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, engaging and raising awareness across a range of key stakeholders to drive improvements to water quality and biodiversity, reduce flood risk, enhance health and well-being and build community cohesion.

The CUWG supports CaBA partnerships nationwide by helping them to build capacity and expertise and to engage more effectively with key stakeholders, including local authorities, communities, businesses and developers, on urban water management issues, driving collaborative delivery on the ground. CUWG is helping to drive the delivery of urban water management under the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan, including through the promotion of green-blue infrastructure and the multiple benefits that can be realised.

The group is chaired by Peter Bide (formerly of DGLC) with a membership encompassing Environmental NGOs (Rivers Trusts, Groundwork, Wildfowl and Wetland Trust), Environment Agency, Natural England, Local Government and CIRIA.

The group frequently runs workshops 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.  The CUWG also works closely with the Local Action Project that seeks to enhance the natural capital in our towns and cities to improve people’s lives, the environment and economic prosperity.

In addition to producing guidance championing collaborative Urban Water Management, CUWG has also supported the production of the Lewisham Council led guidance note for planners and contributed to the University of Cambridge ‘Planning Advice for Integrated Water Management’ authored by Peter Bide. Additionally, the group has supported the publication of a guide for catchment partnerships seeking funding for urban delivery projects.

The Urban Working Group includes representatives from the Environment Agency, Thames21, Thames Water, Imperial Collage, The Rivers Trust, South East Rivers Trust, Northumbrian Rivers Trust, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Somerset County Council, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Mersey Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, CIRIA, Peterborough City Council, PCEU Consultants, Groundwork, Canal and River Trust, and Natural England.

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.

• Ensure Catchment Partnerships can access & utilise biodiversity data to inform and prioritise their activities.
• Highlight opportunities for delivery against River Basin Plan and 25 year plan targets through the Catchment Based Approach
• Understand the barriers faced, and showcase the good practice work that Catchment Partnerships deliver.
• Share expertise, and advise on technical and policy issues that influence management of water & wetlands in catchments.

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.

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.

The Group is co-chaired  Barry Bendall (RT) 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.

The Group is chaired by Chris Ryder  and Alex Inman

CaBA Flood Working Group (FWG) brings the NSG and other organisations together that are interested in inclusive, integrated catchment approaches to flood risk management.

This group’s focus is developing capacity and helping Catchment Partnerships’ (CPs) work to reduce flood risk, including using Natural Flood Management (NFM), land management and Working with Natural Processes (WWNP) as part of the wider FRM toolkit.

The group aims to work together to conserve, manage and improve our natural environment, maximise catchment partnerships contribution to flood risk management, and build capacity for communities, local authorities and catchment partnerships to implement successful natural flood management.

The group is made up of representatives from Rivers Trusts, NFU, Anglian Water, Natural Flood Forum, Wildlife Trusts, Capita Black & Veatch, Buckingham County Council, Natural England, Forestry Commission, Leeds University and Environment Agency.

The CaBA estuaries and coasts working group aims to build knowledge and expertise with respect to these critical ‘downstream’ environments that provide the interface between land and sea. It also supports greater collaboration between CaBA and Coastal partnerships to help embed a more holistic approach and one that engages a wider range of stakeholders. The group has supported the development of the Coastal and Estuarine Data Package and Explorer that provides access to a national evidence base.

It has also developed a Policy and Legislation Storymap.

The Group is chaired by Amy Pryor, Chair of the Coastal Partnerships Network.

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.

The Group is chaired by Charles Rangeley-Wilson.