environment

    Thames and Tributaries Plastic Blitz Project

    Reason for measure
    Removing plastics/litter from the water environment
    Delivery mechanism
    EU funding
    Location
    Lee Lower Rivers and Lakes

Catchment Partnership contributors

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