1
A resource protection project in detail.
The Water Friendly Farming Project in the headwaters of the Eye
Brook and Stonton Brook is an excellent example of how partners and
funders are working together to investigate and resolve a variety of
issues in the Welland Valley.
Project
Name
Water Friendly Farming
Issue
Sediment and associated biodiversity, macro-nutrients and pesticides in water
Evidence
for issue
Phosphate - WFD assessment sampling; Anglian Water phosphate sampling
Metaldehyde - AW sampling at Drinking Water Intakes
Sediment and nutrients – GWCT research at Loddington and Eye Brook
Evidence below from Pond Conservation/GWCT sampling of WFF catchments
 95% of water bodies are polluted by nitrogen or phosphorus (or both) - 167
sites samples
 Ditches and ponds show greater chemical variability than streams
 Unpolluted waters are equally divided between ponds, streams and ditches
Where
This project is being carried out in Eye Brook & Stonton Brook (Welland
catchment) & Barkby Brook (Soar catchment) as a demonstration of the benefits
of optimal implementation of mitigation measures that could be applied across
the Welland river basin and beyond.
Project
Objective
Why
To assess and demonstrate the benefits (sediment, nutrients, pesticides and
biodiversity) of landscape scale implementation of diffuse pollution mitigation
measures and habitat creation in a practical farming context.
Project
Outcomes
What will it
achieve?
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Project
outline
Quantification of the changes in sediment, nutrient, pesticides and
biodiversity in response to optimal implementation of mitigation measures
and habitat creation
Practical recommendations for wider adoption across the upper Welland
river basin and beyond
Recommendations to regional and national policy
Demonstration facility for visiting farmers, regulators, policy makers and
others
Three headwater catchments. In two of these a range of DWP (Diffuse Water
Pollution) mitigation measures will be introduced in a practical farming context:
Catchment 1 = Control with no change for comparison
Catchment 2 = Resource protection measures including…..
• Gateways, tracks: modified to reduce runoff
• Tillage system, tramlines: reduced-tillage, tramlines optimised
• Nutrient management: nutrient input reductions implemented throughout
• Land drain interception: land-drained water through pond systems
• Buffer strips: targeted size and location of buffers
• Fencing: running waters on pasture should be fenced against heavy
livestock impact
• Livestock drinkers: Drinkers avoid need for access to stream
• Road runoff: road drains intercepted in pond systems
• Rural sewage treatment/septic tanks: impact mitigated
• Livestock systems: slurry management etc in place
• Permeable and impermeable dams in ditches
2
Catchment 3 = As above plus habitat creation:
• Headwaters: naturalised, terraced temporary pools
• Trees: small scale targeted planting
• Standing water habitats: new clean water ponds
• Lower catchment and floodplain restoration: opportunities taken for river
channel and floodplain restoration on second or third order systems
• Structures: unnatural blockages to fish movement removed
Project
Phases
Years 1 &
2: 2010/11
& 2011/12
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Subsequen
t years
Planning
mitigation
/ habitat
creation
measures
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Further
Sampling &
Monitoring
planned
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Permissions / discussion with c30 farmers/landowners
Broad scoping out of catchment: walkover, conductivity survey, soils
Creating biological / phys-chem baseline
o Wetland plants
o Aquatic inverts
o Fish
o Suspended sediment and nutrients
o Pesticides
Identify impacts, develop mitigation plan
Model and identify key sites for mitigation
Year 3: Introduce mitigation / habitat creation measures
Year 4: Start monitoring effects
Year 5: 2nd year of monitoring effects
Year 6: More periodic long-term programme
Continuous monitoring of flow and turbidity at catchment outlet, with
supplementary use of auto-samplers to determine exported loads of P, N &
suspended sediment
Lower frequency sampling of water bodies across the catchments
Monitoring of selected pesticides
Monitoring of macro-inverts and macrophytes
Partners
GWCT; Pond Conservation, Local farmers; Environment Agency; Syngenta, York
university; Anglian Water, WRT
Other
informatio
n
Water Friendly Farming is one of a number of Resource Protection research and
demonstration projects being carried out by GWCT & Partners at their farm at
Loddington.
Loddington Farm is based on the Eye Brook, one of only three of the Welland
tributaries at Good Ecological Status but designated HLS target area because of
risk of failing status.
Cost &
Funding
Funding currently from
EA (£120k over two years),
Syngenta (two year staff post),
Anglian Water (£15k).
Continuing funding being sought.
Related
Projects
See this link for related projects:
http://www.gwct.org.uk/research__surveys/the_allerton_project/default.asp
Why this
project will
work
This project parallels the three national Demonstration Test Catchments but is
unique in the UK in terms of strong farmer engagement at the start of the
project, existing demonstration facilities, research team resident within the
community, strong landscape biodiversity focus, and monitoring of pesticides that
are of concern to drinking water suppliers.