**6. Deliberation and adaptation of objectives**

In any integrated water management project of this kind, it is also vital to respond adaptively to stakeholder issues and barriers to implementation [15].

#### **Figure 9.**

*Position of existing spillway separating the Lunan water from the common lade (CMS) and blocked spillway (BS), which was agreed with riparian owners and the Lunan catchment management group could be re-instated.*

This project was one of a group of case studies that considered adaptive catchment management across Scotland<sup>2</sup> .

Having considered the concerns listed above, a modified proposal was tabled to the Lunan Catchment Management Group and to riparian owners. This focused on re-instating a blocked spillway downstream of the existing spillway where the river and Common Lade separate (CMS in **Figures 3** and **9**). This blockage had been installed in the 1970's, to enhance the flow of water to the mill lade to feed a recently reinstated historic water mill. Modelling of scenarios of hydraulic management showed that this approach would provide one of the key benefits of the original scheme, namely the protection of Chapel Mires wetland ecology from sediment from Newmills Burn during peak runoff events. It would have a more passive approach to management and be in keeping with current river restoration policies aiming at returning to natural flow regimes, where possible. The modified proposals were agreed in principle by the local interest groups, opening the way for solicitation of funding for the re-instatement works required.
