Upper Lea Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

This catchment is a tapestry of unique chalk rivers, historic navigations and urban rivers, weaving amongst internationally important wetlands, flooded gravel pits and lakes, through both rural and urban settings. Our vision is to see all watercourses flowing year round with plentiful, quality water that supports its characteristic flora and fauna. Our partnerships aims to restore and maintain these ecosystems, both above and below ground, boosting the catchment's value for people and wildlife. By encouraging people to value and learn about their river, and supporting them to manage the catchment more wisely, we aim to engender a sense of stewardship and embed a water-friendly approach within communities across the catchment. This page, represents 3 partnerships; Upper Lea catchment partnership hosted by Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust (H&MWT), Luton Lea which covers part of that catchment, hosted by Groundwork East, and north of the Lower Lea operational catchment hosted by H&MWT.

Herts & Middlesex Wildlife 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

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Flows and levels severely reduced by abstraction to supply growing populations with high water use

  • Physical modifications

    Ecology and flows restricted by barriers from industrial past and urbanisation, such as culverts and weirs

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Water quality and quantity impacted by runoff and permeability of arable land

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

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

    Priority chalk river and floodplain restoration, linking landscape-scale natural, semi-natural and improved habitats for wildlife and people

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    There is widespread, chronic diffuse pollution from many sources needing more regulation; Sewage treatment works, highways and other diffuse sources

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Soil improvements linked to better chalk aquifer re-charge, river water quality and natural flood management benefits

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Communities must understand their role in the water environment to help address issues, support work to improve and to use them as a resource

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis across Hertfordshire, through reducing carbon emissions and offsetting using nature-based solutions

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

    Aiming to meet local and national net zero targets, engaging with local authorities, businesses and communities to understand roles and take action

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

  • Physical modifications

  • Pollution from towns, cities and transport

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

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

Emerging challenges

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

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

The Upper Lea Partnership is succeeding in:

  • addressing physical barriers to fish passage and delivered improvements at 10 weirs and produced detailed designs to tackle 8 weirs in the future
  • improving river shape and ecology and completed 20 restoration schemes covering 18 kilometres
  • enhancing wetlands for wildlife and improved 2.5 hectares of priority reedbed and fen habitats, with further work planned
  • tackling Invasive Non-native Species through regular surveying and removal along 50 kilometres of riparian zone targeting Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, floating pennywort and American mink
  • developing a Resilient and Adaptive Communities Strategy to address flood risk and create associated plans for managing the River Lea through Luton
  • providing catchment advice and actively engaging 26 farms, estates, fisheries, local authorities and private landowners in developing plans to improve at least 40 kilometres of river
  • improving catchment hydrology by working with farmers to use cover crops over 400 hectares of land to reduce sediment runoff and increase ground water replenishment.

Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust

Partnership development plans

Our partnership intends to work more closely with lead local flood authorities and the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, so that a wider range of potential projects in urban and rural areas can be completed, including natural flood management schemes. Housing and population growth continue to pose an ongoing risk to water security in the Lea catchment and our partnership intends to build more links with planning authorities and developers to influence water-friendly urban growth. The Luton Lea Catchment Partnership is developing strong links with the new Heritage Strategy and is developing the role of the lead project for the natural heritage element. This will bring in different partners and hopefully allow us to engage with more residents and stakeholders in an imaginative way.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Wider water environment

    Chalk River Biodiversity Bank; Capital River Restoration Programme; Land Management Schemes (CSF, ELMS, Landscape Recovery)

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
    Delivery mechanism
    WR Chalk - Chalk restoration fund
    Location
    Lee Upper

  • Wider water environment

    Roll out of: Catchment Sensitive Farming Scheme; Water Company Catchment Assets for Water Scheme; Landscape Recovery ELMS Programmes

    Reason for measure
    Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Lee Upper

Catchment Partnership contributors

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