Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs

 

Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs

Vision

Make the most of rivers, burns and lochs summary

1. provide for nature 
2. provide for people 
3. reduce flood risk 
4. maintain

Introduction

The landscape of Perth and Kinross has been formed by ice and water and the resulting lochs, rivers and burns have provided livelihoods for local folk for thousands of years. Water has provided power for industry in watermills and latterly hydro-electric power, as well as aiding the clothmaking and dyeing industries. Water is an important wildlife habitat and plays a major role in drawing tourists to the area. Communities are realising the value of looking after natural water and the huge benefits and enjoyment that can follow.

There is a range of legislation, policies and organisations covering the management of water and water safety. More details can be found on Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs pdf.

The Vision - Nae Place Mair Braw

Perth and Kinross already has some of the finest lochs and rivers in the UK including:

• Loch Earn
• The River Garry
• Glen Lyon
• Falls of Moness
• Glen Lednoch
• The river frontage in Perth - finest of any town in Scotland

Perth and Kinross has the opportunity to make more of its rivers burns and lochs through excellent design, management and maintenance. These could bring an unrivalled benefit to the community as well as provide rich habitats for wildlife.

Make the most of rivers, burns and lochs? - A summary

The following four principles will help us achieve the vision: 

1. Provide for nature Environmental sustainability Use a river basin management approach to the care of water. Encourage natural rivers, burns and lochs. Prevent or intercept pollution - reduce run-off Maintain a natural look
2. Provide for people Economic and social sustainability Provide for activity? (fishing, canoeing,?? ) Face the water Provide access Create interest and amenity Celebrate crossings: bridges and fords
3. Reduce flood risk Tackle flooding at source and throughout the catchment Use sustainable drainage measures Don't build on land at risk from flooding (SPP7) If there is a problem with flooding that can't be solved by these measures then: Use natural engineering measures Use local materials Use natural land-forms Don't interfere with the equilibrium of the river and keep it natural.
4. Maintenance remove litter remove man made materials from river beds and loch shores - eg bricks, concrete blocks

For further details please see: Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs (PDF, 3.03mb).

By following these principles we can achieve the objectives of the Council's Corporate Plan 

1. A Safe, Secure and Welcoming Environment 
2. Healthy, Caring Communities 
3. A Prosperous, Sustainable, Inclusive Economy 
4. Educated, Responsible and Informed Citizens
5. Confident, Active and Inclusive Communities

Actions

1. Provide for Nature

Water is essential to Scotland's 90,000 species. Rivers, burns and lochs provide vital habitats, and link everything wildlife together in a continuous chain. Their importance to nature cannot be understated. However water is under threat from pollution, over-drainage, and interference.

To provide for nature we need natural rivers and burns. Features to be looked for include: 

	Gravel beds provide a breeding ground for fish and invertebrates, pools and riffles form naturally and provide a ladder by which fish can navigate, the riffles oxygenate the water, the pools provide deeper water. A natural river will also form meanders.
	This small section of burn is a barrier to wildlife. A 40 metre section with a depth of water less than 10 cm is sufficient to stop most fish.

For further details please see: Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs (PDF, 3.03mb).

2. Provide for people

People are naturally attracted to water, and the rivers, burns and lochs of Perth and Kinross are one of the main reasons why people visit the area, bringing in the best part of half a billion pounds in tourist income.

Encouraging safe use - Safety is an important issue, and sometimes it can be an emotive one with talk of fencing and warning signs. People have a right to enter water under the The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. A huge amount of fun and enjoyment can be had from water, but there are risks for the unwary and for the reckless. People are under a duty to have regard to their own safety, and it is not the responsibility of anyone other than themselves to stop them undertaking reckless acts. The council will try to warn people where there is hidden danger. But there is a balance to be struck. There is no point in cluttering town and countryside with signs warning people of dangers of which they are already aware. Young children are generally not aware of risks, and do need to be protected. Rule 4 of the Highway Code states that "Young children should not be out alone on the pavement or road". Similarly young children should not be out alone in the vicinity of water.

Face the water

Even though properties fronting water are worth as much as 20 percent more, most properties back on to water. The same can be said for communities. Very few make much use of their natural assets.

	This burn has been turned from an asset into a problem. It has been hemmed in, its banks have been artificially steepened. The burn is now a nuisance, and there may be times when it is a threat.
	Bourton on the Water in the south of England is a very popular tourist destination in England, bringing an estimated 250,000 people a year. The river is the focal point of the village. Each successive generation has worked to enhance its beauty.
	A village in Yorkshire where the housing faces on to the river, and great care is taken over the maintenance of the public realm
	The houses in Dunning face the water too. A little more maintenance and a small amount of investment would turn this section of the Dunning burn into a truly beautiful location.

Provide amenity

The river frontage in York heaves with people. Rivers can be turned into magnets for people with the aid of some additional amenities such as restaurants, pubs or cafes. There are some important opportunities to be had in Perth and Kinross.

+ For further details please see: Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs (PDF, 3.03mb).

3. Reduce flood-risk

In the past flooding was dealt with where it happened, generally by raising walls or encasing watercourses in concrete. Today the Scottish Environment Protection Agency advocate sustainable flood management.

• flooding is tackled by looking at the whole catchment: from source to sea
• the measures taken protect and work with natural systems and habitats, such as floodplains and wetlands and the dynamics of a river
• soft engineering techniques are used in preference to hard engineering.

Soft engineering - using natural processes to do the work for us and addressing the problems of flooding by tackling them at source. Much of this revolves around trying to slow the flow of water down a catchment, and making sure that the river can use its natural floodplain. Reducing the peak flow by a few percent can prevent a damaging flood. Measures include:

• Replanting upland gully woodlands 
• Restoring wetlands 
• Planting new woodlands, and reversing the over-drainage of forestry plantations. 
• Protecting banks with natural materials or vegetation. 
• Using siphon outlets used instead of conventional piped outlets.

In some areas however we have developed on floodplains, even with historic settlements

Scotland has a legacy of damaged watercourses. It is a mark of past generations treating water as a liability rather than an asset. Too many watercourses have been buried in underground culverts of set in concrete channels, as illustrated on the left. However it is possible to provide effective drainage and an attractive environment.

Perth and Kinross has some of the best examples of flood defence schemes in the UK.



The flood protection scheme that stops the Tay from inundating the centre of Perth looks like the entrance to a stately home. It is actually a reinforced wall that can hold back Great Britain's most powerful river - at its peak the river can fill an olympic size swimming pool in one second.

Techniques are available to manage flood risk, without damaging the environment.

4. Maintain well

Rivers, burns and lochs are best left alone - they have done quite well by themselves since the last ice age!

All bodies of water will naturally fill with silt over periods of hundreds or thousands of years. It does not follow that we have to interfere with this natural process. Dredging does immense damage to a natural habitat, and should be carefully thought through before being attempted.

Litter collection

Water is an effective litter trap, and all the time people discard their waste, arrangements will be needed for litter picking to be in place.



Bricks and rubble

Concrete and brick dumped on the edge of a loch - it will take around 1000 years for natural erosion to take care of this. It is important that the shores of lochs and the beds of rivers and burns contain nothing other than natural local materials.



+ For further details please see: Vision for Rivers, Burns and Lochs (PDF, 3.03mb).