• About us
• Air
• Climate change
• Flooding
• Land
• Planning
• Radioactive substances
• Waste
• Water
• Bathing waters
• Diffuse pollution
• Hydropower
• Marine Science
• Monitoring and classification
• Protected areas
• Restoration fund
• River basin planning
• Scotland
• Solway Tweed
• National Advisory Group
• Area Advisory Groups
• Argyll and Lochaber
• AMP introduction
• Conditions and objectives
• Actions planned
• Appendix
• Clyde
• Forth
• North East Scotland
• North Highland
• Orkney and Shetland
• Solway
• Tay
• Tweed
• West Highland
• Area Advisory Group forums
• Fish and Fisheries AG
• How we work with others
• DP Priority catchments
• Significant issues
• Waterbody Data Sheets
• Diffuse pollution MAG
• River levels
• Water regulation
• Water publications
• External links
• Science and research
• Customer information...
• SEPA Kids

Actions planned to achieve our objectives

River basin management planning requires us to establish a programme of actions, or measures, to protect water bodies currently at good or high ecological status and to restore water bodies that are below good ecological status. The programme for Scotland includes the latest investment planning work for Scottish Water, working with landowners to reduce pollution and tackling pressures from drinking water supply, hydropower generation and flood protection. The measures in the Scotland river basin district plan automatically feed into this area management plan.

Some key measures to achieve the priorities for the Argyll and Lochaber area and how they link to national processes are described below. Further information can be found in Chapter 3 of the Scotland river basin district plan.

The action plan which accompanies this document summarises measures which will be delivered by a local partnership approach through the Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group. Some of the measures carried out locally will contribute to protecting or improving water body status in a less direct way, for example through awareness raising and education, while others involve long-term projects and multiple partners.

More specific information on the measures that the Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group members will take forward is included in catchment summaries and on the water body sheets on the interactive map. These will be kept as live documents during the planning cycle and will be updated as more measures are developed and implemented.

Flow regulation and abstraction

National actions

To reduce the number of water bodies affected by changes to natural flow and the amount of water in rivers and lochs, SEPA is working closely with Scottish Water and hydropower operators to reach agreements on how they can provide improved flow to affected rivers by amending the operation of schemes to optimise river flows, change abstraction pattern or reduce net abstraction to meet required standards. SEPA is the lead authority on using the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR) to achieve these measures, but will also work with the Fish and Fisheries Advisory Group to produce guidance on appropriate mitigation measures.

Local actions

The Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group can review water bodies where this pressure is identified in order to assess any possible contribution they could make locally to mitigation measures. Local fisheries trusts have already been working with operators in the area to discuss appropriate mitigation measures. The group could also deliver water efficiency awareness raising campaigns. More information is included in the catchment summaries.

Alterations to beds, banks and shores

Forestry pressures

National actions

Forestry Commission Scotland and SEPA are working together to achieve the objectives of good ecological status for water bodies affected by forestry pressures, through measures including removal of non-native conifers from banks and shores, establishing well structured vegetation cover to form buffer zones along banks and shores (eg native species planting) in compliance with relevant legislation and guidance (including the Forest & Water Guidelines). The Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government are leading on ensuring similar measures can be implemented on privately owned forest estates. There will also be continued work to ensure best operational practice is employed to ensure no deterioration of water bodies.

Local actions

Close partnership working with the Forestry Commission Scotland will continue through the Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group. Many local forestry measures, particularly to restructure and fell forests ahead of the original schedule, to establish buffer strips and to plant native species have already been committed to. We will investigate the establishment of a sub-group to raise awareness of forestry pressures and measures, particularly to facilitate discussions with the private forestry sector. Forestry measures will also be considered in the development of the Carradale catchment management plan. Please see the Kintyre coastal catchment summary for more information.

Other pressures on beds, banks and shores

National actions

There are many actions available to improve water bodies affected by pressures on beds, banks and shores, including those which affect fish passage, from agriculture, hydropower and transport as in this area. These include passive or low level intervention such as fencing off water courses to allow natural recovery and also using the Controlled Activities Regulations to ensure fish passes are installed and the use of restoration funds to remove redundant fish barriers. There is also a national program for fish barrier removal which is led by SEPA.

Local actions

Potential actions which are required to fix the channelisation and fish barrier pressures in the area have been included in the Scotland river basin district plan and in this area management plan. However, other actions have not been discussed in detail or agreed with those involved.

The Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group has a key role to play in reviewing the local actions required to fix these pressures. The group will consider options for the restoration of straightened rivers and burns, balancing land managers’ needs with those of the water environment. This will involve working with landowners, and with Argyll and Bute Council for two road culvert pressures, to establish what measures can be implemented and the timescales for them. We will also work together to identify funding for these measures such as the SEPA restoration fund or the Scottish Rural Development Program (SRDP).

Diffuse pollution

National actions

There is a national rural diffuse pollution plan for Scotland, developed by the Diffuse Pollution Management Advisory Group. This group is a partnership of national organisations which can play a role in managing diffuse pollution.

The approach is based on a two tiered strategy:

• a national awareness raising campaign to improve water bodies affected by diffuse pollution and prevent further deterioration, including promoting the uptake of the diffuse pollution General Binding Rules;
  
• a targeted approach in catchments where the extent of the diffuse pollution pressure on the water environment requires a more focused effort. Whilst focusing on these catchments for diffuse pollution, the mitigation of other impacts on the water environment will also be considered, such as changes to beds and banks, abstractions, flooding and invasive non-native species.

Fourteen diffuse pollution priority catchments have been selected across Scotland for inclusion in the first river basin planning cycle. Although none of the priority catchments for the first cycle are in the Argyll and Lochaber area, further candidate diffuse pollution priority catchments have been prioritised for the Argyll and Lochaber area in future cycles (see local actions below).

More information is available on SEPA’s website.

Local actions

The diffuse pollution pressure from production of non-renewable energy refers to acidification of water bodies from fossil fuel burning. These water bodies will only recover in the longer term. Some local measures, such as appropriate native forestry planting, may help some water bodies recover.

To tackle the local diffuse pollution pressures and to ensure no deterioration in ecological potential/status, the Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group will help promote the national diffuse pollution awareness raising campaign locally. This will help ensure that diffuse pollution General Binding Rules under the Controlled Activities Regulations (and other best practice) is being adhered to in forestry and farming operations.

In addition, the Argyll and Lochaber area contains the following candidate priority catchments for diffuse pollution in subsequent river basin planning cycles:

• 2021 cycle - Etive coastal
• 2027 cycle - Appin coastal
• 2027 cycle - Ardgour coastal
• 2027 cycle - Colonsay coastal
• 2027 cycle - Islay coastal
• 2027 cycle - Jura coastal
• 2027 cycle - Kintyre coastal
• 2027 cycle - Kerrara coastal
• 2027 cycle - Knapdale coastal
• 2027 cycle - Seil coastal
• 2027 cycle - Island of Mull coastal
• 2027 cycle - Lismore coastal
• 2027 cycle - Ulva and Gometra coastal

Most of these diffuse pollution priority catchments contain or have neighbouring protected shellfish growing waters. As mentioned above, the reasons for the current shellfish growing water failures are not clear in most cases.

SEPA and the Area Advisory Group can play a key role in facilitating the research which is required to establish the source of the pollution that is downgrading these protected areas and therefore the measures required to improve them. This will allow us to prepare for the diffuse pollution priority catchment work in future cycles and to carefully target the necessary actions. Raising awareness of good practice to reduce diffuse pollution will also be a key action in catchments that influence the quality of shellfish waters. Once the source of pollutants is understood better, resources for more focused work can be reassessed. This will be reviewed for the second river basin management plan which will be published in 2015.

Point source pollution

National actions

The main national action to control point source pollution is under SEPA’s remit through the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR) and the General Binding Rules and authorisations included by the regulations.

Local actions

SEPA is working locally to review CAR licences which are causing point source pressures.

Invasive non-native species 

National actions

There are several actions being co-ordinated at a national level to manage the risk of invasive non-native species (INNS) to our water environment. These include the prevention and early detection of INNS introductions, rapid action to prevent spread and control, and eradication of established populations. A supplementary plan for the management of INNS is currently being developed and will be available on the SEPA website.

Local actions

The Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group has a key role to play in the co-ordination of INNS management, through recording the presence of invasive non-native species and implementing the national work outlined in the INNS implementation plan at a local level. Management responsibility is shared by several organisations and, as a result, there are many actions that could usefully be carried out at a local level. These include sharing information on current control and eradication, identifying gaps, encouraging co-ordination of actions and implementation across catchments, raising awareness of nationally produced material, data collection processes and protocols for rapid reaction and encouraging the sharing of good practice and rapid response protocols. Preventing the introduction and spread of invasive non-native species is particularly important in Argyll and Lochaber, as the area currently has relatively few introductions – none of which are currently causing water bodies to fail to reach good ecological status.

Actions to promote and implement a catchment based approach to improving our water environment

Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group members have a role to play in developing catchment projects, where appropriate, to address pressures such as the proposal for a catchment management plan for the Carradale Water. Further information will be available in the catchment summaries and action plan as they are developed.

Putting the plan into action: 2010

The Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group will have a number of roles in developing the actions required to deliver river basin planning at an area level. The group will help to identify actions needed in the area and to translate nationally agreed actions into local work as outlined above. The group will co-ordinate action and identify gaps where key pressures have been identified but no action agreed, and consider how best to tackle such gaps.

This approach is designed to ensure that:

• the Scotland river basin district plan and national strategies are followed;
• actions carried out at an area level are focused on pressures in that area;
• leads and partners are identified;
• timing of actions with each cycle is efficient and co-ordinated;
• the role of the AAG is identified to help formulate a work programme for the AAG (and co-ordinator);
• there is flexibility to develop new measures throughout the cycle while ensuring main aims are followed;
• it allows for annual monitoring of progress against an annually agreed work programme as well as against the main aims of the area management plan.

There are therefore four key areas of work for the Argyll and Lochaber Area Advisory Group to develop by December 2010.

Alterations to beds, banks and shores

1. Investigate establishing a sub-group to raise awareness of forestry pressures and actions, particularly to facilitate discussions with the private forestry sector.
   
2. Work on a catchment basis to further develop and facilitate the implementation of local actions required in the area. The catchment summaries will be available to inform these discussions and SEPA, in consultation with Area Advisory Group members, will suggest a structure and order to work through these, potentially using sub-groups. These sub-groups will report back to the Area Advisory Group which will retain the overview role and will continue to meet twice a year. 

Diffuse pollution

1. Develop a research program to investigate pressures causing protected shellfish waters to fail, in preparation for the priority catchment work in later cycles (include data from Food Standards Agency in this research).

Communications

1. Investigate establishing a sub-group to develop a programme of events and improve public engagement with river basin planning. This group will also discuss the future role and meetings of the Argyll and Lochaber Forum.