River Ock catchment

Catchment partnership vision

The Ock Catchment Partnership is working to protect and restore freshwater and wetland habitats, to reduce flooding and diffuse pollution and to ensure the freshwater environment is valued by local people. In partnership with local stakeholders we are doing this by:

  • using evidence to direct project delivery;
  • tackling point-source and diffuse water pollution;
  • adding new and restoring existing clean water habitats in the landscape;
  • raising awareness of the importance of all freshwater environments, including ponds, ditches and headwater streams as well as larger rivers and lakes
  • increasing recognition of the freshwater environment in local planning frameworks.

Freshwater Habitats 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

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    The catchment is largely comprised of agricultural land where diffuse and point source pollution is a problem

  • Physical modifications

    Physical modifications such as weirs affect a significant number of tributaries in the catchment

  • Pollution from waste water

    Waste water pollution incidents affect the water quality at times in the catchment

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

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

    Presence of rare Alkaline Fens and chalk streams within the catchment with poor water quality, declining ecological health, and intense modification

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Diffuse pollution from agriculture has major adverse effects on freshwater but very difficult to address, requires landscape changes to land use

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

    Regular pollution incidents from sewage treatment works and many unregulated private sewage treatment systems

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Negative impacts of climate disruption leading to flooding, drought, severe weather, habitat damage and resource issues

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Continuing loss of habitat and decline in freshwater species, in particular those reliant on good water quality

  • Improved bathing waters (including inland)

    Local people in the catchment want clean water for bathing such as at Port Meadow, Oxford and Wallingford

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Diffuse pollution of nutrients and sediment from agriculture has adverse effects on freshwater wildlife and are difficult to address, requiring landscape changes to land use

  • Pollution from waste water

    Many rare freshwater species cannot tolerate pollution incidents from sewage treatment works and unregulated private systems, whilst exceeding safe bathing waters standards

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Rivers, streams and headwaters are heavily modified by drainage and urbanisation, increasing vulnerability to floods and droughts and unable to support rare wetland wildlife

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

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Pollution from waste water
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

We were successfully awarded funding from the Green Recovery Challenge Fund to deliver Building Oxfordshire's Freshwater Network which restore additional Alkaline Fens, restore and create floodplain mosaics and floodplain meadows and deliver a major wetland rare plant re-introduction scheme with major public engagement. Much of this is occurring in the Ock. Other ongoing work includes:

  • Water Environment Grant in the catchment to undertake restoration work on 4 SSSI Annex 1 alkaline fens.
  • Completing the Saving Oxford's Wetland Wildlife project which falls entirely in the catchment and includes ex-situ rare wetland plant conservation, wetland site habitat improvements, surveys including environmental DNA, water pollution and community engagement.
  • Implementation of locally funded spring-fed alkaline fen restoration project in the catchment working on a Local Wildlife site at Hinksey Heights and expansion to other LWS fens on the Boars Hill escarpment, all within catchment.
  • Ock Catchment Farmer Group to improve collaboration and increase delivery of habitat improvement and Natural Flood Management measures across the catchment and coordination of regular catchment-wide farmer meetings.

Partnership development plans

To increase amount of practical work, including small waterbodies such as ponds and headwater streams as well as rivers. To engage with more local businesses, a sector that is currently under-represented in the Ock catchment partnership, and increase stakeholder engagement. To continue our collaborative catchment-wide work with farmers to reduce diffuse pollution and improve wetland habitat and biodiversity across the Ock catchment. To introduce Natural Flood Management measures to help ameliorate flooding in the catchment.

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
    Ock

  • Confident

    Ock Arable Project to reduce diffuse agricultural pollution to improve the water environment and create or enhance freshwater habitat

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Ock

  • Less certain

    Practical work at Kingston Hill Farm

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Volume of work required on one farm
    Location
    Frilford and Marcham Brook

  • Less certain

    Practical work at Wicklesham Farm

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Volume of work required on one farm
    Location
    Ock (to Cherbury Brook)

  • Less certain

    Practical work at Compton Beauchamp Estate

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Volume of work required on one estate
    Location
    Ock (to Cherbury Brook)

Catchment Partnership contributors

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