Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

Our vision is for a healthy water environment where all interested sectors, groups or individuals are actively encouraged to contribute towards restoring and enhancing the natural environment to benefit people and wildlife now and in the future. We want to develop collaborative relationships and shared targets that enable the most complementary actions by each partner towards shared outcomes, widening our partnership as needed. We want our valuable and unique habitats and species to be protected and restored, from chalk streams to highly designated harbours, through wildlife networks to weir removals. We want to improve water and ecological quality and build enterprising nature-based solutions to ensure the reliable management of our land and water natural capital into the future through supporting the development of environmental markets. We aim to support a society that is able to adapt and respond to the challenges of climate change for a resilient future.

South Downs National Park Authority

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

    Sediment, pesticide and nutrient run-off into our rivers causing multiple downstream effects which need remediation

  • Physical modifications

    Fish passage and sediment connectivity severely impacted by historic infrastructure

  • Pollution from waste water

    Nutrients from treated and untreated wastewater and spills leading to deteriorating ecological status

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Climate Change will affect all of the natural environment, our coastal catchment will be at the forefront of these impacts

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

    Rare and protected species are more vulnerable to pressures, once lost, chances of restoration are greatly reduced

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Connecting protected and designated places through corridors and networks is vital in meeting the biodiversity and climate crisis

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Nitrification, sedimentation and diffuse pollution are having an extreme effect on our local rivers and coastal waters

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Water treatment infrastructure is out-dated and under pressure leading to increased incidence, future pressures will exacerbate this

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Long-term security and health of our water environment can only be achieved with the support of local communities

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    River structures, abstractions / other pressures negatively affecting natural flow / limiting achieving environmental flow and increasing flood impacts

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Nitrification, soil loss and pesticides impacting water quality and river health

  • Pollution from waste water

    CSO issues and aging infrastructure contributing to RNAG

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from waste water

Emerging challenges

  • Pollution from waste water
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Data and evidence vastly helped develop and plan projects across the AWS, leading to funding from the Water Environment Grant and for a range of projects under the Water Environment Improvement Fund. A septic tank campaign to raise awareness of the nutrient implications of poor septic tank maintenance helped target areas for future work. Improvement in lowland rivers includes a pilot project starting in 2021/22 on the Aldingbourne Rife (ARRT led). There has been an increase in focus on our coastal and TraC waters, including formation of the Downs and Harbours Clean Water Partnership (Ports. Water led) which aims to tackle sources of diffuse pollution, and the 'Save Our Harbours Summit' (Southern Water led) creating a coordinated and integrated programme of partnership actions for our heavily designated and pressured harbours. The Arun and Rother Connections (ARC) project had its last stage in 2016 which drew together 7 organisations working with local communities to promote a thriving river system. A collaborative project was also delivered to coordinate actions on the lower River Arun via the 'Arun Valley Vision' which will inform future work and focus. The SMART project was completed to identify the probable sources and causes of excess sediment in the River Rother preventing the river reaching its objectives. Through the 'Wilder Horsham District' project Sussex Wildlife Trust are working with Horsham District Council to initiate the development and delivery of the Horsham District Nature Recovery Networks – leading the way for other local councils. Development of our new Catchment Management Plan will help further focus and target future work and actions.

awscp

Partnership development plans

Pursue our new catchment management plan 2021 which will help target and develop partnership projects in the areas of greatest need. Develop landscape scale projects and programmes that create collaborative opportunities to build ecosystem resilience from source to sea. Encourage a broader membership of active and supporting organisations such as farmer networks and businesses. Collaborate with other strategic partnerships such as Sussex LNP, and Coast to Capital LEP.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    Complement and enhance any 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
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Confident

    Aldingbourne Rife - Restore improved natural function and reduce pollution within the lowland rife

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

  • Confident

    River Ems Flagship Chalk Stream Restoration - 10 year plan

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage abstractions
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Ems

  • Confident

    Improve landowner and farmer engagement in the upper River Arun to improve water and habitat quality

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Arun Source Arun Horsham Arun (U/S Pallingham)

  • Confident

    Develop resilience markets to regenerate our land management using payments for environmental net gain

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Developer funded
    Location
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Confident

    Capital Grant Schemes from Water Co., and Councils covering farming, biodiversity, oil care, flood risk reduction

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Location
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Less certain

    Improve flow, water quality and habitat connectivity to create enhanced wildlife and water corridors from chalk to coast

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Successful HLF bid and then a successful bid and collaborative shared targets
    Location
    Bosham Stream Ems Lavant (Sussex)

  • Less certain

    Restore improved natural function and reduce pollution within the characteristic lowland riffles

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    UK Shared Prosperity Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Collaborative shared targets and successful funding bids
    Location
    Western Streams

  • Less certain

    Public involvement in monitoring and understanding pressures and the impacts of climate change in the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Expected results of funding applications to investigate opportunities for match funding
    Location
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Less certain

    Use a nutrient map of the catchment to focus priority action for point and diffuse nutrient reduction programmes

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Developer funded
    Barriers to delivery
    Collaborative agreements with Local Authorities and Developers to make this an expandable option
    Location
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Less certain

    Encourage financial investment through shared regenerative environmental targets based on natural capital

    Reason for measure
    Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Multiple sources of funding and collaborative agreements needed
    Location
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Less certain

    Address implications of climate change for estuarine and coastal habitats, quality of water and ecology

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Expected results of funding applications to investigate opportunities for match funding
    Location
    Arun and Western Streams

  • Wider water environment

    Our new Catchment Management Plan will embed Climate Change in all actions

    Reason for measure
    Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Western Streams Arun Upper Rother Western

  • Wider water environment

    Flagship Chalk stream - River Ems 10 year Restoration Plan, to restore, protect and enhance the River Ems in collaboration with locals

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Ems

  • Wider water environment

    Strategic Wildlife Corridors (Chichester District Council), 7 strategic wildlife corridors linking harbours and coast to the South Downs

    Reason for measure
    Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Location
    Western Streams

Catchment Partnership contributors

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