Issues with catchment management in urban areas

• What is catchment management?


  A holistic way of looking at a whole river catchment and its interaction between water and land and how best to manage and improve drainage.

  • Aims ~ minimise flooding, drought, water pollution, channel erosion and improve ecosystems
• Issues with catchment management:

  1. Disruptive and expensive
  2. Do not consult with residents > conflict
  3. Ecological balance disturbed > increase water temp > eutrophication and algae blooms
  4. Concentrated water pollution and spread of viruses
  5. Decreased water flow in dry periods > impact aquatic ecosystems
  6. Increase flooding and erosion
  7. High flows overload foul water system > raw sewage on surface
• What is the foul water system?

  • System of pipework that carries waste water away from bathroom, kitchen etc and then transfer contents to local drainage sewage treatment plant