A public consultation to inform the development of the second river basin management plan for the Solway Tweed river basin district

Overview

Working together to protect and improve our water environment

River basin management is about protecting and improving our rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater. Getting it right is important to ensure we can all enjoy the many benefits – the ecosystems services – a clean and healthy water environment provides to our economy, our health and our social well-being. All our businesses rely on the water environment in some way or another and it plays a prominent role in the success of many, such as tourism, food production and renewable energy generation. We all depend on fresh surface waters or groundwater for our drinking water.

Our rivers, lakes and seas provide the setting for numerous shore-based recreational activities and a venue for a wide range of water-based ones. Some of the best salmon runs in the UK are found in our rivers and many of the best known and most treasured landscapes are associated with our water environment. Our coastal waters, inland waters and wetlands support a great diversity of wildlife, including internationally rare and endangered species. From the smallest becks and burns to the seas around our shores, the water environment remains an important and integral part of our cultural fabric.