About

The catchment is predominantly rural, mostly agriculture; arable, dairy and pasture but with some urban influences. In addition to agriculture the other major industry is Tourism - the unique environmental and landscape feature of the area offer many recreational opportunities. Many of the river channels have been modified for flood defence, land drainage for agricultural production and water level management using sluices and impoundments. These modifications have taken place over centuries and many of the historical modifications are now seen as important features of the streams and rivers of the catchment. The catchment includes many protected areas of International and National conservation importance. There are important wetlands at Radipole and Lodmoor and around Poole Harbour, unique coastal features like Chesil Beach and a marine zone in Lyme Bay. The Jurassic Coast is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. This area has numerous popular bathing beaches - including 38 EU Designated Bathing waters. Poole Harbour has economically important shellfisheries and is of high conservation value. Many of the rivers are highly regarded salmon and trout fisheries, especially the chalk rivers. Additionally there are numerous coarse fishing clubs established through Dorset. The most significant abstractions in this area are for public water supply. Christchurch and Poole Harbours both suffer from nutrient enrichment from diffuse and point sources. The operational catchment formally known as Frome, Piddle, Poole and Purbeck is now known as Poole Harbour Rivers.