South Devon Catchments Partnership (64)
- Catchment HostWestcountry Rivers Trust & South Devon AONB
- River Basin DistrictSouth West
- Management CatchmentDevon South
- Management Catchment ID3081
Catchment partnership vision
Our goal is to bring people together, for clean water and a healthy environment, for the benefit of everyone. Our vision for South Devon is that:
- all rivers, estuaries and coastal waters reach ‘Good’ status under the Water Framework Directive Regulations, through healthy soils, well-managed land and waters, informed and active householders and businesses and good practice by boat-owners
- water moves through the catchment, in both urban and rural areas, in a sustainable way, to prevent floods and droughts and increase our resilience to climate change while also benefiting nature
- South Devon Catchments support healthy and well-protected habitats with rich and diverse natural communities of native species, interlinked by a well-managed mosaic of wildlife corridors
- local communities, businesses and visitors have a better understanding of the importance of nature and clean water, and take action to protect it.
Related websites
Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.
Catchment challenges
Current challenges identified by partnership
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Largely agricultural catchment with significant diffuse pollution of nutrients, sediments and agrichemicals
Pollution from waste water
Private septic systems and combined sewer overflows discharges are made worse by seasonal population changes
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Climate change causing more frequent higher intensity rainfall events combined with soil compaction and erosion
Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership
Connecting communities with nature
We need everyone to understand, respect and engage to make positive change to reduce pressures on the water environment
Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
Climate Change is impacting our South Devon Catchments and we need to act now
Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
We know that good soil condition provides many environmental benefits including addressing the priority actions and measures we have identified
Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents
Storm water overflows contribute to a wide range of issues that impact overall water quality for communities and nature
Improved shellfish waters
Shellfish waters are important indicators of water quality and offer many wider environmental benefits to our coastal waters
Improved bathing waters (including inland)
Bathing waters enable wider health and wellbeing benefits as well as drive investment to improve quality of the water environment
Future challenges predicted by partnership
Pollution from agriculture and rural areas
Agriculture is an important business sector in South Devon, future climate change events will present a greater challenge to land management pressures on the water environment
Invasive Non-native Species
Increased global temperatures are predicted to increase the threat of invasive species displacing native and protected species
Changes to the natural flow and water levels
Climate Change is predicted to greatly reduce seasonal low flows, further impacting existing water resource pressures and their dependent habitats
Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency
Future challenges in 2050
- Invasive Non-native Species
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Physical Modifications
Emerging challenges
- Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
- Physical Modifications
- Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021
These are some of the key successes the partnership have celebrated:
- South Devon Estuaries Partnerships and Estuary Forums: encouraging conservation, sustainable use and enjoyment. Representing wider community interests in the Integrated Coastal Zone Management of their estuaries and coast, providing a space where relevant issues may be aired, discussed and mitigation solutions explored and actioned
- Upstream Thinking 2: Working with farmers and land managers to increase the resilience and quality of raw water supplies with additional focus on the reduction of agricultural pesticide use. The programme focused on Natural Capital solutions with wildlife and habitat benefits, as well as supporting farmers and land managers through grant aided investments
- South West Peatland Partnership: A broad partnership working to restore damaged peatland on Dartmoor using ditch blocking techniques to enable re-wetting of extensive areas of peatlands
- Dartmoor Headwaters Natural Flood Management Project: Project trialling effectiveness of using natural river processes, land management techniques and soft engineering approaches to slow down and store water to reduce the risk of flooding downstream
- Teign Fish Easement Programme: Capital project to improve fish passage on the Upper Teign
- River Charter for the River Dart at Dartington: Co-creation of a Charter that commits the people who ‘live, work and play’ at Dartington to act as stewards of the water in the Dart catchment.
Partnership development plans
Feedback from our partners shows that the partnership is currently valued particularly for sharing catchment news, strategic planning and networking. The partnership is seeking to increase its ability to develop partnership projects and bids, and to facilitate data sharing. It also intends to continue to build on collaborative working, strategic planning and networking strengths within the partnership and to expand community engagement activities.
Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027
Confident
Upstream Thinking 3, work with farmers and land managers to increase the resilience and quality of raw water supplies
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Teign Dart Start Bay and Torbay
Confident
Natural flood management projects that address water quantity, quality and wider environmental benefits
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
- Location
- Teign Dart Start Bay and Torbay
Confident
Contribute to the active management of the Marine Conservation Zones and other protected areas
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Devon South
Confident
Reduce pressure on combined sewer overflows through targeted community action by individuals and businesses
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Devon South
Confident
Seagrass and Saltmarsh conservation projects to improve multiple ecosystem services
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Marine Habitat Restoration/Fisheries Fund
- Location
- DART Salcombe Harbour KINGSBRIDGE
Confident
Enhancement/no deterioration measures in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environment Programme
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
- Location
- Devon South
Less certain
Provide farm advice and interventions to reduce rural diffuse pollution from agriculture
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
- Delivery mechanism
- WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Additional resources needed to target all catchments
- Location
- Erme Teign Avon Salcombe and Kingsbridge Dart Start Bay and Torbay
Less certain
Target tree planting to improve habitats, connectivity, carbon capture and mitigate flood risk
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Grant giving trusts and businesses
- Barriers to delivery
- Integrate approach to the right tree in the right place
- Location
- Devon South
Less certain
Establish a carbon trading scheme to secure investment in river, inter-tidal and sub-tidal priority habitats
- Reason for measure
- Manage modified habitats
- Delivery mechanism
- Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF)
- Barriers to delivery
- Improved availability and funding of skilled resource
- Location
- Erme Estuary Devon South Coastal Dart Estuary Teign Estuary Kingsbridge and Salcombe Estuary Avon Estuary Dart Start Bay and Torbay
Less certain
Catchment wide water quality monitoring to understand the health of south Devon rivers to target improvements
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- UK Shared Prosperity Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- Access to low cost monitoring equipment and a repository to share data and information
- Location
- Devon South
Less certain
Establish a pilot to assess feasibility of screening of micropollutant inputs to improve water quality
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- Potential future water industry programme
- Barriers to delivery
- No readily available policy to direct this work
- Location
- Devon South
Less certain
Identify actions to support shell fishery protected areas
- Reason for measure
- Control or manage point source discharges
- Delivery mechanism
- UK Shared Prosperity Fund
- Barriers to delivery
- No funded resources currently available to target these catchments with advice and interventions
- Location
- Yealm Estuary Teign Estuary Kingsbridge and Salcombe Estuary Yealm Avon Estuary Paignton and Brixham
Wider water environment
Develop an engagement campaign and programme of events and activities, promoting South Devon Catchments
- Reason for measure
- Connecting communities with nature
- Delivery mechanism
- Other local funding
- Location
- Devon South
Wider water environment
Promote and contribute to existing local programmes that address climate and environmental resilience
- Reason for measure
- Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change
- Delivery mechanism
- Climate for Nature funds
- Location
- Devon South
Wider water environment
Promote and share best practice from new and existing soil conservation and improvement programmes
- Reason for measure
- Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
- Delivery mechanism
- Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
- Location
- Devon South
Catchment Partnership contributors
Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: