South Devon Catchments Partnership (64)

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: