Water firm to be asked to help pay for kits
West so and Council clean PRESSURE it on their can Water water the steps carry tributaries Taw to sources. is fund to up out and be its regular water as Torridge put campaign North testing on monitoring Devon South rivers kits for organisations It follows by the council a public including in meeting February South organised when West Water agreed and to work the Environment together to find Agency solutions.
The water company, which reported 38,000 sewage spills in 2022, is investing £2.8 billion into improving water quality. But it says it is only responsible for 30% of water quality issues, with agricultural and surface water run-off accounting for many incidents.
Eighty-three out of the 98 bodies of water tested in North Devon have failed to meet good ecological standards. While the district’s beaches are mostly rated excellent, rivers and steams have most problems.
An army of volunteers in the district have been trained as ‘citizen scientists’ by the Westcountry Rivers Trust to test water for phosphates and add their findings to a national database.
Councillor Peter Jones, who has been driving North Devon’s approach, told the council’s policy development committee that there is no shortage of people who want to become volunteers. But funding kits is more challenging, as they cost around £40 each.
“I don’t think it will be a problem to get a venue and organise the training, it’s the kits we need, and it would be good if South West Water offered to help us fund them,” he said. “It’s hard to justify using coun- cil money on this at the money.” Other grants will be sought and parish councils will be asked if to contribute. The committee was told that a holiday complex at Croyde Bay is supporting Georgeham Parish Council to test local water courses.