Tamar Catchment Partnership (72)

Catchment partnership vision

A healthy, functional ecosystem that provides a productive landscape now and in the future.

  • WATER QUALITY: High water quality is available for drinking water, safe sports & leisure, and the health of the wider environment
  • WATER QUANTITY: Water moves through the landscape so that there’s enough during dry weather, avoiding droughts, and not too much during wet weather, avoiding floods
  • CARBON: There is an improved balance between the removal and addition of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
  • SPACE FOR WILDLIFE: A network of healthy habitats supports thriving wildlife populations and biodiversity
  • RECREATION, LEISURE & CULTURE: There are safe and accessible spaces for everyone to undertake sports, leisure, and cultural activities, and increase their well-being by spending time near water
  • ENGAGEMENT: The public is engaged with partners' work and values, and protects the natural environment, including sourcing food locally from producers who work sustainably

Top: Burrator from Sheeps Tor. FlickrCC Old Wellies; Middle: Mid Tamar TVAONB; Bottom: Plymouth Hoe Foreshore and Sound FlickrCC Oct.Al.

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

    Many wastewater treatment works, combined sewers of varying age, designs and frequent discharges

  • Changes to the natural flow and water levels

    Fast responding surface water catchments where drainage, modification, abstraction have exacerbated peak and low flows

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Connecting communities with nature

    We all need to understand, respect and engage with nature and the water environment to make positive change, reducing and removing pressures on it

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

    Climate Change is impacting our Tamar Catchment and we need to act now

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

    Making space for nature and biodiversity is essential to improve the water environment and help address climate change challenges

  • Removing plastics/litter from the water environment

    Plastic pollution is impacting our land, freshwater and marine environments, as well as people's health and wellbeing

  • 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

  • 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

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Agriculture is an important business sector in the Tamar, future climate change events will present a greater challenge to land management pressures on the water environment

  • Physical modifications

    Climate change events and sea level rise will place further pressure on the water environment of heavily modified water bodies

  • 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

  • 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 waste water

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

  • Upstream Thinking 2: Working with farmers and land managers to increase the resilience and quality of raw water supplies including 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.
  • Calstock Flood and Intertidal Habitat Creation Scheme: Creation of 12Ha of intertidal transitional habitat via realignment of a flood embankment. An affordable nature-based scheme was designed to maintain the standard of flood protection to properties within Calstock.
  • Tamar Citizen Science Investigations: Citizen science scheme running across the region, monitoring water quality and environmental parameters. An engagement tool helping to increase awareness of rivers issues and connection with the local environment whilst also collecting useful data.
  • Devon & Cornwall Soils Alliance: Launched in 2019 the alliance is working to build capacity and capability in soils advice across Devon and Cornwall, where more than 40% of soils are degraded. The alliance provides training and mentoring, demonstration projects and feasibility assessments to increase the number of advisors in the region and the level of expertise.
  • Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum: Comprises Plymouth stakeholders with statutory, environmental, business and recreational interests, providing a collaborative framework for managing the Marine Protected Area.

Environment Agency; Calstock flood and intertidal habitat creation scheme

Partnership development plans

From the feedback from our partners, we are currently succeeding in facilitating, networking, strategic planning, collaborative working and sharing news across the catchment. We will be working on increasing our ability to support the development of project and research bids, highlight funding opportunities, facilitate data sharing and collaborative monitoring, expand community engagement and ensure diverse representation of partners at meetings.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    Upstream thinking 3 2020 -2025, work with farmers and land managers to increase the resilience and quality of raw water

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Tavy Tamar Upper Tamar Lower and Inny

  • Confident

    Tamara landscape partnership 2021-2026, integrated scheme to connect heritage, communities and people to the catchment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Heritage Lottery Fund
    Location
    Lower River Lynher Lower River Tavy Lower River Tamar

  • Confident

    South West Peatland Partnership, peatland restoration in the Tamar Headwaters to improve water quality and quantity

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Upper River Tavy Walkham

  • Confident

    Tamar Beaver Management, provide advice, education and monitoring to improve water quality and quantity

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Tamar Lower and Inny

  • Confident

    Plymouth River Keepers, improve habitats for fish in the streams of north west Plymouth

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    PLYMOUTH TAMAR

  • 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
    Tamar

  • Less certain

    Establish designated freshwater bathing areas to encourage further improvement of water quality and recreational value

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Potential future water industry programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Conceptual level measure which needs developing with key stakeholders
    Location
    Lower River Lynher Lower River Tavy Lower River Tamar

  • Less certain

    Promote water and nature friendly farming methods and related regulation

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    UK Shared Prosperity Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Level of available resource to work with the many land owners in the catchment
    Location
    Tamar

  • Less certain

    Encourage best practice management of private/domestic wastewater sources and resolve misconnections

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    UK Shared Prosperity Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Resource to create consistent awareness of the impacts of private wastewater on the environment
    Location
    Tamar

  • Less certain

    Create catchment resilience in estuarine and urban environments through mitigation of heavily modified waters

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Barriers to delivery
    Complex long term projects that require careful planning and multiple stakeholder engagement
    Location
    Tory Brook PLYMOUTH TAMAR

  • Less certain

    Collaborative approach to tackle various invasive non-native species throughout catchment

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Barriers to delivery
    Secure funding and resources
    Location
    Tamar

  • Less certain

    Partnership approach to collecting and sharing information and data across all stakeholders to target improvements

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    UK Shared Prosperity Fund
    Barriers to delivery
    Establishing a common platform for gathering and sharing data across organisations and communities
    Location
    Tamar

  • Wider water environment

    Develop an engagement campaign and programme of events and activities, promoting Tamar Catchments

    Reason for measure
    Connecting communities with nature
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Tamar

  • 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
    Tamar

  • Wider water environment

    Promote the benefits of existing designated areas and support the designation of new areas for nature and biodiversity gains

    Reason for measure
    Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity
    Delivery mechanism
    Nature Recovery Network
    Location
    Tamar

Catchment Partnership contributors

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