Where waters are adversely impacted by large sewage discharge, the urban waste water directive requires these waters to be designated as sensitive areas. Sensitive areas identified for ecological and/or abstraction source impacts are then to be protected through the reduction of one or more of these substances at impacting sewage plants within seven years of their designation.

Additionally, where waters designated for the purposes of other directives, such as the bathing or shellfish waters directives, are found to be in need of tertiary treatment protection to meet their parent directives’ quality requirements, the need for tertiary treatment, (whether already in place or due), is the third basis for the designation of waters as sensitive areas under the urban waste water treatment directive.

Why have sensitive areas?

Secondary treatment of sewage generally required by the directive for larger sewage discharges provides very good protection of the water environment from the most significant and immediate effects of untreated sewage in the environment, that of oxygen depletion. Without secondary treatment rivers would be oxygen depleted “dead zones” incapable of supporting healthy and diverse ecosystems, devoid of fish, most aquatic invertebrates and plant life and the waterfowl and other animals dependant on an healthy water environment.

However, even with secondary treatment of sewage discharges, receiving waters may still be adversely impacted by substances present in sewage, either, nutrients, (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds), that can affect the ecology of waters, or from excessive nitrates that can pollute water abstraction sources, as these substances aren’t substantially removed by secondary treatment alone.

Maps

Maps of all UK sensitive areas are held on the websites of the relevant government departments and those of their environmental regulators. Links to the websites of other UK departments and those of their environmental regulators are listed at the end of this page.

Sensitive area maps (England) by Environment Agency Region

 Note:

1. Consolidated maps of English sensitive areas are in production and will be made available on this page shortly.
2. Former Southern and Thames Regions in the pre-existing column have since been merged into South East Region.
3. The Pre-existing maps for North West and South West Regions include sensitive areas de-designated with effect from 14 November 2011.

Table

Table of UK sensitive areas which includes sheets of:

• Detail of each sensitive area showing type, designation date, grid reference location and size*
• Summary of designations, modifications, and de-designations chronology by UK nation
• Summary of sensitive area coverage aggregated by UK nation with type and UK totals
• Links to interactive maps of certain sensitive areas– to be included for all designations when geo-data is provided.

*Once macros are enabled the main table can be sorted or filtered by its columns entries.

Sensitive Area Notice and Schedule (England)

As required by legislation Notices and Schedules are issued by Defra to the Environment Agency (the ‘Agency’).  These inform the Agency of any new designations, modifications to existing or de-designations of sensitive areas, and the date such changes come into effect. For new ecosystem and abstraction source protection sensitive areas, the effective (or designation) date sets the starting point for the seven years by which the Agency would require sewerage companies to install tertiary treatment.

The Notice Schedule below only includes new, modified or de-designated sensitive areas. For a list of all extant sensitive areas, refer to the ‘table of sensitive areas’ in the preceding Table section.

• Notice
• Notice Schedule

Related links

Notices, Schedules and maps for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales sensitive areas can be found on the websites of their relevant government departments with maps additionally on the websites of their environmental regulators.

Lead United Kingdom government departments

• Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland
• Scottish Executive
• National Assembly for Wales

United Kingdom Environmental regulators 

• Environment Agency – England
• Northern Ireland Environment Agency
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• Environment Agency – Wales