Rapid Evidence Review of Peatland Water Quality implications for the Water Environment Regulations (WFD).

Descriptions

This project aims to identify what connections there are between peatland degradation and water quality issues, how that relates to the Water Environment Regulations (WFD) and what best indicates water quality health in peatland dominated catchments through a Rapid Evidence Review. There may be evidence from different scales of peatland landscapes, which should be accounted for in outputs and there may be evidence gaps which need to be highlighted. Peatland areas in use for lowland agricultural purposes should not be considered within this evidence review.

Identifying the influence of peatland degradation on water quality and the WFD is a vital part of regulating water quality within upland peatland dominated catchments, as well as finding a solution. Monitoring of the WFD in England is undertaken at quarterly intervals via spot sampling and includes a specific set of criteria. The restrictions of sampling may not reflect the true status of peatland dominated water bodies within a catchment due to the flashy and sporadic nature of flow and distance from source the samples are taken. Additionally, water quality is a key driver of peatland restoration and understanding how best to approach ongoing monitoring efforts of water quality will help inform progress against targets.

Outputs will enable better understanding of pressures on peatlands and the resultant impacts on water bodies. From this, a picture will be built of what can be described as a suspected, probable or confirmed Reason for Not Achieving Good (RNAG) Status which will help inform action from the Environment Agency and partners to support positive change in peatland catchments. The better represented these issues can be within WFD monitoring, the more likely peatland restoration will be included within River Basin Management Plans and therefore prioritised for action within a river basin.

Using rapid evidence review techniques this project will review current evidence with outputs that describe what is known about the links between peatland degradation, water quality and the WFD, whether the WFD is a suitable method of measuring peatland catchment health, and if not, what would be more appropriate. Where evidence does not include reference to WFD but is relevant to water quality parameters linked to the WFD, this should be included within the evidence review with caveats. The outputs will seek to identify trends and themes within the subject area, for example land management activities, water quality components, pressures etc. It is likely that a mixture of human derived and natural processes influence the subject matter for this review and that the interaction between these will be complex. We would welcome contractors to consider different scenarios of hydrological state and how drought and inundation may impact water quality within a peatland catchment. Outputs should be relevant across all 4 UK Nations.

The project will run from October 2025 through to March 2026, with reporting due by March 31st 2026.