A catchment is the area of land draining into a river and its tributaries. We cover a large catchment split into 6 operational catchments covering 1080 square kilometers/417 square miles with the main River Wear stretching 97 kilometers/60 miles from Wearhead to Wearmouth.

The 6 operational catchments are:

Browney Operational Catchment – consists of 9 Water Bodies:

  • Browney from Deerness confluence to Wear
  • Browney from Pan Burn to Smallhope Burn
  • Browney from Smallhope Burn Deerness Confluence
  • Browney from Source to Pan Burn
  • Deerness from Hedleyhope Burn to Browney
  • Deerness from Source to Hedleyhope Burn
  • Hedleyhope Burn from Source to Deerness
  • Pan Burn Catchment (Tributary of Browney)
  • Smallhope Burn from Source to Browney 
Gaunless Operational Catchment – consists of 3 Water Bodies:
 
  • Gaunless from Hummer Beck to Wear
  • Gaunless from Source to Hummer Beck
  • Hummer Beck from Source to Gaunless

Seaham Peterlee Coast Operational Catchment – consists of 4 Water Bodies:

  • Castle Eden Burn from Source to North Sea
  • Crimdon Beck from Source to North Sea
  • Dalton Beck to North Sea
  • Hawthorn Burn from Source to North Sea

Wear Lower and Estuary Operational Catchment – consists of 22 Water Bodies:

  • Blackdene Burn to confluence with Wear
  • Brancepeth Beck from Source to Wear
  • Brasside Pond
  • Butterby Oxbow
  • Cong Burn from Source to Twizell Burn
  • Cong Burn from Twizell Burn to Wear
  • Croxdale Beck from Source to Wear
  • Hendon Coastal Area
  • Herrington Burn from Source to Lumley Park Burn
  • Joes Pond Rainton Bridge
  • Lakes at Cassop
  • Lumley Park Burn from Herrington Burn to River Wear
  • Lumley Park Burn from Source to Herrington Burn
  • Old Durham Beck from Chapman Beck to Wear
  • Old Durham Beck from Source to Pittington Beck
  • Pittington Beck from Coalford to Old Durham Beck
  • South Burn to confluence with Wear
  • Twizell Burn from Source to Cong Burn
  • Valley Burn from Source to Wear
  • Wear DS of Lumley Park Burn to Tidal Limit Water Body
  • Wear from Croxdale Beck to Lumley Park Burn
  • Wear from Gaunless to Browney

Wear Middle Operational Catchment – consists of 11 Water Bodies:

  • Bednurn Beck from Euden Beck to Wear
  • Bedburn Beck from Source to Euden Beck
  • Beechburn Beck (tributary of Wear)
  • Euden Beck Catchment (tributary of Bedburn Beck)
  • Harthorpe Beck (tributary of Bedburn Beck)
  • Houselop Beck from Source to Wear 
  • Linburn Beck from Source to Wear
  • South Grain Beck from Source to Bedburn Beck
  • Wear from Beechburn Beck to Gaunless
  • Wear from Houselop Beck to Beechburn Beck
  • Witton Castle East Lake Water Body

Wear Upper Operational Catchment – consists of 15 Water Bodies:

  • Bollihope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Burnhope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Burnhope Reservoir
  • Ireshope Burn
  • Killhope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Middlehope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Rookhope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Stanhope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Swinhope Burn from Source to Wear
  • Tunstall Reservoir
  • Waskerley Beck from Source to Wear
  • Waskerley Reservior
  • Wear from Middlehope Burn to Houselop Beck
  • Wear from Wearhead to Middlehope Burn, Irestio Water Body
  • Westernhope Burn from Source to Wear

Differing Issues Across the Catchment

  • Changes to the natural flow and level of water
  • Invasive Non-Native Species
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from abandoned mines
  • Pollution from rural areas
  • Pollution from towns, cities and transport
  • Pollution from waste water