River Dart awarded record number of Bathing Water sites
The River Dart has just become the first river in the UK to achieve Designated Bathing Water status for a record number of individual sites, thanks to an eighteen month grassroots campaign by the community action group Friends Of The Dart (FoD). Four sites have been awarded Designated Bathing Water status by DEFRA in time for the start of the UK’s 2024 Bathing Water Season on the 15th May 2024. Of the five new sites in the Southwest to be awarded Bathing Water status, four are on the River Dart with the fifth on the River Erme.
The four new sites are located on the river from Totnes down to Dartmouth, at the mouth of the river: Totnes (Steamer Quay), Dittisham (The Ham), Stoke Gabriel (creek), Warfleet Dartmouth.
Hannah Pearson, Founding Director of Friends of the Dart commented “Our bathing water application included an unprecedented amount of support with four application sites along the River Dart. We are delighted that DEFRA has granted all four sites with bathing water status. There are still many challenges ahead, so this designation will act as a lever for long term positive change and clearly shows that when communities come together and take collaborative action, real change can happen.” She continues with “We’re also immensely grateful for all who supported us, including Surfers Against Sewage whose initial support and funding helped us get this off the ground.”
Friends Of The Dart was founded in 2022 and has rapidly gained momentum by taking a collaborative approach with all stakeholders and river users. The group has been working closely with South West Water, local councils, businesses, local landowners and the Dart Harbour Master and has a groundswell of support from the local community.
Despite the good news, the campaign group offered a note of caution for those who may now assume the popular River Dart is now safe for swimming.
Hannah Pearson said “Whilst it sounds like bathing water status means the river is now a green light for bathing, this is unfortunately not the case. What it does mean, however, is that the Environment Agency is now obliged to test the river weekly (for two harmful bacteria). Using their results, and only at the end of the bathing season the Environment Agency will then classify the site as either EXCELLENT, GOOD, SATISFACTORY or POOR. This new data will create enhanced focus and pressure upon South West Water to reduce sewage spills into the Dart”.
Bathing water status currently only applies to a fixed period from 15th May – 30 September. Friends of the Dart would like to see this period extended in recognition of those who use the river all year round and the testing extended to include harmful chemicals. The group is committed to gaining full transparency of South West Water’s data on spills and infrastructure improvements – as well as understanding pollution from agriculture and other sources. Friends of the Dart have established their own testing program which covers sites along the entire length of the River Dart and takes high quality sampling fortnightly throughout the year.
More widely however,
More widely however,New figures analysing sewage dumped in Council areas have revealed that sewage was dumped into waterways in the South Hams for 70,779 hours in 2023 – the equivalent of over eight years. It was the sixth worst ranked council area in England. Sewage was dumped into England’s rivers over 460,000 times for a total of over 3.6 million hours in 2023.
The analysis is based on official data from the Environment Agency, compiled by the House of Commons Library for the Liberal Democrats. It shows sewage was dumped into local rivers and coastlines on 6,923 separate occasions in 2023.
The Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate for South Devon, Caroline Voaden said: “It is disgusting that South West Water pumped filthy sewage into our waterways so many times last year. To be the sixth worst council in the country is truly shocking. Day after day, people in South Devon tell me how furious they are that sewage is being pumped into our rivers and coastal waters. They want to send this Conservative government a message and we saw that loud and clear at last week’s local elections. 
She continues “Come the General Election, Liberal Democrats will be campaigning hard against this national scandal that has been allowed to take hold while the Conservative Government has sat on its hands and looked the other way. The privatisation of our water sector has utterly failed.”
Keeping watch
When it comes to the big question of whether South West Water will deliver on cleaning up sewage and wastewater spills into the River Dart, Hannah Pearson remains adamant that we must work towards an effective long-term solution that protects our rivers and communities. “Supported by the Good Law Project, we have offered South West Water the opportunity to be proactive and engage in a legally binding transparency agreement with Friends of the Dart. If agreed, it will be the first of its kind for South West Water, and will provide local residents and businesses with the information they need to understand how their water bills are spent on upgrades to successfully minimise sewage spills.”
Friends of the Dart CIC is a community group based in South Hams, Devon UK. Formed in 2022 and working for the benefit of the health of the River Dart. It is our mission to advocate for the River Dart. We work to identify and minimise pollution, improve biodiversity and empower communities from source to sea. We do this through scientific-based advocacy and constructive engagement. We seek to contribute to the well-being of all other UK rivers, through shared best practice, leadership and collaborative working. All our work is supported by volunteers and donations.
People passionate about supporting the River Dart can donate to support our work here – https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=SQ6XYEF4CS37S
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