Somerset Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

Our vision is that Somerset’s rivers and their catchments are healthy, rich in wildlife, resilient to flooding and climate change, and are recognised as a valuable asset to society and the local economy. To achieve this, and to facilitate the development of collaborative multi-benefits projects, the work and objectives of the Somerset Catchment Partnership have 5 strategic goals:

  • improve land management and sustainable agriculture to reduce soil erosion, nutrient and pesticide loss
  • improve wastewater management to reduce nutrients in watercourses from public and private wastewater
  • restore functional ecosystems and connected habitats to benefit people, wildlife and fisheries
  • improve water and flood risk management by using and restoring natural processes; and
  • work with stakeholders to identify barriers to positive change and find solutions.

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

    High sediment loads and phosphate levels in watercourses as a result of intensive farming and poor soil management

  • Pollution from waste water

    Water recycling centres, sewage misconnections and leaky septic tanks are exacerbating already high phosphate levels

  • Physical modifications

    Modified channels, drainage and flood defences fragment habitat and cause barriers to migrating fish and wildlife

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

The partnership have not identified any wider water environment challenges

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

  • Invasive Non-native Species

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Emerging challenges

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Since 2015, the Somerset Catchment Partnership has grown and with now more than 40 partnership representatives invited to quarterly steering group meetings, representing 18 organisations/groups. A wide range of successful multi-benefit projects developed and completed across Somerset by partnership organisations focussing on priority issues. The partnership produced its first ‘Catchment Action Plan’ for the Brue catchment, a priority catchment in Somerset. A sub-group is now taking the action plan forward and developing collaborative projects. A separate agricultural diffuse pollution sub-group is established, concentrating on this priority issue for Somerset. The partnership has received ‘enforcement undertaking’ donations after 2 separate pollution incidents. The first donation was used to provide grants for partnership organisations to complete varied catchment projects across the whole of Somerset. The second, in 2019, has been used to develop the ‘Restoring the Axe’ project, involving catchment walkovers and most recently a partnership grant scheme for multi-benefit projects within the Axe catchment. In the last 12 months the partnership is improving communications with wider stakeholders through website updates, a new Twitter account and a quarterly e-newsletter.

Partnership development plans

Somerset faces many challenges and the partnership is making progress towards finding solutions. Resources and additional funding are required to increase capacity to facilitate and develop more collaborative projects. To aid this process, the partnership needs to engage with a wider diversity of stakeholders and adopt new ways of working. Opportunities to work closely with Somerset Rivers Authority and Somerset Local Nature Partnership to develop multi-benefit projects should also be explored.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    Reducing phosphate pollution from rural land management

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Tone Tone and Somerset North Streams Parrett

  • Confident

    Restoring natural processes through nature based solutions and multiple benefit projects

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Tone Somerset West Streams Brue and Axe Parrett

  • Confident

    Improving designated sites and water quality on the Somerset Levels and Moors

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

  • Confident

    Improving public engagement and raising awareness of the issues and opportunities affecting the water environment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Somerset South and West

  • Confident

    Improving soil management and reducing sediment loads through targeted farm advice

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Somerset South and West

  • Less certain

    Completing nature-based solutions mapping/ground truthing across Somerset identifying locations for future investment

    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
    Successful Somerset wide flood resilience project application will move measure to 'Confident'
    Location
    Somerset South and West

  • Less certain

    Developing county wide citizen science monitoring of waterbodies to fill evidence gaps informing project development

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    limited resources and funding
    Location
    Somerset South and West

  • Less certain

    Developing a sub-catchment scale farmer led diffuse agricultural pollution reduction pilot project

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    limited resources and funding
    Location
    Brue and Axe Parrett

  • Less certain

    Improve understanding and awareness of issues and opportunities affecting rivers with wider stakeholders

    Reason for measure
    Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    limited resources and funding
    Location
    Somerset South and West

  • Less certain

    Securing investment opportunities and embedding partnership projects in wider work programmes to increase funding

    Reason for measure
    Feasibility study to build commitment to deliver
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    limited resources and funding
    Location
    Somerset South and West

  • Less certain

    Delivering projects within SCP Brue Catchment Action Plan on priority water quality issues

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    limited resources and funding
    Location
    Brue and Axe

Catchment Partnership contributors

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