Ancholme Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

The vision for Ancholme Catchment is a sustainable and diverse water environment that benefits people and wildlife, underpinning a locally prosperous and vibrant economy. Ancholme Catchment Partnership aim to:

  • improve and maintain good water quality
  • reduce environmental risks for people and wildlife
  • deliver nature’s recovery
  • enhance the local landscape, historic and cultural features
  • inspire people to love their waterways
  • build understanding of a multiple benefits approach.

Lincs WT Dave Bromwich; Lower catchment of the Ancholme

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

    Modifications and management has impacted on availability and quality of in-channel and riparian habitat

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    In some areas, run-off from agricultural land has affected water quality and increased sedimentation

  • Pollution from waste water

    High levels of phosphates and other nutrients impact on the ecology within this catchment

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Ancholme drains into the Humber and North Sea, sea level rise and spate events increase flood risk across catchment

  • Achieving Net Zero including supporting a move to a low carbon economy

    Humber is a carbon releasing hot spot of Europe and Ancholme is at an increasing risk of flooding going forward

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

    Upper catchment has chalk streams, plus various nature and wildlife sites in catchment that need to be connected for resilience

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Agriculture is the dominate land use and soil is key for the economy, and for healthy rivers by reducing sedimentation

  • Support levelling up, growth and jobs

    Need to diversify land use to address environmental and social issues in the area to get multiple benefits by using nature based solutions

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Integrated water resource management is required to address flood risk, water quality and water resource availability issues

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Physical modifications

    The Ancholme has a long history of human intervention and modification, alternative management solutions are needed to ensure the catchment is resilient to changes in our climate

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Water demands continue to grow in the catchment and solutions need to be identified which will make the catchment more resilient to climate change

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Reports of INNS within the catchment are increasing, methods of eradication and control need to be developed and implemented to slow spread of the species

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from waste water

Emerging challenges

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from waste water
  • Physical Modifications

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

A new Ancholme Catchment Partnership was initiated through an introductory meeting in September 2019 of key stakeholders. Since which the partnership has agreed a governance structure, vision and aims with a brand and web presence. Over 15 organisations have committed to work together to improve the water environment through a terms of reference. Objectives for the first five years (2020-25) have been established and an integrated water management plan is being drafted for the Ancholme catchment with public consultation planned for 2022. The draft plan identifies issues across the whole catchment and potential solutions to achieve holistic management delivering multiple benefits for people and wildlife.

Partnership development plans

With sufficient funding, the partnership will be perfectly placed to deliver the partnerships objectives and multi-beneficial projects in the catchment. The partnership's objectives for 2020-25 are to:

  1. engage a broad spectrum of stakeholders and the community to deliver towards the aims and vision
  2. produce an integrated water management plan for the Ancholme Catchment that delivers the vision
  3. identify and prioritise actions to deliver the plan so the aims are met
  4. develop a project pipeline and bid for resources to realise the plan
  5. report on successes and lessons learnt locally and nationally.In 2022 we will establish a land manager cluster group and undertake baseline survey and design work for some exemplar projects.

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
    Ancholme

  • Confident

    Develop an evidence based mapping and modelling tool for the catchment to identify opportunities and priority areas

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Confident

    Measures to tackle issues created by physical modifications on Lincolnshire Chalk Streams

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Confident

    Undertake baseline surveys and design works on at least one land parcel to deliver multiple benefits

    Reason for measure
    Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Confident

    Land management adviser for the Ancholme to deliver integrated water management solutions

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Less certain

    Wetland creation to improve water quality within catchment and when entering the Humber Estuary designated site

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Funding mechanisms to reduce uncertainty for landowners
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Less certain

    Washland creation to improve flow issues and naturalise sections of the river including allowing for fish/eel refuges

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Land manager cluster group establishing in 2022
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Less certain

    Lowering of weir structure or fish pass added e.g. Harlam Hill for fish and eel passage

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EA asset capital investment
    Barriers to delivery
    New partnership agreeing priorities, identifying delivery partners and funding mechanisms
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Less certain

    Work with partners to complete the Ancholme Way including sites of interest to link the community to its river

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    New partnership agreeing priorities, identifying delivery partners and funding mechanisms
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Less certain

    Land acquisition on tributaries to create better nature recovery networks and slow the flow for multiple benefits

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Nature Recovery Network
    Barriers to delivery
    New partnership agreeing priorities, identifying delivery partners and funding mechanisms
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Wider water environment

    Ancholme land manager cluster group

    Reason for measure
    Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
    Delivery mechanism
    Other philanthropic/charitable/trust funds
    Location
    Ancholme

  • Wider water environment

    Wilder Ancholme

    Reason for measure
    Connecting communities with nature
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Location
    Ancholme

Catchment Partnership contributors

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