Dorset Catchment Partnership

Catchment partnership vision

The Dorset Catchment Partnership vision is that all Dorset river catchments are sustainably healthy, resilient and safe for people and wildlife.

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

    Dorset catchment geology requires complex solutions to diffuse pollution which affects water quality and habitats

  • Pollution from waste water

    Emergent chemical pollutants may cause ecological impacts and the feasibility of removing them is unclear

  • Physical modifications

    The river is often disconnected from its floodplains leading to more flood risk and less biodiversity

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams

    Dorset's chalk streams heritage needs protecting and restoring to improve biodiversity and build resilience to climate change and human impacts

  • Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance

    Excess nutrients are a key problem in Dorset's catchments, working with farmers to improve soil health is vital for water quality and nature recovery

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Improving designated sites for nature recovery is a key part of the jigsaw to improving biodiversity and climate resilience in our catchments

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

    Ensuring plans for nature recovery are aligned through NRN and LNRS helps us support habitats which are bigger, better managed, and better connected

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Location and geology make our catchment susceptible to harm from climate change, building resilience is vital for healthy river systems in the future

  • Connecting communities with nature

    Rivers run through many of our communities, and are well-used by locals and visitors for recreation and to support their health and wellbeing

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

  • Pollution from waste water

  • Physical modifications

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Emerging challenges

  • Changes to the Natural Flow and Water Levels
  • Physical Modifications
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

The Dorset Catchment Partnership (including the West Dorset rivers) successes include the following:

  • development & support of farm management plans on 72 properties
  • erection of 125m of silt barriers, 975m2 farmyard roofing and 2.3km of riparian fencing
  • community engagement through more than 100 events, 981 volunteer days, and training of 60 river champions
  • this has resulted in the creation of 135ha of habitat and the restoration or enhancement of 18km of river
  • the Partnership has contributed to the development of a successful nutrient offsetting scheme with Partnership member Wessex Water, a specific success is the development of the emerging Poole Harbour Nutrient Management Scheme (PHNMS)
  • the Partnership worked with Wessex Water to resolve sewer misconnections and the promotion of natural measures for Sustainable Urban Drainage. This resulted in reduced severity and number of pollution incidents from surface water drains and combined sewerage overflows.

R Allen

Partnership development plans

The Dorset Catchment Partnership will continue its strategic approach to multi-benefit project outcomes, encouraging and supporting partners to adopt the same within their own business approach.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • 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
    Stour Dorset

  • Confident

    Multi-benefit solutions in key locations of the Dorset Stour, Poole Harbour and West Dorset catchments

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers West Dorset Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Confident

    Establishment of a farmer-led nitrate management scheme for the Poole Harbour catchments to reduce nitrate inputs

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers

  • Confident

    Facilitate future beaver introduction through feasibility studies on potential impact on unique Dorset environments

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Location
    Corfe River Hooke

  • Confident

    Reduce surface-water flooding in priority rural areas through co-design and delivery of NFM solutions

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers West Dorset Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Confident

    Engage with communities to build strong links and embed improvements to water environment in wider project delivery

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    West Dorset Rivers

  • Less certain

    Maximise environmental benefits of targeted, design & implementation of appropriate floodplain reconnection projects

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Project development (currently at early stages) & secure funding
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Less certain

    Reduce surface water flooding in specific locations through natural flood management, citizen science & asset management

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Confirmation of funding from the Flood & Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Less certain

    Recreation of salt marsh areas in Holes Bay and Poole Harbour

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Project development (currently at early stages) & secure funding
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers TraC

  • Less certain

    Delivery of landscape-scale, multi-benefit projects in the Dorset Stour & Dorset Frome

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Secure funding from Stour Valley Park Heritage Lottery Fund & development of Frome proposal
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Less certain

    Improve biodiversity & soil health through working with farmers and National Trust's Land Outdoors & Nature programme

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Barriers to delivery
    Project development (currently at early stages) & secure funding
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Less certain

    Multiple re-wilding projects focused environmental improvement and local nature recovery

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Barriers to delivery
    Multiple projects at various stages of development which still require long term funding
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers West Dorset Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Wider water environment

    Working with farmers in our upper catchments to promote soil health and reduce nutrient losses through a range of projects

    Reason for measure
    Protect and restore healthy soils and nutrient balance
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Poole Harbour Rivers Stour Dorset

  • Wider water environment

    Hooke, Wraxall and Upper Frome chalk stream restoration project

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, protect and enhance rare habitats including chalk streams
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Location
    Frome Dorset (Headwaters) Frome Dorset (Upper) Hooke Wraxall Brook

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: