Year-long project will test water quality in river and tributaries

A YEARLONG project to carry out a detailed assessment of the water quality on a tributary of the River Torridge is being led by Clinton Devon Estates using a grant made up of fines paid by water companies for environmental breaches.

- WMN REPORTER

More than £200,000 has been awarded to the estates by the Government's Rural Payments Agency (RPA) to carry out the monitoring work on the River Mere and two of its catchments that flow into the Torridge in North Devon.

Clinton Devon Estates is working with ball clay mining company Sibelco and Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) on the Restoration of the River Mere Catchment project.

Dr Sam Bridgewater, Clinton Devon Estates' director of environment strategy and evidence, said the data gathered would be used to draw up restoration plans for up to 60 hectares of land around the River Mere and its tributaries, bringing benefits for water quality and biodiversity.

Monitoring is taking place across around 4,000 hectares to gain a detailed understanding of the impact on water quality of the farming, forestry and mining activities in the area, part of which lies within the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere and the Northern Devon Nature Improvement area. Among the habitats are the globally important culm grasslands.

Dr Bridgewater said: "Whenever there's an opportunity to do more for nature we try and grasp that ... We've done a lot of work in East Devon with the Lower Otter Restoration Project and now the Heaths to Sea Landscape Recovery Project.