Sub catchment issues

The Water Framework Directive requires us to achieve ‘good ecological status’ in the waters of Deeside. Although water quality in the catchment is generally good, there are some areas that are considered to be ‘at risk’ of failing to achieve this quality target by the deadline of 2015. These areas include the catchments of two tributaries of the River Dee (the Tarland Burn and the Elrick Burn) and two lochs (the Loch of Skene and Loch Davan).

An initiative called 3-Dee Vision was established in 2003 with the help of European funding with the aim of improving the quality of three of these waterbodies (Tarland Burn, Elrick Burn and Loch Davan). This was a partnership project, involving the local communities, land owners and managers and public bodies all working together to achieve improvements in water quality in these catchments. This project has ended, but the measures that have been put in place, as well as continuing to benefit the catchments, will be of great value as demonstration sites to help encourage similar improvements elsewhere in the Dee catchment.

These catchments have been included in this management plan because the work of the 3-Dee Vision project needs to continue and be further developed if the water quality in these catchments is to continue to improve. These action cards are examples of ongoing, integrated approaches to catchment management and as such are models for other sub-catchments where similar improvements are required.

See Action Cards 35-38.