Guidance

Annex 7 Options and capital items to address water and air quality issues and for flood and coastal risk

Published 29 June 2023

Applies to England

Information about appropriate options and capital items to address water quality issues.

You can identify the types of options and capital items that you can use to deal with the above-mentioned priorities in your local area by using:

• the tables in this annex
• the water quality sections of the Statements of Priorities
• Countryside Stewardship grants on GOV.UK

You can get relevant information for your land on the MAGIC website by following the steps below:

1. ‘Countryside Stewardship Targeting & Scoring Layers’, then
2. ‘Water’, then
3. ‘Countryside Stewardship Water Quality Priority Areas’ (you can make this layer transparent by using the slider under ‘Countryside Stewardship Targeting & Scoring Layers’)
4. navigate to your land
5. use the ‘Identify’ tool in order to check the information specific to your land parcels.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) can provide advice to farmers on the appropriate use of the options and items listed below. For details visit Catchment Sensitive Farming: reduce water and air pollution on GOV.UK.

Options and capital items that address pollutant pressures affecting water and air quality and for flood and coastal risk

Code/Action	Impact on pollutants affecting water and air quality in protected areas	Flood and Coastal Risk Management and Physical Modification
AB1 - Nectar flower mix	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
AB3 - Beetle banks	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
AB6 - Enhanced overwinter stubble	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
AB15 - Two year sown legume fallow	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
GS1 - Take field corners out of management	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
GS2 - Permanent grassland with very low inputs (outside SDA)	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate - Surface Water, Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
GS5 - Permanent grassland with very low inputs in SDAs	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate - Surface Water, Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
HS2 - Take historic and archaeological features currently on cultivated land out of cultivation	Nitrate – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water,
OR1 - Organic conversion - improved permanent grassland	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
OR2 - Organic conversion - unimproved permanent grassland	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
OR3 - Organic conversion - rotational land	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
OR4 - Organic conversion - horticulture	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
SW1 - 4-6m buffer strip on cultivated land	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
SW10 - Seasonal livestock removal on grassland in SDAs next to streams, rivers and lakes	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
SW11 - Riparian management strip	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia	X
SW14 - Nil fertiliser supplement	Nitrate – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
SW2 - 4-6m buffer strip on intensive grassland	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
SW3 - In-field grass strips	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia	X
SW4 - next to terrestrial sites which are sensitive to nitrogen	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia	X
SW5 - Enhanced management of maize crops		X
SW6 - Winter cover crops	Nitrate – Ground Water	X
SW7 - Arable reversion to grassland with low fertiliser input	Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia	X
SW8 - Management of intensive grassland adjacent to a watercourse	Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia	X
SW9 - Seasonal livestock removal on intensive grassland	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
WT1 - Buffering in-field ponds and ditches in improved grassland	Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
WT2 - Buffering in-field ponds and ditches in arable land	Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
RP4 - Livestock and machinery hardcore tracks	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
LV7 - Livestock troughs	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP18 - Above ground tanks	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and sediment – surface water Air quality - ammonia	X
RP26 - Bio filters	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
RP12 - Check dams	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP15 - Concrete yard renewal	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
RP5 - Cross drains	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP9 - Earth banks and soil bunds	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
FG1 - Fencing	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Air quality - ammonia
RP19 - First flush rainwater diverters or downpipe filters	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water	X
RP30 - Floating covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores and lagoons	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
RP2 - Gateway relocation	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
LV3 - Hard bases for livestock drinkers	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
LV4 - Hard bases for livestock feeders	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP23 - Installation of livestock drinking troughs (in draining pens for freshly dipped sheep)	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
RP6 - Installation of piped culverts in ditches	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
RP24 - Lined bio bed plus pesticide loading and wash down area	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
RP25 - Lined bio bed with existing wash down area	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
LV5 - Pasture pumps and associated pipework	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
FG3 - Permanent electric fencing	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water
LV8 - Pipework associated with livestock troughs	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP16 - Rainwater goods	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water Pesticides – Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
LV6 - Ram pumps and associated pipework	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP20 - Relocation of sheep dips and pens	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
RP21 - Relocation of sheep pens only	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
RP1 - Resurfacing of gateways	Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
RP28 - Roofing (sprayer wash down area, manure storage area, livestock gathering area, slurry stores, silage stores)	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
RP7 - Sediment ponds and traps	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP29 - Self-supporting covers for slurry and anaerobic digestate stores	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water Air quality - ammonia
RP22 - Sheep dip drainage aprons and sumps	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
FG2 - Sheep netting	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water
RP10 - Silt filtration dams or seepage barriers	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP27 - Sprayer or applicator load and wash down area	Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water
RP17 - Storage tanks underground	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and sediment Air quality - ammonia	X
RP11 - Swales	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
FG15 - Water gates	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water	X
RP3 - Watercourse crossings	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
RP13 - Yard - underground drainage pipework	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water
RP14 - Yard Inspection pit	Faecal Indicator Organisms – Bathing water Nitrate – Ground Water Pesticides – Ground Water Pesticides – Surface Water Nitrate - Surface Water Phosphate and Sediment – Surface Water