Dales to Vale Rivers Network (Swale, Ure, Nidd and Upper Ouse)

Catchment partnership vision

Our vision is that the river environments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Ouse and Wharfe are thriving, supporting the needs and well-being of their biodiversity and communities, now and in the future. We will take the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Ouse and Wharfe river catchments from surviving to thriving by reconnecting the rivers, landscapes and communities. The Dales to Vale Rivers Network will drive collective actions to:

  • enhance, create and reconnect habitats
  • demonstrate and encourage holistic land management, including water friendly farming and natural flood management measures
  • improve water quality
  • implement a strategic approach to Invasive Non-native Species management and biosecurity
  • link communities to their surroundings.With the overall aim of enabling people and wildlife to be resilient to environmental pressures and maximise the value of our catchments. This will achieve our vision of healthy rivers and abundant wildlife, valued by communities.

Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust

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

    Fish passage restricted by historical barriers and lowland areas have been historically drained for farming

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Predominantly rural catchment - widespread problems with sediment loading and phosphate

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Strong populations of crayfish that are under threat plus issues with rapidly spreading riparian invasive plants

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Migrating Salmon and Eel from the Humber are priority species for recovery, specific measures are required for special sites such as Semerwater

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Historic sewers are causing pollution in urban areas and none mains drainage in rural areas are creating water quality problems

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    The catchment is largely agricultural, soil loss and use of nutrients is widespread, management of lowland drains is exacerbating rapid soil loss

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Increasing flooding and droughts must be mitigated, our communities need to understand the impacts of climate change on the water environment

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Communities need to value nature in order for us to support its recovery and benefit from it

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    We need to work together to bring about large scale sustainable nature recovery in collaboration

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    This is an extensive problem in this rural catchment and its something partners and landowners have the power to change

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Citizen Science is popular in the catchment and the challenge of invasives affects most, partners and rivers, therefore it’s a common goal to reduce them

  • Physical modifications

    Historic modifications limit river connections with floodplains and providing the best environment for nature

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

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Dales to Vale Rivers Network partners secured £750k of Water Environment Grant to deliver 3 projects:

  • Stank Beck sediment project
  • Wild Wiske Revival - clean and green
  • Headwaters for Healthy Rivers.Delivering benefits to habitat, natural flood management and rural pollution prevention.The partnership delivered 4 natural flood management projects in Bishopdale, Brompton, Collingham and Ilkley securing £750k for investment in trees, farm plans, leaky dams, wetlands and habitats. York Urban Becks Project commenced, restoring a 500m of Osbaldwick Beck. The Foss Catchment project was formed to prevent sediment loading upstream, taking a catchment based approach. Peat restoration has been significant due to strong collaboration between members forming the Peat Partnership. The Wharfe SSSI, Rivers in Elmet, Addingham 4 Becks and Rivers 2 U projects continue to engage landowners and communities in improving the rivers.Dales to Vale Rivers Network partners have been involved in two successful National Lottery bids in 2020-21, Skell Valley Project and Tees Swale Naturally Connected, totalling approximately £10m for water quality improvements, habitat creation, natural flood management and Invasive Non-native species management. In December 2020 we secured £130k for riparian tree planting. Practical natural flood management guides produced by the partners were welcomed by lowland and upland farmers.

Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust

Partnership development plans

The Dales to Vale Rivers Network aims to be more self-sustaining, with its own future funding group to identify and support bids to innovative funding streams. We are engaging with the wider network via sub catchment meetings to work at a community level and provide links between these groups to cover the whole catchment, including large partnership projects across both catchments. We are building on the existing network using our targeted engagement and communications plans.

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
    Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper

  • Confident

    Improve fish passage to address fish failures at locations such as Hunsingore

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Swale Lower

  • Confident

    Better land management to address water quality delivered through Mid Swale Tribs projects

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

  • Confident

    Habitat creation and strategic Invasive Non-native Species management including INNS Out!

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper

  • Confident

    Mitigation measures addressing failures through York Urban Becks and Foss Project

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

  • Confident

    Natural flood management through peatland restoration, tree planting, wetland creation and land management projects

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Location
    Swale Upper Ure Upper

  • Less certain

    Increasing shading and connectivity of riparian habitat, starting on the River Ure and building across all rivers

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding
    Location
    Ure Upper

  • Less certain

    Increase resilience to flooding; sustainable drainage systems, natural flood management and Community Beck Stewardship

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding and time to develop
    Location
    Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper

  • Less certain

    Mitigating the impact of historic metal mines

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Coal Authority Mines Programmes
    Barriers to delivery
    Evidence and understanding of measures required
    Location
    Ure Upper Nidd Upper

  • Less certain

    Farm water management plans for sustainable water management, covering water flows, usage and habitats

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Securing funding and time to develop
    Location
    Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper

  • Less certain

    Mitigating the impact of channel management on the ecology, geomorphology and hydrology of lowland watercourses

    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
    Building our presence in lowland areas and influencing risk management authorities
    Location
    Swale Lower Foss Ouse Upper Yorkshire Swale Middle

  • Wider water environment

    York and North Yorkshire Catchment Management Project led by York Council delivering innovative nature based solutions to climate change

    Reason for measure
    Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
    Delivery mechanism
    Flood and Coastal Innovation and Resilience Fund
    Location
    Swale Ure Nidd and Ouse Upper

  • Wider water environment

    Riparian Tree Planting projects such as Keeping Ure Rivers Cool in Wensleydale

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Ure Upper

  • Wider water environment

    Tees Swale: Naturally Connected project helping connect communities with their environment and be a part of the solution to problems

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

Catchment Partnership contributors

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