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A Water Restoration project
For the Avon, Gara & Slapton Ley, and Kingsbridge Salcombe Estuary
This Planning Project will devise a Delivery Plan to restore most water bodies in the operational catchments above to Good Ecological status by 2030.
The Project, which results from coordinated input from a range of experienced people, is a true team effort. This collaboration includes scientists, farmers, landowners, residents, environmental organisations, catchment community groups, and local government.
It is crucial to raise targeted awareness about collective responsibility for catchment-sensitive behaviour. Inter-parish water quality groups, comprising catchment parish councils collaborating with catchment community groups, increase understanding of the issues and solutions. Maximising the number of catchment-sensitive households, businesses, local government, and farmers is central to the success of an ambitious catchment-wide nature recovery plan.
Within the two operational catchments, 38% of water bodies are already in Good Ecological status, and sources of pollution are known: from sewage, from farming practices and household water use.
The Project believes that relatively small investments by SWW could restore the hydraulic capacity of treatment works serving small rural communities, which currently negatively impact the Ecological Status of water bodies, including Slapton Ley SSSI.
The small number of farms makes communication easier and fuller engagement possible. There are already farms within the catchment who demonstrate exemplary environmental practices ready to work with SME family-owned farms facilitating peer-to-peer learning of the benefits of installing of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)
The Project will determine the priorities and type/scale of interventions for NbS and habitat restoration. Targets will be agreed upon, and Expressions of Interest will be sought in Catchment Planning Summits. These will be followed by site visits to confirm activities to be included in a Delivery Project.
Natural process recovery is a multi-faceted outcome of the NbS adopted to reduce pollution into water bodies and restore habitats, including interventions to minimise river flow rates, increase infiltration rates (improved soil organic matter, species-rich permanent meadows) and provide natural flood management (leaky dams, silt traps, peatland restoration, planting buffers) Citizen Science Investigations (CSI) will monitor, record, and evaluate progress against biodiversity and water quality targets whilst ensuring ongoing public engagement.
The Project extends Citizen Science Investigations (WRT citizen science, Rivers Trust kick sampling, iNaturalist) and provides further opportunities for volunteering (Force4Nature, Woodland Trust, Moor Trees)Complementary action, partnership, and stakeholder support are inevitable due to the Project's design, engagement strategy, and strong alignment and collaboration with ongoing projects within the catchments.
This alignment ensures a cohesive and practical approach to the restoration of water bodies.
Evidence and Expertise.
AgZero+ E Planner and Seadream Environment underwater survey ROV and CSI observations provide the evidence that directs and monitors project development and delivery
.Plymouth Marine Laboratory AgZero+ programme will assist in decision-making regarding land management using E-Planner and SDNL Nature Recovery Opportunity Map in collaboration with the stakeholders' trusted advisors (other environmental organisations working in the catchment).
Opportunities arising for intermediary reservoirs, reedbeds, and new wetlands on less-productive agricultural land will be assessed by authorised landscape contractors and environmental organisations to determine the ecological benefits and engineering feasibility in consultation with the Environment Agency.
Seadream Environment and SDNL Estuaries Officer will collaborate with CSI teams to provide expert advice, mapping, monitoring, and evaluation of the factors affecting biodiversity in estuaries. They will focus on threats to seagrass meadows, estuarine habitats, and biodiversity.The blueprint project aims for an ambitious, community-driven recovery plan through targeted awareness, partnerships, and practical environmental interventions.
The project has been submitted to DEFRA – Rural payments for funding from their Water Restoration fund