North West Hydro Resource Model

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Hydro Resource Evaluation Tool

environmental implications

Does the stretch contain any Priority Habitat?

• Is the water course or any of the surrounding land covered by Habitat Action Plans (HAP)?

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan was produced in response to the international Convention on Biological Diversity that was signed in 1992.  A characterisation of the British landscape in terms of Broad Habitats was created and specific habitats were identified that were considered sensitive and needed targeted management, these are called the Priority Habitats.  Habitat Action Plans have been written for each Priority Habitat and these are kept under review.

Both the water course and its surroundings can be classed as Priority Habitats with different management plans.  A general description of the classification can be found on the UKBAP web-site.  Rivers and streams are a Broad Habitat and Rivers are a Priority Habitat.  Not all rivers and streams are given Priority status; the MAGIC web-site will help with identification of specific locations, but as not all sites have been assessed and their quality can change they may be classified at any time.

The categories that will cause the identification include (after UKBAP):

1. Headwaters – this is where the water course is within 2.5 km of its source
2. EU Habitat Directive Annex I habitat (H3260 Water courses containing water crowfoots Ranunculion fluitantis and Callitricho-Batrachion vegetation). These are often (but not always) designated as SACs.  Water crowfoots create floating mats of white-flowered vegetation often filling river channels in early to mid-summer. They may modify water flow, promote fine sediment deposition, and provide shelter and food for fish and invertebrate animals and can be susceptible to changes in flow regimes.
3. Chalk Rivers – as they are not found in NW England, so can be ignored..
4. Active shingle rivers – where the river bed has gravel or pebbles, sometimes with sand.  Typical of slow, meandering rivers, although not ideal for power extraction, they may be sensitive to changes in flow regime in their higher reaches.
5. SSSI (Sites of Special Scientific Interest):
1. SSSI designated for river species, riverine features or fluvial geomorphology
2. Rivers designated for other features (e.g. surrounding wetlands), with the exception of severely degraded reaches (see below)
6. Sites identified for fluvial geomorphology through the Geological Conservation Review (GCR) – again may be sensitive to modifications of the flow regime.
7. Species – detailed quantitative guidance is under development but will include:

1. Annex II species
2. BAP priority species

8. Riverine water bodies of high hydromorphological/ecological status. The Environment Agency is working on criteria and rules to identify such water bodies, which will be added to the UK BAP criteria when they are available.

Disqualifying feature

9. Reaches which are heavily degraded and which have little scope for improvement, for example because they are heavily canalised, will not be considered for inclusion as BAP priority habitat.

Action: Check MAGIC and UKBAP web-site.