There are a number of Working Groups underpinning the work of the National Steering Group and National Support Team, who each focus on a particular issue, such as Data and Evidence, Urban Water Management, Agriculture and Abstraction.
Currently, we have the following active Working Groups:
If you would like to join one of our working groups, please get in touch.
The Catchment Data User Group (CDUG) plays a critical role in providing ‘open’ data, information and evidence to catchment partnerships nationwide, enabling them to determine priorities for action, identify cost-effective interventions and develop robust high-quality catchment plans.
In addition to the release of a range of support tools, CDUG has distributed the CaBA data package, encompassing more than 150 GIS data layers, to all partnerships, and has published many of these as online Open Data services for use in web GIS. The work of CDUG is closely aligned to that of the mentoring (capacity building) team.
The Catchment Data & Evidence FORUM is an annual event that aims to bring together the widest possible community of practitioners and identify the key barriers and opportunities that CDUG should focus on.
The CaBA Urban Water Group (CUWG) champions a collaborative, partnership approach to urban water management, supporting catchment partnerships to:
The group is chaired by Peter Bide (formerly of DCLG) with a membership encompassing Environmental NGOs (including Rivers Trusts, Groundwork, Wildfowl and Wetland Trust), Environment Agency, Natural England, National Highways, OFWAT, Local Government, water companies, CIWEM and CIRIA.
CUWG produces and supports guidance championing collaborative Urban Water Management. Our latest guidance, ‘Urban Partnerships – Delivering sustainable urban water management through local action’, shows CaBA partnerships how they can play a key part in maintaining and improving the liveability and sustainability of the urban environment.
Other guidance (available here) has included ‘Managing water in the urban environment: a collaborative approach’ and the Lewisham Council led guidance note for planners on development near rivers; contributions to the University of Cambridge ‘Planning Advice for Integrated Water Management’ and the CIRIA ‘Delivering better water management through the planning system’ (C787), both authored by Peter Bide; and supporting publication of a guide for catchment partnerships seeking funding for urban delivery projects.
With support from the CaBA data team, CUWG has also designed a dedicated Urban Data Hub capturing relevant data layers, in one location. This is accompanied by an Urban Data StoryMap which provides further guidance and links to key resources.
The group frequently runs workshops and webinars to bring together key players in the urban water management sector to explain the multiple benefits of an integrated and collaborative approach to urban water management and showcase examples of its successful implementation.
Chair: Peter Bide, Urban Working Group Chair. Peter is a Chartered Geologist and a Chartered Engineer specialising in integrated water management and flood risk management planning.
The CaBA Biodiversity Group supports catchment partnerships in their delivery of water and wetland biodiversity projects.
It aims to:
Develop and communicate advice and information on biodiversity recovery to support catchment partnerships.
The group includes representatives from Natural England, Wildlife Trusts, Wildfowl & Wetland Trust, National Trust, Floodplain Meadows Partnership, Environment Agency, Defra, RSPB, Freshwater Habitats Trust, National Parks ( led by Broads Authority) and The Rivers Trust.
Chair: The group is chaired by Glen Cooper from Natural England.
The Benefits Working Group provides Catchment Partnerships with guidance, resources and skills for the monitoring, evaluation and reporting of their performance, outputs and delivery outcomes, particularly with respect to the wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits realised through collaborative working – Robust monitoring and evaluation is critical to the long-term success and sustainability of CaBA.
The group has designed a reporting template to capture evaluation and benefits realised for each partnership nationwide. This issued to determine the direction of travel of CaBA nationwide, identify capacity building and training needs and champion the initiate to a wide range of key stakeholders.
The group is also working to a longer-term nationally agreed framework for valuing/evaluating/reporting multiple benefits for a Natural Capital approach with the goal of providing a framework, methods and guidance that is bespoke for CaBA partnerships.
The Abstraction (Water Resources) Working Group was established to ensure that catchment partnerships are supported to integrate water resources management into a wider programme of integrated catchment planning and delivery.
The working group has a particular aim of supporting the implementation of the Defra/EA Abstraction Plan that includes a commitment to a stronger catchment focus on abstraction management. The group is supporting the testing of new management approaches in some initial priority catchments but will be looking to broaden the impact and knowledge of the group’s activities across all catchments in England.
Chair: The Group is co-chaired by Barry Bendall Operations Director at The Rivers Trust and John Poole.
The Agriculture Working Group champions and demonstrates the role of catchment partnerships in the development and delivery of agricultural land management that benefits both the environment and farm business. This includes a focus upon approaches that realise multiple benefits, for example, with respect to water quality, flood risk, air quality and biodiversity.
The Group also provides for knowledge exchange, disseminating best and innovative practice across CaBA including Defra and the industry, and sharing developments in agricultural policy (e.g. Farming Rules for Water) with catchment partnerships.
Chair: The Group is chaired by Chris Ryder and Alex Inman.
The CaBA Chalk Streams Working Group is a subgroup of the CaBA National Support Group. It brings together organisations with an interest in chalk stream management, including regulators, water industry representatives and eNGOs, recognising that protection of chalk streams requires everyone to play their part.
The aim of the group is to develop a chalk streams management and restoration strategy for England and to ensure actions are in place to drive improvements in the short, medium and long term. We will consider water quantity, water quality and habitat restoration, but the plan will deliver an integrated catchment approach to chalk stream management.
We will be collaborative in approach and consult widely to ensure that everyone with an interest in chalk streams is able to influence the strategy.
We aim to raise the profile and importance of chalk streams to influence policymaking at a national level and encourage support and local action at a catchment level.
The group is made up of representatives from the Environment Agency, Natural England, Ofwat, Water UK, WWF, Angling Trust, Salmon and Trout Conservation, The Rivers Trust, Wild Trout Trust and Wildlife Trusts.
Chair: The Group is chaired by Charles Rangeley-Wilson, Charles is an author, broadcaster, and conservationist with a particular interest in chalk-streams.