RE: Request for Information Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) / Environmental

1

Mr Marsden / Our Ref: / ER/E/FoI/2399 - LP
Your Ref: /
Date: / 2 May 2012
Dear Mr Marsden,

RE: Request for Information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) / Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).

Thank you for your enquiry which was received on 18 April 2012 regarding the Freedom of Information Request – Proof of drought conditions in Nottinghamshire requested.

Requests for Information which are recorded are generally governed by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The information you have requested is environmental and it is therefore exempted from the provisions of FOIA by FOIA s.39(1). We have therefore considered your request under the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).

A wet April in 2012 has helped both farmers and gardeners but there is a long way to go before the risk to the environment of the low rainfall experienced over the last 12-18 months goes away.

Our rainfall data is obtained from the Meteorological Office. Analysis of this show that for the Lower Trent catchment (which covers Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire) the last 18 months have been the driest since these records began in 1910.

The Midlands has also experienced two drier than average winters in a row (2010/11 and 2011/12) which has not allowed groundwater levels to recharge.

By declaring drought for the Midlands we hope to mitigate environmental stress by encouraging the more efficient use of water and encouraging the public to report any environmental incidents such as fish in distress to the Environment Agency.

To provide some extra information about how we monitor the river flows and groundwater in the Midlands I have enclosed the Midlands Water Situation report for March which contains information on key monitoring sites in Nottinghamshire. This report is also available on our website and can be found through the following link:

www.environment-agency.gov.uk/midlandswater

An updated report will be available on 10th May covering the rainfall, river flow and groundwater conditions for April.

With regards to groundwater monitoring, there are three observation boreholes we monitor in the Nottinghamshire area; Crossley Hill, Hodhill Farm and Watch Hill.

Crossley Hill (near Carlton in Lindrick, Nottinghamshire) records levels in the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer which has constantly recorded notably low levels since December 2011. Hodhill Farm, (situated on the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire border at Shirebrook) records levels in the Lower Magnesian Limestone and has recorded exceptionally low levels since October 2011. In January 2012 the level in the Hodhill Farm borehole was the lowest level for January on record. This is of particular concern because the Lower Magnesian Limestone provides baseflow to the rivers which flow east onto the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer into central Nottinghamshire. These rivers no longer receive baseflow from the Sherwood Sandstone because the water table is now below the bed of the rivers. Therefore once the rain stops, flows in these rivers will decrease quickly, which could cause adverse environmental impacts.

Finally Watch Hill borehole (located in Nottinghamshire near Rainworth) which records levels in the Sherwood Sandstone aquifer is currently at normal status. Groundwater levels statuses are determined by comparing current readings against its historic record. The hydrograph below displays levels at Watch hill from 1969 to present, showing levels to have fallen considerably since 1969 because of the influence of historic abstraction. However in recent years some abstraction has ceased around Watch Hill, which has caused groundwater levels to recover locally. This has meant that compared to long term average levels, the current water level at Watch Hill is within the normal range.

Watch Hill (23 March 2012) (Sherwood Sandstone)

Crossley Hill is a more representative borehole for the Sherwood Sandstone. Please see full hydrograph attached.

Crossley Hill (22 March 2012) (Sherwood Sandstone)

River flow in Nottinghamshire is monitored at Auckley (River Torne), North Muskham (River Trent) and Worksop (River Ryton). Over the last twelve months flows have been below normal at Worksop; for the same time period flow at Auckley (with the exception of June 2011), was notably low for seven months whilst the other four months recorded exceptionally low flow. A similar situation to Auckley can be seen at our North Muskham flow gauging station.

The result is that if the dry weather returns we can expect to see further environmental impacts; some abstractors had restrictions on their abstraction licences in force over the winter period. This local impact on the environment and abstractors is why Midlands moved to drought status. The underlying risk of environmental impacts will remain until groundwater levels recover.

I hope that we have correctly interpreted your request. Please see the Standard Notice for details of permitted use.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request for information you can contact us to ask for our decision to be reviewed. If you are still not satisfied following this, you can then make an appeal to the Information Commissioner, who is the statutory regulator for Freedom of Information. The address is: Office of the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

Tel: 01625 545700.

Fax: 01625 524 510.

E-mail:

Website: http//www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

June Rolland/Louise Parker

External Relations Officer

For further information please contact External Relations on 0115 846 3691/3696

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