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The Rural Diffuse Pollution Plan for Scotland Jannette MacDonald Land Unit, SEPA
The Rural Diffuse Pollution Plan for
Scotland
Jannette MacDonald
Land Unit, SEPA
Package of Measures
Funding
Guidance and tools
Regulations
Regulations - The Water Environment (Controlled Activities)
(Scotland) Regulations 2011
Diffuse Pollution General Binding Rules (DP GBRs)
Simple rules based on widely accepted standards of good
practice
Provide a level playing field for land mangers
Cover activities posing a risk to the water environment;
Storage and application of fertiliser
Cultivation of land
Keeping of livestock
Application of pesticides
Operating of sheep dip facilities
LICENCE
GBRs
REGISTRATION
Funding
Scotland Rural Development Programme
riparian buffer strips, fencing, tracks, gates
and river crossings, biobeds, constructed farm
wetlands, arable reversion to grassland
national target for water quality measures in
priority catchments
Cross compliance – GAEC and SMRs
Guidance and tools
Codes of good practice
Sector and pollutant specific
codes
Free nutrient management tool
and dissemination seminars
Demonstration Farms
The Voluntary Initiative for
Pesticides
Implementation
National approach –awareness
raising, guidance & training and
national compliance assessment
Sound science
demonstrate
impact, pollutant
source and
pathways.
Priority catchment approach - a
catchment management type
approach – evidence gathering,
awareness raising, one to one land
manager inspections and advice,
targeting measures and funding.
Priority catchments
Risk based approach
14 selected for first cycle
based on protected area
status and risks to human
health
Cover some of Scotland’s
most important waters for
bathing, drinking,
conservation and recreation
Priority catchment approach
Evidence Base
Awareness
Raising
One to one
visits
Priority catchment findings
> 5000 km walked and on average one non-
compliance per km
Several other sources of pollution found
Good pictorial evidence base
Priority catchment findings – the science bit
How do these findings
relate to loadings of
FIOs and P and impact
on bathing water and river ecology?
Feedback to Land Managers
Point on
map
Description Mitigation
Measure(s)
SRDP options Land
Manager
Options
1 Potential for GBR 19
breach if livestock
allowed access
Exclude livestock
or fence off and
provide
alternative water
supply
Water margins
and enhanced
riparian buffer
areas
4 GBR 19 breach-
poaching by livestock
within 5 metres of
surface water
Exclude livestock
or fence off and
provide
alternative water
supply
Water margins
and enhanced
riparian buffer
areas
8 Compliant buffer strip
(2m) on Right hand bank
Retain buffer
strip and
consider
extending to 6
metres
Water margins and
enhanced riparian
buffer areas
Grass margins and
beetlebanks
Soil and water
management
programme
LMO 14 –
Management of
grass margins and
beetlebanks in
arable fields
LMO 17- Retention
of winter stubbles
LMO 24- Natural
Regeneration after
cereals
Frequently Asked Questions
“So would do you want me to fix the problems around the steading, the road or the fields first?”
How long does it take for GWR to recover? The NVZ rules seem to have made no difference.
How much do septic tanks contribute? And what about cattle watering points?
Years ago the burn was hooching with stuff (technical term!) and we used to throw all sorts on the land. Now it’s more strict and there are hardly any fish now. Why is that?
What about all the silt that comes down the burn naturally?
“Will getting everyone to do this, fix the problem at the beach then?”
Summary
Simple, effective process, delivered in partnership
and focusing on achieving baseline good practice,
on which to build for the next plan
Monitoring the effect of measures
1. Where is the problem?
2. Is it fixed “yes or no”?
3. Why and how are changes happening?
- Can we separate the effect of our measures from
economic impacts, land use change and other pressures?
- If no improvements are evident, why is this? Are the
measures technically suitable? Are they effectively
implemented?
- When will the measures deliver required improvements?
4. What are the most cost-effective measures that deliver
the greatest multiple benefits for the next planning cycle
and rural development programme?
Key questions to assess and understand the effectiveness
of measures to improve water quality as described in the
Rural Diffuse Pollution Plan.
?
?
Water body
type
2015 Objective Strategy
Good or
high status
No deterioration National awareness raising
Less than
good status
but near the
boundary
Good status National awareness raising
Less than
good status
where a
targeted
catchment
approach
required
Improvement by one
status class
Priority catchment approach
WFD Objectives
Examples
Land managers
attitude and
engagement
Surveys
Focus Groups
SRDP applications
Land use and
management
Catchment walks
Farm visits
Land use change
SRDP implementation
Multiple benefits
Environmental Quality WFD Classification
Monitored chemistry and
ecology
Soils data
Modelling
Costs RBMP Impact Assessment
SRDP spend
Data framework to provide an integrated
approach to understanding water quality
Research Monitoring
Thank you
Rural Diffuse Pollution Plan
http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning/diffu
se_pollution_mag.aspx
Priority catchments
http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning/dp_
priority_catchments.aspx
CAR Practical Guide
http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/water_regulation.aspx
1. Identify areas of concern
Biological impacts
Available historic monitoring
Usage
Catchment walks, farm visits
2. Screening techniques
Detect presence / absence
Identify hotspots
Passive samplers / ecology
Spot samples
3. Assess site-specific requirements
Pollutant properties
Potential sources
Questions to be answered
4. Focussed monitoring
Quantitative techniques
Focused on hotspots
Focused on usage periods
Ramp – up
monitoring effort
as needed
PC Water Monitoring - Principles
Source
Fertiliser
Pesticide
Land use and
management
Pathway
Run-off
Erosion
Leaching
Direct
Receptor
Variability
Delayed
eco response
More focus
than in the
past
Spares
Key Science Questions and Tools
Source apportionment
Mapping priority areas
Effect of measures
Research Questions
• Modelling to understand source, pathway, receptor catchment processes
• What is the contribution of the GBR breaches to water body and protected area status?
• How far will compliance get us to good status?
• To what extent is the implementation of measures, rather than the effect of the measures themselves, an issue?
• What are the most cost-effective measures?
What tools are required to help target measures and deliver multiple benefits?
Guidance on multiple benefits e.g. management of buffer strips, minimisation of GHG emissions
Multiple benefits
… cumulatively at the catchment/ landscape scale…
Water quality
improvement
and farm and
forestry business
benefit –
resource use.
Climate
change,
flooding and
soil quality.
Add-on benefits
for Scotland plc
Biodiversity, habitat connectivity, landscape, river restoration
Key Points
Losses of diffuse pollutants = loss to farm business
efficiency
Good evidence base – local and pictorial
Partnership approach – common messages
Face to face contact with land managers key
National and targeted measures are both required
Risk based implementation
Get the baseline right e.g. statutory good practice = long
term cost-effectiveness and no deterioration
Good status?
Measures effective or
Land use change
Land management change
Other?
Measures ineffective or
Measures not targeted
Measures not implemented
Land use change
Land management change
Other pressures
Climate change
Monitoring ineffective – high inter-annual variability
Delayed ecological response
Delayed groundwater response
Other?
WHY?
NO
YES
Links to UK and EU work
WFD and Agriculture Expert Group Aims to have an overview of WFD in
agricultural sector
E.G. April meeting;
CAP/WFD
Rural Development Programmes
GAEC implementation
RBMP review
See WISE www http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-
framework/objectives/implementation_en.htm
River Basins Network
sub-group
Aims to share practical experiences and examples of good practice in support of the WFD implementation by;
Evaluation of measures and specific issues
19 members from 11 countries
E.g. April meeting
Production of guidance document on making PoM operational
Current projects
Diffuse Pollution Monitored Catchments
Review of the sources of, and measures to control, diffuse agricultural pollution
Quantifying the Benefits of Water Quality Catchment Management Initiatives.
Source Apportionment Under The Water Framework Directive
Predicting and understanding the effectiveness of measures to mitigate rural diffuse pollution
Effect of awareness raising
Predictive modelling
Mapping
New S Govt funded R and D 2011-15 and Centre for Expertise in Waters (CREW)
