UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network (UKAWMN) - Contract 22 01 249. Llyn Cwm Mynach - Annual Summary Progress Report. April 2007 - March 2008

Chemical and biological sample collection, analysis and data collation, quality control and archiving proceeded without any problems at Llyn Cwm Mynach during the period from April 2007 to March 2008

Sediment Assessment of the Barrow Reservoirs

Aim: To assess the sediment depth and character at ten pre-determined locations in the Barrow reservoirs

Floating water plantain Luronium natans (L) Raf.: Current distribution and status in Llyn Padarn and Llyn Cwellyn, Wales

Luronium natans is native to the UK and is protected by UK and European law under Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive, Appendix I of the Bern Convention, Schedule 4 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994, and Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. It is also listed as UK priority BAP species and the current distribution is restricted to less than 100 hectads in the UK and it should therefore be classed as nationally scarce (Lockon 2014). The main stronghold for the species is in the oligotrophic lakes of central Wales and Cumbria, as well as some canals in Wales and Shropshire (Preston et al. 2002). Due to its deep-water habit, L. natans is easily overlooked and although this may have resulted in it being under-recorded in some locations, there is also evidence of it having been lost from some lowland sites in recent years (Preston & Croft 1997). In Llyn Padarn, Luronium natans was first recorded in 1848 (Kay et al. 1999), and more recently is known to have been relatively common with records from at least 4 distinct locations reported by Andy Jones in 1997 (CCW Species & Monitoring Report No. 98/02/11 - Luronium natans (floating water-plantain) at Llyn Padarn SSSI) ( Figure 1). Survey data since 1997 are less complete. The aquatic flora was surveyed using Common Standard Monitoring methodology (JNCC 2005) for WFD assessment (Goldsmith et al. 2005, 2010, 2013), but this method does not necessitate whole-site assessment and L. natans was only recorded in one survey section at the south east end of the lake (an extensive bed from 0.8 – 2.4 m water depth). The other survey sections did not coincide with earlier L. natans records and therefore the extent of the species within the lake since 1997 has not been verified

DOE NIEA Standing Freshwater Monitoring of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Areas Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) (Second Round) P_12324

This report was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and provides an assessment of the conservation status of selected water bodies within Northern Ireland. A total of 72 water bodies were surveyed, all of which were surveyed as part of the Northern Ireland Lakes Survey (NILS) (1988-1992). Nineteen of the 72 sites were surveyed in 2006 by ENSIS Ltd. as part of a similar round of assessments throughout Northern Ireland (Goldsmith et al., 2008)

Lake SSSI assessments (17 lakes) – site condition monitoring

The UK has a national series of protected sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). These sites are designated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). SSSI selection and management is devolved to regional conservation agencies. In England, English Nature (EN) (now Natural England) is responsible for carrying out the monitoring and reporting on SSSI site condition

Limnological surveys of Welsh lakes: Llyn Helyg, Llyn Bedydd and Pant-yr-ochain pools, Clwyd

This report, commissioned by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW), presents the data from the study of three lake sites in Clwyd, North Wales. Lake physical characteristics, water chemistry and aquatic macrophytes were recorded at Llyn Helyg (SJ 115774), Llyn Bedydd (SJ 471392) and Pant-yr-ochain Pools (SJ 348533). All results presented here, except those for water chemistry, are based on one-off sampling and surveys in July 2000. Recognized experts verified Charophyte and Ranunculus specimens from Llyn Helyg. Water samples were collected on four occasions (July 2000, Nov 2000, Feb 2001 and May 2001). Samples for TP, SRP, NO3 and Chl a were frozen on site and analysed at the CEH laboratories, Penicuik

A review of liming as a technique for protecting salmonid fish populations in acidified surface waters

Liming is a common technique that has been used in many countries to raise the alkalinity of acidified surface waters and alleviate some of the damaging effects of acidification on salmonid fish populations. The most common liming substance used is calcite, a calcium carbonate compound that is relatively inexpensive, available in different particle sizes and dissolves relatively quickly. It can be applied directly to streams or lakes or it can be applied to catchment soils. When applied to catchment soils its effect can be long-lasting but it can cause significant damage to those catchment plant and animal communities that are naturally adapted to acidic conditions. When applied directly to surface waters its effect can be immediate but applications need to be continuous or frequently repeated to counter downstream dilution and loss. For streams the most effective method is to use an automatic doser controlled by pHmeasuring sensors upstream and downstream of the doser to enable the exact quantity of lime needed to be added to the water body. Although effective this is an expensive method and one that needs to be maintained continuously for several years until the critical load exceedance has been eliminated. An alternative or complementary method is partial catchment liming by targeting water sources and selected wetlands to minimise damage to catchment vegetation. Liming can be very effective in restoring and protecting salmonid fish populations, but if over-applied it can lead to unwanted increases in alkalinity and productivity that may produce symptoms of eutrophication and unwanted changes in the composition of plant and algal communities downstream

Ecological Surveys of Welsh Lakes 2016

This project set out to collect, process and supply to NRW ecological and environmental data from a network of 14 lake sites across Wales, in support of NRW’s integrated monitoring programme for protected sites (SACs and SSSIs), the Water Framework Directive, Nitrates Directive, Biodiversity Action Plans and other legislative and policy drivers. In particular the surveys are aimed at informing management and restoration of protected sites and facilitating delivery of River Basin Management Plans. Using standard methods, lakes were surveyed to assess the species and abundance of aquatic plants growing within and directly around the lake and to measure water clarity, dissolved oxygen and temperature within the lakes. · The aquatic plant species are listed within the report and the complete survey results supplied to NRW as MS Excel spreadsheets. · Calculations are presented for the onward use of determining the ecological status of the lakes with respect to the Water Framework Directive (LEAFPACS). The results of the aquatic plant surveys are suitable for the purposes of assessing site condition for Habitats Directive standing water features and SSSI status. The lake metrics are applicable for the production of ecological quality ratios from which the lakes may be classified in accordance with the requirements of Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) Ecological Surveys of Welsh Lakes 2016 (NRW Evidence Report No. 204). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318135626_Ecological_Surveys_of_Welsh_Lakes_2016_NRW_Evidence_Report_No_204 [accessed Sep 29, 2017]

River Clyde Environmental Change Network diatom analysis project final: report to SEPA

This report provides details of work performed on the SEPA contract to ENSIS Ltd. involving the preparation and analysis of historic (September 1994 – August 2010) Environmental Change Network diatom samples from the River Clyde at the Tidal Weir. Diatoms were collected from the site by SEPA, forwarded to ENSIS Ltd and prepared for analysis following protocols described in the United Kingdom Environmental Change Network’s “Protocols for Standard Measurements at Freshwater Sites” (Sykes et al., 1999). Samples were taken at the site at various times of year and a full list of those that have been received by ENSIS is provided in Appendix 1. For this project, in order to minimise any inter-seasonal variability in the time-series, Kate Arnold from SEPA selected a subset of 16 summer samples for analysis, all collected between late July and early September. Approximately 400 diatom valves were counted per sample by Gina Clarke using a light microscope with phase contrast at 1000x magnification. Count data were recorded on a spreadsheet and transferred to ENSIS where they have been added to the ECN diatom database and have also been provided to SEPA. The diatom count data was run through the DARLEQII program (Kelly et al, 2011) in order to generate Trophic Diatom Index (TDI), Ecological Quality Ratio (EQR) and status class values (high, good, moderate, poor, bad) for each sample. Alkalinity values for the calculations were provided by SEPA for all samples except the earliest three in the timeseries, for which the average from all samples was used. Both TDI3 and TDI4 scores were calculated for all samples and the scores reported here. Table 1 is taken from the DARLEQII user guide (Kelly et al, 2011) and describes the output fields provided in the results section for the site below. Electronic copies of the full DARLEQII program output have been provided to SEPA