Water embarks on an ambitious ‘Catchment Action Plan’ for the Erme

Some of WATER’s CAP team on a field trip to the Lud Brook

Since its inception, WATER has always been a very data-driven and science-based organisation. While our ambition to improve the Erme’s water quality and habitat, from source to sea can be simply stated, its achievement first requires a deep understanding of the very complex interactions of the river system (natural, historic and man-made) with the landscape through which it flows.

Typically, a Catchment Action Plan (CAP) that encompasses the entire catchment area of a river system like the Erme, is undertaken by, often expensive, specialist consultants. But in these cash-strapped times that would result in a very long wait. Our rapidly changing climate, with it’s multiple consequences, means waiting is not an option.

WATER is extremely fortunate to have been able to assemble an exceptional team including landscape specialists and highly qualified environmental science and GIS specialists.  Just as remarkable is that they have all volunteered their services to help WATER restore the Erme to its natural, healthy state.

Supported by the Environment Agency and guided by the Rivers Restoration Centre, acknowledged experts in this field, WATER’s CAP team embarked on a series of workshop sessions that are enabling us to identify just how to go about this massive task.

In order to create a plan of what to do, where to do it, what the likely outcomes would be and which actions should take priority, we first have to establish a baseline of ‘where we are’.

That has meant breaking down the river and its major tributaries into individual reaches and then having a consistent and detailed assessment of every aspect of that stretch of the river’s geomorphology.

It has been a steep learning curve and we still have one more workshop to go but we are making good progress and are confident we are managing the project in a way that will enable us to find multiple ways to improve both water quality and habitat from the Erm’e source on Dartmoor to it’s estuary and the sea. We currently estimate that it will take the rest of 2025 before we have a draft of the action plan.