The Scottish Government

Priority Code

Water and Soils priorities

Relevant Packages

BOR16

Reduced diffuse pollution from rural land uses.

• Particularly proposals in the Eye Water and catchments identified in the River Basin Management Plan which are impacted by diffuse pollution, e.g. upper Blackadder/Leet/Lambden/ Biggar catchments. For example, the prevention of access to watercourses by livestock, the creation of constructed wetlands to intercept lightly contaminated farm steading drainage, or the use of buffer strips as part of a land management programme to prevent direct run off from cultivated land to watercourses.

BOR17

Improved water quality of surface water and ground water bodies supported by a 'Soils and Water Plan', with priority given to actions in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones, Bathing Water Catchments and Drinking Water Protected Areas.

• Priority given to actions in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (Eastern Borders), catchments and tributaries flowing onto or into the vicinity of designated bathing waters at Peasebay, St Abbs, Coldingham and Eyemouth and Drinking Water Protected Areas and the priorities identified in the River Basin Management Plan.

BOR18

Good ecological status of at risk water bodies (including 1A category) (by 2015), through priorities identified in River Basin Management Plans. Particularly proposals:

• for forest management action in and adjacent to water bodies categorised as '1a' (at risk) which will seek to achieve 'good ecological status'

that:

• conserve and enhance riparian habitats, e.g. river bank woodlands and wet grasslands
• particularly (where land-based activities are identified as a pressure) through priorities identified in Tweed River Basin Management Plan and those areas of the North Sea coastline and Eye Water catchment that fall within the Forth River Basin Management Plan area.

BOR19

Sustainable flood management and reduced flood risk (including adaptation to climate change), through appropriate land management, particularly actions identified in River Basin Management Plans. Particularly proposals:

• where actions identified in Tweed Forum Catchment Management Plan especially those contributing to Sustainable Flood Management schemes and projects through habitat restoration
• which encourage a collaborative approach on a sub-catchment scale will be encouraged.
• where actions in catchments identified by Scottish Borders Council's Biennial Report on Flooding as being at risk of flooding.

BOR20

Improved protection in areas identified as most at risk from erosion, flooding, acidification and nitrate pollution, through appropriate management of existing habitats (e.g. low-impact silvicultural systems in woodland) or the creation of appropriate habitats (e.g. floodplains and along river edges), or organic conversion or maintenance.

• Particularly appropriate woodland creation.
• Particularly actions identified in the draft River Basin Management Plan, catchments identified within Scottish Borders Council Biennial report on Flooding and the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (Eastern Borders).