Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

River Hamble Harbour Management Committee Item 7

24 October 2008

Environment Update

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Alison Fowler tel: 01489 576387 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1. This report summarises the activities and events relating to the environment of the River since June 2008.

2. Recommendation

That the report be noted.

3. Dredging

3.1 Maintenance Dredging Protocol for England: Following Defra's publication of the Maintenance Dredging Protocol for England, the AHM(E) has revisited the Hamble Estuary Dredging Plan to ensure that it will comply with the requirements set out should the Hamble adopt the Protocol. A letter has now been sent to all marinas and boat yards on the Hamble, and a meeting held, explaining the background to the Maintenance Dredging Protocol and the document the RHHA already has in place for the Hamble.  It is hoped that all yards will support the Harbour Authority, as the majority have done previously, in continuing to develop the dredging plan and adopt the Protocol so that any future maintenance dredges can be undertaken with full consideration of the European designated sites yet without the need for additional onerous environmental assessments.

3.2 Timing of Maintenance Dredging: The River Hamble Harbour Authority has been facilitating research and discussions concerning the timing of the maintenance dredging restriction set on the Hamble with regard to migratory salmonid fish. Excellent progress has been made. Following analyses of the water quality data collected during recent winter maintenance dredges in the River Hamble, the Environment Agency has agreed to a relaxation of the timing restrictions for back hoe maintenance dredging in the Hamble, and the following will now apply:

_ 16th September to 1st May - no timing restrictions.  Maintenance dredging does not need to stop should a fish run begin.

_ 2nd May to 15th September - timing restriction.  Removal of this summer restriction is subject to determining the background water quality during the summer months.

3.3 The EA will shortly be looking into the background water quality data over the summer months with a view to seeing if the summer restriction can also be removed, but this needs further investigation. The usual permissions/consents will still be required and the above summary refers only to the back hoe method, with only one dredge occurring at any one time, and applies only to the River Hamble.

3.4 ABP Capital Dredge: The AHM(E) and Harbour Master met with representatives from ABP and ABPMer to discuss the potential impacts of the proposed Southampton Main Channel Dredge on the sediment regime of the River Hamble. A presentation was then given by ABP & ABPMer at the Harbour Board Meeting on the 19^th September to which members of the Management Committee were also invited. Any subsequent comments can be fed back to ABP via the AHM(E).

4. Solent Harbours' Environment Officers:

4.1 The AHM(E) attended a meeting of the environment officers from ports and harbours throughout the Solent. 3 of the 6 posts have seen staff changes in the last 18 months so this meeting gave an excellent opportunity to network, discuss key issues faced by all harbours and explore opportunities for more efficient working. It was apparent that the River Hamble is leading on many of the issues, and is respected for the approach taken on a range of requirements from statutory duties to advisory roles.

5. Solent Forum:

5.1 Dissertation Prize: The AHM(E) was invited to sit on the judging panel of for the Solent Forum's Dissertation Prize. Several of the BSc and MSc students chose to undertake their projects on the Hamble due to the complex nature and intensity of issues faced on this estuary. Projects of note included an investigation into whether it is possible to determine an optimum recreational carrying capacity for the Hamble, and a preliminary survey of the introduced macro algae Undaria pinnatifida.

5.2 The Nature Conservation Group: The Nature Conservation Group of the Solent Forum have employed consultants to undertake a project looking at `Disturbance & impacts on the Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in the Solent'. These impacts must be assessed as part of planning new housing developments. As development in the Solent region increases, the impacts from disturbance to roosting and nesting birds (protected by international designations) may increase as well.  There is a need to determine if there is an impact on the SPA species (different species have different tolerances to disturbance) and what is causing such disturbance. It is only then that the most appropriate management measures can be developed. It is suggested that a toolkit of measures which have been successful elsewhere might be useful. 

6. Pollution Prevention:

6.1 The AHM(E) and HM have undertaken inspections of the 3 fuel berths on the Hamble at Stone Pier Yard, Port Hamble and Premier Marina. The purpose was to ensure that emergency equipment, procedures and staff training are all up to date to minimise the risk of a fuel spill occurring, and to improve response should a spill occur.

7. Hamble Estuary Partnership & Hamble Estuary Management Plan:

7.1 As part of the review of the Hamble Estuary Partnership and the Hamble Estuary Management Plan 2003 to 2008, a questionnaire has been sent to all members, which includes the RHHA. Members are being asked to set out any aspirations for the future management of the river that the HEP could help facilitate, and also the type of services they wish to receive from the HEP in the future. The review will also look into all policies adopted by each member organisation to identify any gaps that the HEP could fill through the delivery of priority projects.

7.2 At the last meeting of the HEP the Partnership agreed to the concept of acting as an additional route through which the Harbour Board could receive stakeholder opinions, and that the Chair of the HEP could attend future HB meetings to voice the range of opinions held by the HEP on certain topics as requested. The Partnership requested that Terms of Reference be drawn up for this role. A route of communications from the HEP to the Management Committee will be provided via the AHM(E).

8. Water Framework Directive:

8.1 The European Water Framework Directive aims to deliver a better water environment, focussing on ecological outcomes. It applies to all water bodies including rivers, lakes, estuaries and coasts. As part of the Environment Agency's implementation of the Water Framework Directive, all water bodies have received a classification. The Hamble, Southampton Water and Itchen make up the water body `Southampton Water', and this is classed as `heavily modified' because it has been modified for navigation (typically dredging), for coastal protection and for quay lines. All ports in or adjacent to Heavily Modified Water Bodies (HMWBs) or Artificial Water Bodies (AWBs) have been requested to complete a spreadsheet confirming which pressures and activities exist in their water body. The AHM(E) and a representative from ABP have completed this spreadsheet for the Southampton Water water body. The aim of this exercise was to determine whether there are/could be significant impacts, which measures are already in place, and whether/ why any other measures might or might not be appropriate. This process was used to classify whether the water body is already at good ecological potential (GEP) and, if not, whether any measures might be considered for inclusion in the River Basin Management Plan. Southampton Water came out as already having GEP.

9. Upper Hamble Access:

9.1 Cutting back of vegetation is ongoing, where appropriate and possible, to improve access along the upper reaches of the river following several requests from members of the public.