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Actions planned to achieve our objectives

North-east Scotland has a successful track record of protecting and improving the water environment through planned programmes to manage and reduce pressures. Until recently this work has been largely focused on tackling polluting discharges.

River basin management planning requires us to establish a programme of measures to prevent deterioration and to improve the ecological status water bodies that are not at good ecological status. The programme for Scotland includes the latest investment planning work for Scottish Water, work with landowners to reduce pollution and to develop ways to tackle pressures from irrigation, drinking water supply, hydropower generation and flood protection.

The measures in the Scotland river basin management plan automatically feed into this area management plan for north-east Scotland, but the action plan which accompanies this document also contains information on a range of measures which will be delivered by local partners. Some of these measures will contribute to water body status in an indirect way, through awareness raising and education, while others involve long-term projects and multiple partners.

The north-east Scotland area management plan will deliver improvements through a combination of regulation, investment, awareness raising and guidance. Specific measures and action plans will be developed through the North-east Area Advisory Group and its subgroups, and further background information on measures is included in the Scotland river basin district plan.

For north-east Scotland, some key measures to achieve the priorities for the area are described below.

To reduce the number of water bodies affected by nutrient enrichment from rural land use, the following national and local actions are planned.

• Focused work to address rural diffuse pollution, using voluntary, economic and regulatory measures will start in 2010. This work is steered by a national partnership, and includes a campaign to promote the uptake of the diffuse pollution General Binding Rules, coupled with a targeted catchment approach where SEPA staff will work directly with land managers in priority catchments. In the north-east of Scotland, the Buchan coastal, Dee, Deveron and Ugie will be priority catchments between 2010 and 2015. More information is available on SEPA's website.
  
• Partnership work on guidance and environmental improvement, including action by Scottish Natural Heritage and others to improve the condition of designated nature conservation sites, and action by Forestry Commission Scotland to ensure that best practice is used when felling, replanting and managing forestry. In addition, local authority guidance and policy will be produced on topics such as sustainable urban drainage systems, soakaways and buffer strips will reduce the impacts of nutrient enrichment on water bodies.

To reduce the number of water bodies affected by sewage discharges and other point source pollution, the following national and local actions are planned.

• Investment in sewerage infrastructure. Scottish Water’s planned programme of investment measures has been developed in partnership with SEPA and others, in order to address pressures on water bodies. In the north-east of Scotland, this programme will deliver specified improvements in sewerage provision, sewage treatment and water supply. SEPA and Scottish Water will also work closely with local planning authorities to ensure the impacts of future developments are considered in an integrated way.
  
• Ongoing regulation of discharges. SEPA regulates and works closely with licensed operators to reduce the impacts of discharges. In the north-east of Scotland, this will involve licensing and partnership work with distilleries and energy providers.

To reduce the number of water bodies affected by changes to beds and banks, and barriers to migratory fish movement, the following national and local actions are planned.

• Information gathering and measures planning. The above work in diffuse pollution priority catchments will identify impacts and plan mitigation measures for changes to beds, banks and shores in the Buchan coastal, Dee, Deveron and Ugie catchments.
  
• Economic incentives and regulation to remove fish barriers. SEPA’s restoration fund can contribute towards the removal of fish barriers from watercourses, while regulation can be used to ensure that the impacts of barriers are mitigated through the use of good design and fish passes. In the north-east of Scotland, the River Dee Trust and Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Trust have used restoration funding to remove a number of fish barriers, and it is hoped that work to prioritise and remove or mitigate barriers will continue through the actions of Area Advisory Group stakeholders.
  
• Ongoing work by fisheries trusts and boards, local authorities and landowners to remove fish barriers, improve bank conditions and improve spawning habitats for migratory fish.

To reduce the number of water bodies affected by abstraction, the following national and local actions are planned.

• Investment: Scottish Water will aim to minimise the amount of water required for supplying customers, through efficient management of the water supply system.
  
• Planning: SEPA and Scottish Water will work with local planning authorities to highlight areas where abstraction for drinking water is putting pressure on water bodies, and where future development must be constrained or the development impacts mitigated.
  
• Regulation: SEPA will work in partnership with hydropower generation companies and other operators who abstract water (such as whisky producers) to review licenses under the Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR).

More widely, the members of the Area Advisory Group have identified a broad range of ongoing and future projects to secure additional improvements in water body status. Examples include research and awareness raising work and funded work to develop innovative solutions on point pollution, habitat management and restoration.

Catchment management planning is well developed for a number of river catchments in the north-east of Scotland, including the Dee, Spey, Don and Deveron. These plans have been developed through extensive engagement with stakeholders, and the north-east area management plan is intended to link closely with these plans.

Putting the plan into action

The North-east Area Advisory Group has developed an action programme for this first area management plan, and will continue to assess how well these measures are working. The group will review the status of water bodies and the progress of measures in the north-east on an annual basis, and will amend existing measures and develop new measures as required.

The group will consider the interaction of national processes with local initiatives, and will use their local knowledge to identify gaps where additional action is needed. The group has agreed that its efforts should be focused on complex issues where partnership working is required, and has identified four initial priorities for action during the first period of river basin planning (2010–2015).

• To reduce the impacts of nutrient enrichment from diffuse pollution and sewage treatment. This will involve an initial focus on the Buchan coastal, Dee, Deveron and Ugie catchments.
  
• To increase the number of water bodies accessible to migratory fish, and tackle alterations to beds and banks. Initially, this will concentrate on the Dee, Spey and Deveron catchments where several water bodies are downgraded because of fish barriers.
  
• To reduce the impacts of abstraction, particularly on the Deveron, Spey and Buchan coastal catchments.
  
• To raise awareness of the importance of the water environment to north-east Scotland, and to let people know how their actions can protect and enhance it. This will require communication, events and projects across the whole north-east of Scotland.

To help with these priorities, the group has agreed several partnership and sub group working approaches to focus their efforts and develop pilot projects.

Rural diffuse pollution

The Area Advisory Group will develop closer links to the work of the Dee Catchment Management Partnership’s diffuse pollution group. Farming and land user representatives within the Area Advisory Group will also help to advise on the priority catchment approach on diffuse pollution.

Point source pollution and abstraction

The Area Advisory Group will receive regular updates, as appropriate, from Scottish Water and SEPA on progress with planned investment in water treatment, sewerage and abstraction levels. Local authorities will also be asked to provide updates on their planning policies which relate to water treatment and drinking water supply, and how these are working to tackle point source pollution and abstraction.

Fish barriers and alterations to beds and banks

We will form a small subgroup to review knowledge on fish barriers, prioritise action and seek funding to remove or mitigate barriers. This is likely to link with SEPA’s annual data review meetings. Catchment survey work in priority catchments is also likely to identify where channelisation and other changes to beds and banks is an issue, and will help the group to develop priorities for action.

Awareness raising and helping to promote wider action

We will form a small communications task group to develop a programme of events, prepare a communication plan to improve public engagement with river basin planning.

Catchment management planning

We will agree working approaches with existing and new catchment management planning groups to ensure that we work together in an effective and positive way. This will include sharing data and information and ensuring that the objectives of catchment management plans and the north-east area management plan are linked.

The Area Advisory Group will receive updates from the subgroups and annual data reviews, which will enable them to monitor progress. They will produce a short briefing each year which will outline progress in delivering river basin planning in north-east Scotland, and highlight significant areas of achievement and issues of concern. Short action plans will be produced by subgroups to tackle any issues of concern.