The Cam and Ely Ouse Planning Group is based on the Environment Agency Wissey, Little Ouse and Thet catchments, operational catchments in the Cam and Ely Ouse management catchment. The main settlements in the area are Brandon, Feltwell, Attleborough, Watton and Swaffham. Land-use outside of the urban areas is dominated by arable farming and woodland, including the Brecks and Thetford Forest. Links to the Environment Agency Cam and Ely Ouse Abstraction Licence Strategy (ALS) and Catchment Data Explorer page are here:
https://environment.data.gov.uk/catchment-planning/ManagementCatchment/3009
Most of the Wissey, Thet and Little Ouse catchments are underlain by Chalk, except in the west where the fen and adjoining areas are underlain by older Greensand, Gault and Wealden Group deposits. Large areas of Chalk outcrop in the lower parts of the catchments while in the upper areas these are covered with deposits of Till. On the fens there are significant areas of Peat with Alluvium and River Terrace Deposits. Members in this Planning Group mainly abstract surface water from rivers and streams or groundwater from the Chalk.
The Wissey, Thet and Little Ouse catchments contains many Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), including Norfolk valley fens which are designated Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs). The condition of these is currently being assessed, with the need for licence changes to meet Habitats Regulation requirements being considered. All remaining abstractions within the catchments will be reviewed as part of the Environment Agency Catchment Permit Review process expected to be completed between 2028 & 2035.
From the National Framework for Water Resources (2025) several waterbodies within the Wissey, Little Ouse and Thet catchments are at risk of licence reductions under current conditions. This risk is concentrated in the Wissey, where reductions of up to 90% are considered possible in the short to medium term, and increases over the period to 2050 & 2080.
National Framework for Water Resources 2025: Risk of licence reductions by waterbody for the CAMEO Planning Group (see also NF2025 Licence Reductions.docx)
A link to the National Framework for Water Resources 2025 data is here:
https://environment.data.gov.uk/dataset/4347271e-4867-4c5a-a2ae-d4830b3eeb03
