Active Cairngorms SEA environmental baseline
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Appendix II: Environmental Baseline
Topic 3: Water
Context
“Water is a heritage which must be protected and defended.” The European Union Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC).
The Cairngorms National Park encompasses the headwaters of three of Scotland’s major rivers as well as many smaller ones (Figure 1). Many of the rivers and their tributaries as well as lochs and wetlands are designated as European sites and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The rivers are also important, providing water for business and people within and outwith the National Park, as they flow downstream towards the sea.
Figure 1 River catchments within the Cairngorms National Park (CNPA, 2023).
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Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2023. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100040965 Cairngorms National Park Authority.
Three of the rivers are subject to catchment management plans, the Dee, the Esk and the Spey. These plans aim to protect water quality, direct the use of the rivers as resources, protect against flooding, enhance biodiversity, and promote responsible access and economic development.
Water quality
Pollution leading to the deterioration of water quality can originate from one of two sources, point and diffuse. Point source discharge means a release of effluent or other matter to the water environment or land, via a pipe or outlet.
Examples include (but are not limited to) wastewater and trade effluent from industrial activities, and surface water collected then discharged in urban areas.
Diffuse pollution is the release of potential pollutants from a range of activities that, individually, may have no effect on the water environment, but, at the scale of a catchment, can have a significant cumulative effect. Activities associated with diffuse pollution are varied and include de (but (but are are not limited to) run-off from roads, sediment and other matter released during agricultural and forestry activities, and yard run-off from industrial activities.
Government regulation has been extremely successful in reducing instances of point source pollution and therefore diffuse pollution is now the focus of attention. Diffuse sources of water pollution can have a significant effect on biodiversity and human health. The effects include (but are not limited to) contamination of water supplies, nutrient enrichment of water bodies leading to changes in habitats and the species that rely on them, oxygen depletion and smothering of substrates and habitats relied on by fish and other wildlife for key stages in their lifecycles.
The European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) (2000/60/EC) sets out the objectives for water protection in Scotland. The WFD sets out several objectives to improve the quality of water and water bodies:
- general protection of the aquatic ecology
- specific protection of unique and valuable habitats
- protection of drinking water resources
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All these objectives must be integrated for each river basin. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are responsible for monitoring water quality in Scotland to the requirements set out by the EU WFD. The Directive requires all water features above a certain size threshold to be classified using a system of five quality classes – high, good, moderate, poor and bad, with groundwater classified as good or poor. In general, the classification of water bodies describes by how much their condition or status differs from near natural conditions. Water bodies in a near natural condition are at high status, while those whose quality has been severely damaged are classed as being in bad status.
From the available information, between 2007 and 2020 the number of waterbodies in the Cairngorms National Park in high status have increased slightly, the number in good moderate and poor status have declined, while the number in bad/fail status have increased two-fold (from 0.5% to 1.3%, see Figure 2) The main reasons for waterbodies not achieving overall good status is the presence of a large number of barriers to fish and poor morphology (this covers catchment/land use matters such inputs of fine sediments or impacts to hydrology and direct impacts such as through engineering or condition of riparian corridor).
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100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 high good moderate poor bad / fail Figure 2 Proportion of waterbodies by status in the Cairngorms National Park, 2007-2020 (SEPA, 2022)
SEPA (2022) predict that more waterbodies in the Cairngorms National Park will move Katerbodie into the good/moderate category by 2027 (Figure 3). Note the figures for predicted figures for 2021 are shown as the proportion of waterbodies by status in the National Park, as 2022 figures have not yet been published.
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100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2021 2027 high good moderate poor 2027+
Figure 3 Predicted proportion of waterbodies by status in the Cairngorms National Park, 2021 – 2027 (SEPA, 2022).
The shift to a greater proportion having an improved status is likely to be a result of remediation works on historical engineering and barriers to fish passage.
Water quantity
In order to provide information for the management of water resources, SEPA monitor water levels at 20 sites within the Cairngorms National Park, as well as at a number of locations just outside the National Park boundary. Water levels are converted to flow at most river gauging stations.
The trends can be used as an indicator of climate change or as an identifier of potential risks such as flooding. Figure 4 and Figure 5 represent the series of maximum instantaneous peak flows within a given water year (October to September) for monitoring stations on the River Spey and the River Dee (data was not available for the River Dee from 2015 -2018).
0.5 1.5 2.5 2 3 Cairngorms National Park Authority Ughdarras Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh Page 6 of 237
0 31/03/2017 31/05/2017 31/07/2017 30/09/2017 30/11/2017 3 31/01/2018 2.5 31/03/2018 2 31/05/2018 1.5 31/07/2018 30/09/2018 1 0.5 0 31/03/2017 31/05/2017 31/07/2017 30/09/2017 30/11/2017 31/01/2018 31/03/2018 31/05/2018 31/07/2018 30/09/2018
Figure 5 Monthly maximum levels (m) and trend for the River Dee at Polhollick, near Ballater (monitoring station 12003) between 2017 and 2023 (SEPA, 2023).
The data from both stations shows a general trend for higher annual maximums during the monitoring period, although the exact causes of this are uncertain.
Water infrastructure
The current capacity status of the water and waste-treatment plants provided by Scottish Water that serve the settlements in the National Park is shown in Table 1.
30/11/2018 31/01/2019 31/03/2019 31/05/2019 31/07/2019 30/09/2019 30/11/2018 31/01/2019 31/05/2019 31/07/2019 30/09/2019 30/11/2019 31/01/2020 31/03/2020 31/05/2020 31/07/2020 30/09/2020 30/11/2020 31/01/2021 31/03/2021 31/05/2021 31/07/2021 30/09/2021 30/11/2021 31/01/2022 31/03/2022 31/05/2022 31/07/2022 30/09/2022 30/11/2022 31/01/2023 Only Figure 4 Monthly maximum level (m) and trend for the River Spey from the Grantown-on-Spey monitoring station (8010) between 2017 and 2023 (SEPA, 2023) 30/11/2019 31/01/2020 31/03/2020 31/05/2020 31/07/2020 30/09/2020 30/11/2020 31/01/2021 31/03/2021 31/05/2021 31/07/2021 30/09/2021 30/11/2021 31/01/2022 31/03/2022 31/05/2022 31/07/2022 30/09/2022 30/11/2022 31/01/2023
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Table 1 Scottish Water information on water and waste treatment capacity in the Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Water, 2022.
| Local Authority area | Settlement | Water Treatment Works | Capacity (housing units) | Waste treatment Works | Capacity (housing units) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballater | Ballater | Ballater | 100+ | Ballater | 54 |
| Aberdeenshire | Braemar | Braemar | 350 | Braemar | >60 |
| Dinnet | Ballater | 95 | Dinnet | <10 | |
| Strathdon | Lumsden | 30 | Private | N/A | |
| Angus | Angus Glens | Private | N/A | Private | N/A |
| Aviemore | Aviemore | 812 | Aviemore | 500> | |
| Boat of Garten | Aviemore | 812 | Boat of Garten | 100+ | |
| Carr Bridge | Aviemore | 812 | Carr Bridge | 100+ | |
| Cromdale & Advie | Aviemore | 812 | Cromdale | 124 | |
| Dalwhinnie | Dalwhinnie | 94 | Dalwhinnie | <10 | |
| Dulnain Bridge | Aviemore | 812 | Dulnain Bridge | 25 | |
| Glenmore | Private | N/A | Glenmore | <10 | |
| Highland | Grantown of Spey | Aviemore | 812 | Grantown | 190 |
| Insh | Aviemore | 812 | Insh | <10 | |
| Inverdruie, Coylumbridge | Aviemore | 812 | Aviemore | 500> | |
| Kincraig | Aviemore | 812 | Kincraig | 52 | |
| Kingussie | Aviemore | 812 | Kingussie | 300+ | |
| Laggan | Laggan Bridge | <10 | Laggan Bridge ST | <10 | |
| Nethy Bridge | Aviemore | 812 | Nethy Bridge | 70 | |
| Newtonmore | Aviemore | 812 | Newtonmore | 208 | |
| Moray | Glenlivet | Tomnavoulin | <10 | Private | N/A |
| Tomintoul | Blairnamarrow | <10 | Tomintoul | *Under Review | |
| Blair Atholl | Killiecrankie | 1767 | Blair Atholl | *Under Review | |
| Perth & Kinross | Bruar & Pittagowan | Killiecrankie | 1767 | Private | N/A |
| Calvine | Killiecrankie | 1767 | Private | N/A | |
| Glenshee | Private | N/A | Private | N/A | |
| Killiecrankie | Killiecrankie | 1767 | Killiecrankie | <10 |
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Including all planned and committed development proposals, capacity exists at most of the Scottish Water treatment works serving settlements in the Cairngorms National Park. However, the reported capacity of many waste-treatment plants serving the Park is a constraint to development.
Flooding
All of the Cairngorms National Park’s rivers and watercourses have the potential to flood to some degree (Figure 6). Most concern is generated along the National Park’s main straths and glens, as when the rivers and tributaries that flow along these, namely the Spey, Dee and Don, break their banks, they often result in economic, and occasionally human, cost. Small watercourses also represent a risk but are often poorly understood with respect to the severity of the flood hazard that can be generated on a catchment scale. Furthermore, in some areas surface water flooding, which can arise for several reasons, is a significant risk.
Figure 6 Indicative river flooding extent (medium probability 1 in 200 years) in Cairngorms National Park (SEPA, 2023)
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Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2023. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100040965 Cairngorms National Park Authority. Contains SEPA data © Scottish Environment Protection Agency and database right 2023. All rights reserved.
The River Spey
The River Spey (Figure 1) rises in the high ground of the Monadhliath and Cairngorm Mountain ranges and flows in a north-easterly direction through narrow straths and scenic river valleys before discharging into the Moray Firth beyond the fertile farmlands of Morayshire. The upper part of the catchment is characterised by its mountainous areas, the highest point being the summit of Ben Macdui at 1,309 metres above sea level.
The River Spey is the seventh largest river in Britain, with a catchment area of over 3,000 km², and a stream network length of about 36,500 km, of which the main river comprises 157 km. There is a long history of flooding within the Spey catchment area, with a notable event, known as the Great Muckle Spate, destroying several bridges in
- The River Spey and its tributaries continue to flood regularly, with heavy rains and melting snows increasing the volumes of water in the catchment. These floods have damaged properties in Newtonmore, Aviemore and Carrbridge on several occasions.
Due to the potential risk caused by flooding within the catchment area, five Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) have been identified within the Cairngorms National Park (Figure 7), at:
- Nethybridge (PVA 02/05/15)
- Aviemore (PVA 02/05/10)
- Kingussie (PVA 02/05/11)
- Newtonmore (PVA 05/05/12); and
- Dalwhinnie (PVA 02/05/13).
Further information about the PVAs in the Spey Catchment area within the National Park can be found here: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/frmplans/documents/lpd5-findhorn- nairn-and-speyside-frmp-2021.pdf
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Figure 7 PVAs in the River Spey catchment area within the Cairngorms National Park (SEPA, 2021).
River Dee
The River Dee rises in the Cairngorm Mountains east of Braemar on the semi-arctic Braeriach-Cairn Toul plateau (Figure 1). For the majority of its course, the river flows eastwards through a broadening valley, which becomes much gentler in relief as it leaves the National Park. Within the National Park, the river is fed by a number of important tributaries, namely the Lui, Clunie, Gairn, Muick and Tanar, the latter’s confluence located just outwith the National Park Boundary (Dee Catchment Partnership, 2007).
The river is considered to be the best example of a natural highland river in Scotland (Maitland, 1985). The notable characteristics of the river include its great altitudinal
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range, its unique succession of plant communities, and its seep profile compared to other large British rivers (Dee Catchment Partnership, 2007).
Like the Spey, the Dee suffers from flooding related to heavy rain and melting snows. Major floods have been recorded in 1769, 1829 (the Great Muckle Spate), 1920 and 1956 (the Cairngorm Flood) (Dee Catchment Partnership, 2007). In 2008 surface run-off entered the Netherly Guesthouse in Ballater and in 2014 the town’s caravan park and a number of roads were closed due to flooding (Scottish Environment Protection Agency, 2015). In December 2015 / January 2016, the Dee experienced widespread flooding, which caused significant damage to property and transport infrastructure.
The River Dee catchment contains one PVA that falls within or across the Cairngorms National Park boundary (Figure 8) namely: Ballater (PVA 02/06/20). Further information about the Ballater PVA can be found here: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/frmplans/documents/lpd6-north-east-frmp-2021.pdf
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Figure 8 PVA in the River Dee catchment area within the Cairngorms National Park (SEPA, 2021).
River Don
Rising in the in the peat flat beneath Druim na Feithe, and in the shadow of Glen Avon, the River Don flows 135km east to the sea in Aberdeen. It’s Scotland’s 6th largest river, draining a catchment of around 1,300km².
There was a surface water flood in August 2006 affecting Strathdon, Waterside and Bellabeg when water ponded in low points of the road, with heavy rainfall and steep sloping fields to the south resulting in significant amounts of flood water.
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River Tay
The River Tay has the largest catchment area and is the longest river in Scotland, with many of its headwaters lying within the Cairngorms National Park. More water flows through the River Tay than any other river in the United Kingdom. The Tay catchment contains one PVA that falls across the National Park boundary at Blair Atholl. Several historical river floods have been recorded in this area, including July 1916 and June 1931 when the railway was affected, and evacuation was required as River Garry flooded near Blair Atholl. There continues to be a risk of flooding at Blair Atholl from the Garry Burn and from surface water.
Currently there is relatively low confidence in SEPA’s river flood hazard maps due to limitations arising from the data used and techniques applied in the national modelling. The number of properties at risk of flooding in the Blair Atholl area is likely to be underestimated (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, 2015).
The River Tay catchment contains one PVA that falls within or across the Cairngorms National Park boundary (Figure 9) namely: Blair Atholl (PVA 02/08/01). Further information about the Blair Atholl PVA can be found here: https://www2.sepa.org.uk/frmplans/documents/lpd8-tay-frmp-2021.pdf
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Figure 9 PVA in the River Tay catchment area within the Cairngorms National Park (SEPA, 2021).
Flood Risk Management Plans
A significant number of properties remain at risk of future flooding Potentially Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) in the Cairngorms National Park (Figure 10). The PVA’s within the National Park fall within three National Flood Risk Management Plans namely: (see associated links in river sections).
Table 2 National Park PVAs
| Settlement | PVA Ref. | Flood Risk Management Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Nethybridge | 02/05/15 | Findhorn, Nairn and Speyside Local Plan District |
| Aviemore | 02/05/10 | Findhorn, Nairn and Speyside Local Plan District |
| Kingussie | 02/05/11 | Findhorn, Nairn and Speyside Local Plan District |
| Newtonmore | 05/05/12 | Findhorn, Nairn and Speyside Local Plan District |
| Dalwhinnie | 02/05/13 | Findhorn, Nairn and Speyside Local Plan District |
| Ballater | 02/06/22 | North East Local Plan District |
| Blair Atholl | 02/08/03 | Tay Local Plan District |
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Number of people 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Aviemore
Number of buildings 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Aviemore Kingussie
800 700
Newtonmore Dalwhinnie
Kingussie
Nethy Bridge Ballater
Buildings at risk 2021 Figure 10 Buildings at risk of flooding in potentially vulnerable areas (SEPA, 2022). Within all the PVA’s there remains a yyulnerable (Figure 11). 1400
Dalwhinnie
Nethy Bridge Ballater Blair Atholl Buildings at risk by 2080
significant risk to the local people that live there
Newtonmore
1000 Blair Atholl
People at risk 2021 Figure 11 People at risk of flooding in potentially vulnerable areas (SEPΑ, 2022). People at risk by 2080
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Key Messages
Water quality within the Cairngorms National Park is relatively high, however, monitoring indicates that recent years have seen an increase in the proportion of water bodies falling out of the high classification for overall status and water quality. The situation was particularly poor in 2013, which saw a large increase in the number of waterbodies falling into lower classifications.
River level data from the Spey and Dee indicates a general trend for higher monthly maximum river levels over the time they were monitored, indicating an increase in flood risk in these catchments.
Data discussed in topic one has inter-relationships with the following topics: Topic 2: Air Topic 3: Water Topic 4: Soil Topic 5: Material Assets Topic 6: Biodiversity, Fauna and Flora Topic 7: Landscape Only Draft On Topic 8: Historic and Cultural Heritage Topic 9: Population and Human Health
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Topic 4: Soil
“Soil is a resource of common interest… and failure to protect it will undermine sustainability and long-term competitiveness in Europe.” Commission of the European Communities (2006).
Soils cover most of the natural world, forming the foundation of all terrestrial ecosystems and services. They support key processes in biomass production and mass exchange with atmospheric and hydrological systems. Nearly all the food, fuel and fibres used by humans are produced in soil. Soil is also essential for water and ecosystem health. It is second only to the oceans as a carbon sink, with an important role in the potential slowing of carbon change. Soil functions depend on a multitude of actions depend soil organisms, which makes soil an important part of our biodiversity (Joint Research biodiversity Centre, 2012).
Although soils are a continually evolving, living and dynamic medium responding to external pressures and management, some activities such as development or pollution can mean their recovery or reformation cannot take place within human timescales. This means soils are a finite and essentially non-renewable resource (Scottish Government, 2009).
ially Agriculture tene toate Land Capability for Although it is estimated that Agriculture contributed about £672 million to the Scottish economy in 2018 (Scottish Government, 2019), it is difficult to value the direct financial contribution that healthy soils make to our economy. But it is now widely acknowledged that the sustainable management of soils, and the protection of soils’ ability to deliver a wide range of environmental and ecological services, is essential to achieving sustainable economic growth.
Land Capability Classification for Agriculture mapping provides detailed information on soil, climate and relief for those involved in the management of land use and resources. The classification ranks land from 1 to 7 based on its potential productivity and cropping flexibility determined by the extent to which its physical characteristics (soil, climate and relief) impose long term restrictions on its agricultural use. Land classified from 1 to 3.1 is prime agricultural land, while land classified as 3.2 to 7 is considered to be non-prime (Soil Survey of Scotland Staff, 1981).
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There are no areas of prime agricultural land within the Cairngorms National Park, although there are areas of land in Strath Spey and Deeside within the 3.2 classification (around 1.2% of the National Park’s total area), which denotes non-prime land that is limited by moderate climatic factors and may yield a moderate range of crops, with average production, but potentially high yields of barley, oats and grass. Most land within the National Park is classified as 6 or 7 (around 73%), which denote areas of ‘rough grazing only’ and ‘very limited agricultural value’ respectively.
Figure 12 Landuse Classifications in the Cairngorms National Park (Soil Survey of Scotland Staff, 1981). Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2023. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100040965 Cairngorms National Park Authority. James Hutton Institute.
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Figure 13 Land use classification by area (km2) in the Cairngorms National Park (Soil Survey of Scotland Staff, 1981).
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Figure 14 Agricultural land classification in the Cairngorms National Park (Soil Survey of Scotland Staff, 1981). Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey on behalf of HMSO. © Crown copyright and database right 2023. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100040965 Cairngorms National Park Authority. James Hutton Institute.
Figure 15 Agricultural land classification by area (km2) in the Cairngorms National Park (Soil Survey of Scotland Staff. 1981).
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Organic Matter
Soil organic matter is a universal constituent of soils and plays a vital role in contributing to a range of soil functions. Organic carbon is the dominant component of soil organic matter (around 50%), so management of soil has important wider consequences in the context of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Soil organic matter also contains a wide range of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) and trace elements that are essential for plant growth and health. The presence of soil organic matter is a critical indicator of soil quality and is required to deliver many of the vital functions of soil including its ability to provide nutrients, ameliorate the inputs of wastes and pollutants, contribute to the formation of good physical conditions, improve water storage, and provide a habitat for microbial populations (Rees et al. 2011).
The soils of the Cairngorms National Park are particularly rich in in soil soil o organic matter because the cool, moist climate encourages the retention of of decomposed organic materials, with peatlands containing the largest quantities of soil organic matter (Figure 38 and Figure 17). These soils are important global reserves of soil carbon.
The organic matter content of soils is at risk from a range of pressures, with land use change and climate change being of particular importance. The pressures affect the incorporation, cycling and breakdown of organic matter in the soil through alteration of soil conditions populations (Rees et al. 2011). The major pathway of loss of organic matter from soils is by carbon dioxide (CO2) emission to the atmosphere via soil respiration, but other greenhouse gases can also be emitted due to soil organic matter decomposition, for example methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) (Scottish Executive, 2007). In addition, carbon compounds can be released from soil into water, for example dissolved organic carbon and particulate organic carbon (Buckingham et al. 2008; Dinsmore et al. 2010). Other processes can also influence the amount of organic matter loss, such as soil erosion (Bilotta et al. 2007). Although most CO2 is returned to soils due to the photosynthetic activity of plants, the net exchange (the difference between gains and losses) of carbon from land surfaces may still be large (Rees et al. 2011).
Climate is important in determining the equilibrium soil organic matter content. Temperature and rainfall influence both the input of organic matter via photosynthesis (for example, litter and root inputs), and its subsequent decomposition through microbial activity, with resultant release of greenhouse gases and dissolved organic carbon, along with nutrients and trace elements. Therefore, any change in climate, for example increased rainfall and/ or increased temperature, is likely to change the rate at which organic matter is lost or accumulated in Scottish soils (Rees et al. 2011).
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Figure 16 Mapping of carbon rich soils in the Park (legend detailed below) (NatureScot, 20