Identifying opportunity areas
Map created from cumulative scores:
Opportunities for enhancement
PROX. (<50m) TO RIVER = 1pt or 0pt STEEP SLOPE (>5o) = 1pt or 0pt SOIL RISK (H‐M‐L)= 2pt, 1pt or 0pt HYDRO. CONNECTIVITY = 2pt, 1pt or 0pt LANDCOVER = 2pt, 1pt or 0pt MAX SCORE = 8pts
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The priority areas for water quality protection/enhancement are defined as areas of increased risk/importance for water quality regulation (as defined above) with additional information about landuse and condition superimposed on the top. The highest scoring opportunity areas for water quality enhancement are identified by superimposing additional information about activity or land condition onto the map of infrastructure that regulates water quality.
Other optional measures to be considered Data / information
Notes
Farming practice/intensity
An indication of the intensity of farming practice can be gained using AgCensus data.
AgCensus 2010 from EDINA AgCensus. Not included. (www.edina.ac.uk/agcensus)
Soil condition assessment Commercial product of NSRI (Cranfield University) or local soil surveyors. Not included as very patchy and expensive.
Land drainage Dataset from the EU soils database. Not currently included.
CEH Landcover 2000 reclassified according to inherent risk posed to water quality.
Water Quality
CULTIVATED = HIGH RISK = 2pts PERM PASTURE = MED RISK = 1pt NATURAL HAB = LOW RISK = 0pt
Landuse/landcover Risk Landuse is a key indicator of diffuse pollution risk as there are some practices/landuses which inherently pose more of a threat to water quality. For example (notwithstanding that any landuse can become a source of pollution if its condition deteriorates) arable, temporary grassland/ rotational crops, permanent pasture and natural habitats have inherently reducing risk of generating pollution.
Soil condition assessments are available from fine scale soil data, detailed local soil surveys or studies conducted using remote sensing techniques. Areas likely to have land drainage. Remains un-proven – it may show where the risk is reduced for run-off, but not sure whether the impact on leaching has been considered.
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