case study: Humber

1. Name Partner

Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE), University of East Anglia (UEA)

2. General case study characteristics

2a. Geographical characteristics

Humber catchment covers an area of 24,240 km² (>20% of the land area of England); the mean freshwater input from the Humber Estuary to the North Sea is 250m³ 51 the rivers Trent and Ouse provide the main freshwater flow into the Humber and they drain large industrial and urban areas to the south and best (Trent) and less densely populated agricultural areas to the north and west (Ouse). Climate is Transition Maritime (mean January Temperature 1oC and mean July temperature 21^oC; mean annual precipitation is 576 mm but some upland areas receive 1000 mm.

2b. Land use characteristics

Agriculture accounts for 74.3% of the total land of 2.3 million ha (arable = 39.5%; improved grass = 20.2% and semi-natural grass = 14.6%; urban land accounts for 10.1% of the area. Total population in the catchment is 13.7 million (including 1m in the city of Birmingham). Forest cover equals 7.7% (broadleaf = 6.0%; conifers = 1.7%), heathland accounts for 3.2% and bogs = 1.2%.

3. Pressure and impact analysis

3a. Main pressure(s) and/or pollutant(s)

Main sources of pollution are households, agriculture, industry and port development

Households: 76 major treated sewage discharges were in operation in the tidal rivers and estuary
Agriculture: nitrate emissions, surface water in several areas of the catchment regularly exceed 50 mg 1-1, there are now designated nitrate-vulnerable zones and subject to amend farming practices.
Industry: BOD loading and effluents high in copper; a legacy of contaminated sediments is a particular feature of the Humber catchment.
Ports: Oil pollution and dredging operations.

3b. Impact(s)
Up to 1993 the Humber was responsible for 30% of the input of N and P to UK waters; since 2001 all sewage discharges receive primary and secondary treatment; the total dissolved inorganic N input (DIN, nitrate + nitrite + ammonium for the Humber estuary and tidal rivers is 57.4 x 103t year -1, of which 95% is exported to the North Sea. Total dissolved inorganic P input is 5.7 x 103 t year -1 of which 15% goes to the North Sea. Particulate P inputs are 2 x 103t year -1. Primary production in the Humber estuary is strongly limited by high turbidity despite high levels of nutrient input. Trace metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn and Fc) enter the Humber estuary in dissolved and particulate form. Organic contaminants such a solvents and biocides are also present.

4. Definition goods and services provided by aquatic ecosystem

Ecological goods and services include: drinking water, transportation, recreation/amenity, cooling water, irrigation water, nutrient storage in inter tidal habitats, fish nurseries; carbon sequestration.

5. Beneficiaries / stakeholders involved

Those to be examined: Households (recreation and amenity). Others beyond the remit of this study: Industry (cooling water, process water, transportation); Agriculture (fish productivity, irrigation, N/P storage).

6. Definition environmental and resource costs and benefits

Valuation work examines the benefits of attaining ‘good ecological status’.

7. Main objective monetary valuation environmental and resource costs and benefits

Valuation of selected benefits of meeting good ecological status.

8. Economic valuation method

Revealed preference valuation method – travel cost random utility model to exercise the travel and visit frequency of recreationalists; and stated preference method – a choice experiment.

9. Key methodological issues

Use of GIS based methodology to investigate the revealed/stated preference value data in terms of transferability, aggregation and distributional questions.

10. Available data, information sources and stakeholder involvement

Travel cost and choice experiments research carried out in the catchment
Environment Agency Staff and Government Ministry, DEFRA, officials
R. Cave et al. (2003) The Humber catchment and its coastal area: from UK to European Perspectives, The Science of the Total Environment, 314-316; 31-52.

Case Study Status Report Humber, May 2007 [pdf, 446 KB]