Your questions answered
To be updated in places
1. What is the Dee Catchment Management Plan?
The River Dee catchment is the area of land drained by the River Dee and its tributary burns. The Dee Catchment Management Plan (CMP) is concerned with the health of the catchment’s water environment, which encompasses not only the natural water resources, such as rivers, burns, lochs and groundwaters, but also riverine habitats such as wetlands and riparian areas, as well as the species they support. The high quality of this water environment gives it great value to local communities and businesses - as a habitat for wildlife, for drinking water, as a recreational environment, as a basis for tourism and salmon fishing, and as a central asset underpinning much of the rural economy Water quality is greatly affected by how we use and manage the catchment, and, because all of the running waters in the catchment are connected, a poor quality burn in one part of the catchment can reduce the environmental condition of the whole area. The purpose of developing the Dee CMP is to integrate these increasing and often competing demands and minimise their impacts on the Dee catchment’s waters, to ensure that these resources are used in a wise and sustainable way.
2. What is the Dee CMP aiming to achieve?
The Dee CMP is an agreed strategic framework for the future management of the catchment. It will help to ensure that everyone - from individual householders and farmers to government agencies - is working to a common plan. To achieve this will require catchment-wide input from all of the individuals, organisations and agencies involved.
3. How long has the Dee CMP been in existence?
In 1999 the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) collated the key water-related issues in the catchment into an Issues document. There was an initial public consultation on this document in 1999. Subsequently a Steering Group was formed to further develop the Dee CMP in light of the European Water Framework Directive and the designation of the River Dee as a Special Area of Conservation.
Three Working Groups, on which a wide range of local stakeholders were represented, considered the responses to the 1999 consultation and recommended solutions to the key issues. These recommendations were collated into the draft Dee Catchment Management Plan that was put out for catchment-wide consultation in autumn 2006. The first Dee CMP was published in November 2007.
4. Who is involved?
The Dee CMP has been developed by a partnership of 15 Steering Group members (see Dee CMP Summary) and other representatives of organisations and agencies, as well as individuals who have volunteered to contribute their time and expertise to the process. The Dee Catchment Officer, Dr Susan Cooksley is hosted by The Macaulay Institute.
5. How is it managed?
The Dee Catchment Officer manages the process with guidance from a Dee CMP Management Group made up of the key agencies and funding partners (see Dee CMP Summary for details).
6. What has the Dee CMP cost so far?
The initial funding for the Dee CMP was £93,500. This covered the costs of the Dee Catchment Officer and the production of the consultative draft Dee CMP that was produced in 2006. The Macaulay Institute contributed in kind through the hosting of the Catchment Officer while SEPA made an additional contribution by funding the printing of the catchment plan documents.
7. Is there funding for the future of the Dee CMP? If so where will it come from?
A second phase of funding (£81,000) has been secured for the next 2 years (to 31 July 2009). This will allow for the continued employment of the Dee Catchment Officer to aid the implementation of early actions of the Dee CMP and for materials to promote and raise awareness of the Plan. The funding comes from the key partnership organisations – Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen Harbour Board, Aberdeenshire Council, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage and The Macaulay Institute. There is also a contribution from The MacRobert
Trust.
8. Is the Dee CMP a statutory responsibility?
There is no statutory responsibility to have a catchment
level Plan, only the responsibility for Scotland to have a River Basin Management Plan (RBMP). However the establishment of a catchment level plan will help the delivery of a RBMP and also ensure that this integrates with our responsibilities to protect the River Dee and its designation as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
9. How does the Dee CMP fit with the River Basin Management Planning (RBMP) process?
River basin planning is a system that will promote sustainable water use in a way which protects and improves the water environment. The first RBMP for the Scotland river basin district will be in place in 2009 and this will include targets and actions to protect and enhance Scotland’s water environment. A catchment level plan contributes to the local delivery of RBMP obligations.
10. How does the Dee CMP Steering Group fit with the RBMP North East Area Advisory Group?
The Scotland river basin district has been split into eight advisory group areas, each with its own advisory group to involve local organisations and expertise to contribute to and plan improvements on a manageable scale. Many of the organisations that sit on the NE Area Advisory Group are also members of the Dee CMP Steering Group. The Dee CMP allows the focus to be drilled down a further level from multi-catchment to catchment level.
11. What contribution does the Dee CMP make to European Directives e.g. Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Habitats Directive?
Objectives that contribute to the obligations of the Water Framework and Habitats Directives - preventing deterioration, meeting ‘good ecological status’ and returning populations of SAC qualifying species to ‘favourable conservation status’- are central to the Dee CMP. These include generalised actions, such as those aimed at reducing diffuse source pollution, as well as area- and species-specific objectives. Actions relating to sustainable flow management will also contribute to the implementation of the EU Floods Directive.
12. What happens after the launch of the Dee CMP?
The launch of the Dee CMP (21st November 2007) was the final stage in the development of the Plan but, more importantly, was the start of the delivery and implementation of the significant number of Actions set out in the 37 Action Cards.
13. How have the priorities for action been set?
On 26th November a workshop was be held at Douneside (Tarland), to which representatives of the Steering Group and other organisations and stakeholders involved in the delivery of Dee CMP Objectives were invited. The aim of this workshop was to establish priorities for implementation and to identify possible future delivery mechanisms. From this exercise four priorities for action were agreed: 1) Reducing diffuse pollution, 2) Reducing pollution from septic tanks, 3) Reducing rates of runoff and restoring/enhancing natural floodplains, 4) Restoring urban watercourses.
14. How is the implementation of the Dee CMP actions going to be managed?
Funding to continue the Dee Catchment Officer’s post has been secured to the end of July 2009. The Dee Catchment Officer, Dr Susan Cooksley, supported by the Dee CMP Management and Steering Groups will work with relevant agencies and stakeholders to ensure the priorities for action are delivered.
15. Where can I see the Plan?
The plan is available at libraries throughout the catchment and can be downloaded from www.theriverdee.org. Copies can be obtained from the Dee Catchment Officer (details below).
16. How can I get involved?
The successful delivery and implementation of the Plan relies on all the stakeholders doing what they can, from the agencies who are classed as being responsible for the protection of the water environment such as SEPA, SNH, Scottish Water and local authorities to the land owners/managers and communities within the catchment. To find out how you can become involved contact the Catchment Officer (details below).
To find out more contact Dr Susan Cooksley, Dee Catchment Officer
Dee Catchment Partnership, c/o The Macaulay Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8HQ
T: 01224 395000 E: info@theriverdee.org W: www.theriverdee.org