Defra announced the launch of seven river maintenance pilots across England on Monday 14 October 2013. Within the pilot areas the Environment Agency (EA) is seeking to reduce red tape to make it easier for farmers and landowners to maintain rivers themselves where they choose to do so, whilst protecting the environment.
How will the pilots work?
The pilots will change the way in which the EA regulates de-silting work in the seven areas and will take place from 21 October 2013 for one year. For those wishing to remove silt from a Main River within the pilot area they will need to inform the EA and follow a Regulatory Position Statement on De-silting which sets out what work can be undertaken and how it needs to be done to protect the environment.
All maintenance work undertaken in the pilot areas will need to comply with environmental legislation, the Regulatory Position Statement and follow Environmental Good Practice Guidance on watercourse maintenance. The Environmental Good Practice Guidance will help farmers and landowners to maintain the rivers on their land whilst protecting wildlife and fisheries. A waste exemption will still be needed by those undertaking maintenance on their land in order to deposit or spread low risk silt material. Depending on the circumstances the following exemptions should be held: D1 (deposition of dredged material), U10 (Spreading waste on agricultural land to confer benefit), U11 (Spreading waste on agricultural land to confer benefit), and U13 (Spreading plant matter to confer benefit).
At the same time farmers and landowners in the pilot areas will be given an opportunity to be involved in decisions around the future of river and flood defence maintenance in their area. The EA intend to run workshops, toolbox talks and demonstrations in each pilot area to explain to farmers what they can do to help reduce flood risk and waterlogging and a new Public Sector Cooperation Agreement has been launched which will enable Internal Drainage Boards, Local Authorities and the Environment Agency to work more effectively together to deliver maintenance.
More information
Further information about the river maintenance pilots is available in the NFU Briefing below. Click on the related document tab to open the document (you will need to be logged in first).
To get involved or undertake works within the pilot areas, or find out more about where they are taking place visit the Environment Agency's webpage.