Catchment management

A catchment is the area of land drained by a river and its tributaries. The area of a catchment could include the slopes of hills, floodplains, lochs and forests. The quality and quantity of waters within a catchment closely reflect a wide range of natural processes and human activities which occur throughout the entire catchment, including its ground waters and wetlands.

The waters in a catchment are connected, which means that an activity leading to poor water quality in one part of the catchment may have the potential to affect the health of a much wider area. The waters of a catchment, and their associated wildlife, provide a range of benefits to society, which are sometimes referred to as 'environmental services'. They provide water supply for numerous domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes, waste disposal, raw materials for the food and drink industries, energy for hydropower generation, wild fisheries, and places for tourism, education and enjoyment.

Understanding the nature of the demands and impacts of relevant activities within the upland, lowland and coastal areas of catchments can provide information which can be used to help to manage these activities in a sustainable way.

The Water Framework Directive

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) is an ambitious piece of European environmental legislation, which aims to improve and protect the water environment on a catchment scale. Its aims are to:

• prevent deterioration and enhance status of aquatic ecosystems, including groundwater;
• promote sustainable water use;
• reduce pollution;
• contribute to the mitigation of floods and droughts.

The WFD required the production of River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) by December 2009. RBMPs are the means by which statutory objectives based on ecological assessments and economic judgments are set for Scottish waters. They cover all types of water body (such as rivers, lochs, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater) and:  

• describe the current condition of our water bodies;
• identify where current or historic activities are reducing the quality of our water bodies;
• describe the actions needed to deliver environmental improvements.

Catchment Initiatives

As well as the river basin plans developed under the WFD, there are around 11 catchment management initiatives underway in Scotland. These initiatives work together with the river basin plans to try to ensure that a catchment's water resources are used in a sustainable way. 

One example of this is the Dee Catchment Partnership (DCP) - a voluntary association of those who have an interest in the sustainable management of the Dee catchment's waters. The DCP has produced a Management Plan, which considers a broad range of issues, including flood management, water pollution, river engineering and the impacts of recreation.

The DCP's Steering Group members have agreed and signed-up to the Plan, with 4 objectives (restoring urban watercourses, reducing pollution from septic tanks, reducing diffuse source pollution and managing flows) identified as priorities for action. These priorities are being addressed through a variety of projects in the catchment.