News from the Environment Agency

About The Environment Agency

We are an Executive Non-departmental Public Body responsible to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Sponsored Public Body responsible to the National Assembly for Wales.

Our principal aims are to protect and improve the environment, and to promote sustainable development. We play a central role in delivering the environmental priorities of central government and the Welsh Assembly Government through our functions and roles.

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24 April 2012 - Change of Weed Control Management

We have received the following letter from the Environment Agency

Dear all, I am contacting you regarding the change of weed control management from mechanical to applying herbicide to the following watercourses (I have also attached maps for the relevant watercourses):

Burwell Catchwater:

The herbicide application will be applied intermittently where it is deemed to be absolutely necessary for flood risk in order to reduce in-channel emergent vegetation only, thereby allowing the conveyance of flood water. The herbicide to be used is called Roundup Pro-Biactive, which has a very low toxicity and persistence in water i.e. it becomes inactive once in contact with water and soil. As a contact herbicide it only affects plants that it comes into direct contact with; it is applied following very strict guidelines to avoid drift and non-target plants.

The herbicide application will retain at least 50% of the marginal vegetation (either side of the channel), this will obviously vary depending on the flood risk of a particular stretch, ecological sensitivity, and the channel width. Also, along some stretches alternate banks will be sprayed to create a sinuous channel.

Timings

Spraying - between May to November (to be confirmed).

Drought

Please note that due to the current drought conditions it is uncertain, at this stage, whether any weed control will be undertaken this year due to the potential implications to the ecology within the watercourses. The Agency has set-up a Area Drought Strategic Group, whom will assess all Agency operational activities i.e. flood defence, navigation etc. I would imagine that the weed control will need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

9 July 2011 - Draught Poster

We have received the following message from the Environment Agency

You will be aware of the exceptionally dry spring we have experienced this year in this area, and the fact that we are now officially in a drought situation. Attached is a poster highlighting the increased risk to our fisheries over this period, along with signs to keep an eye out for, and the EA emergency hotline number - 0800 807060. Please note that a new, lower-call cost phone number is being phased in (03708 506506), but both are operational at present.

View poster

17 March 2011 - Environment Agency Report

The Environment Agency has released a Fisheries Survey Report for the U/s River Cam dated July 2010; their Preliminary Assessment concludes:

Since the previous spatial survey in 2005, both standing crop and density estimates have increased significantly on the U/s River Cam, with chub dominant by standing crop and brown trout by density. Under the Fisheries Classification Scheme (FCS1), the U/s River Cam has increased from a class ‘D’ in 2005 to a class ‘C’ in 2010. It would appear that site 37 (Sawston Paper Mill), offers the greatest angling potential with this survey recording an exceptional catch including 74 brown trout, 24 chub and 37 dace.

To view the report click here.

22 November 2010 - Fisheries Monitoring Programme

The Environment Agency's 2010 report on the Cam Lodes states that the number of fish in a given area of all species larger than 99mm over all sites fell slightly from 21.39 Ind./100m2 in 2003 to 20.89 Ind.100m2 in 2010. A decline of 2%. But, the average weight of fish in a given area rose significantly from 1266.3 g/100m2 in 2003 to 2039.7 g/100m2 in 2010. An increase of 61%.

Their preliminary assessment concludes that the Cam Lodes remain a Good class ‘B’ status fishery under the Fisheries Classification Scheme (FCS), with roach stocks dominating. Burwell lode appears to offer the greatest angling potential for specimen, match and pleasure anglers alike, with superb mixed catches recorded during 2010, containing numerous roach and common bream amongst specimen tench and carp.

Click here to download the report