The Norfolk Rivers Trust have implemented a total catchment partnership approach to achieve an improved rating for the River Stiffkey Catchment under the EU Water Framework Directive.

The project is targeted at improving water quality and quantity within the catchment and Norfolk Rivers Trust are working to achieve this through a comprehensive catchment plan that identifies problems and solutions and setting out action plans broken down into targeted zones in the catchment. The problems identified range from river morphology to phosphate levels to warming of the water, with solutions including Catchment Sensitive Farming practises, removing barriers to fish and re-meandering of the river channels, and delivering integrated constructed wetlands below sewage works.

Environment Agency seed funding will help deliver improvements along the River Stiffkey with benefits for the rural community and economy, as well as meeting EU Transitional Waters Standards. The works programme is estimated to cost upwards of £7 million with the schedule of works ongoing to 2027.