CAMS Reference Boundaries: Water Abstraction Management Areas for England and Wales

Retired in 2017, this dataset contains geospatial boundaries for Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS) in England and Wales. It was created by the Environment Agency to indicate where technical water resource assessments were undertaken. The data is intended for national-scale visualization of water availability and demand balance.

Use Cases

• Visualizing the geographical distribution of water resource assessments based on the described CAMS boundaries.
• Supporting high-level policy analysis on water availability and demand based on the described technical assessment framework.
• Providing a historical reference layer for studies on water management strategies in England and Wales.

Strengths

• Provides an external reference dataset for a defined national-scale purpose.
• Explicitly states its creation by the authoritative Environment Agency.

Limitations

• Dataset is retired and was last updated in October 2017.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and structure require manual inspection after download.
• Explicitly warned against use for detailed technical assessments or precise permit identification.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency, via Government Digital Service.

Collection Method

Likely derived from technical assessments for water resource management.

Time Range

Up to October 2017.

Freshness

Retired; last update was 10/2017.

Geography

England and Wales.