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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 60(7)

Predicting potential change in agricultural sediment inputs to rivers across England and Wales by 2015

Adrian L. Collins A C , Steven G. Anthony A , Julia Hawley B and Tony Turner B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Environment Group, ADAS, Woodthorne, Wergs Road, Wolverhampton, WV6 8TQ, UK.

B Rural Management Group, ADAS, Woodthorne, Wergs Road, Wolverhampton, WV6 8TQ, UK.

C Corresponding author. Email: adrian.collins@adas.co.uk

Marine and Freshwater Research 60(7) 626-637 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF08033
Submitted: 13 February 2008  Accepted: 3 December 2008   Published: 28 July 2009

Abstract

Recent work has evaluated the gap between current and compliant suspended sediment losses due to farming across England and Wales and the potential for change by 2015. The study adopted the guideline annual average sediment threshold of 25 mg L–1 cited by the European Union Freshwater Fish Directive. Compliance testing required national scale sediment source apportionment to assess the current contributions of diffuse agricultural and urban sector losses, channel bank erosion and point source discharges to the total suspended sediment loads delivered to all rivers. Results suggested that the agricultural sector dominates present day (year 2000) sediment inputs to rivers (1929 kt = 76%) compared with eroding channel banks (394 kt = 15%), diffuse urban sources (147 kt = 6%) and point source discharges (76 kt = 3%). Projected change in farming by 2015, represented by the Business As Usual forecast of structural developments and predicted uptake of sediment mitigation methods, suggested a 9% reduction in sediment losses from the agricultural sector across England and Wales. Further mitigation of diffuse agricultural sediment transfers to watercourses will therefore be necessary to ensure ‘good ecological status’ in some catchments. A similar modelling framework could be applied in other countries.

Additional keywords: agriculture, channel banks, mitigation, source apportionment, suspended sediment, urban sector.


Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under project WQ0106. Paul Taylor assisted with the figures. The Guest Editor and two anonymous referees are thanked for their review comments.


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