Campaign to #ReviveTheRiverOtter

We have teamed up with local MP Richard Foord and other groups to launch a new campaign called "Revive the River Otter". This was initiated by a press release from Richard Foord, with quotes and commentary from the Otter Valley Association and our campaigning group ORCA.  Here is a brief update of the timelines of our campaign:

  • Our ORCA team continue to test the River Otter.  We have now completed 10 cycles of testing (at 12 specific locations every 2 weeks) with a team of 50 volunteers.  We will continue testing.
  • The river is classified as “poor” ecological status by the Environment Agency.  Our goal is to move the river from “poor” to “good” by 2030.
  • Pollution occurs from many sources – including both Agriculture and South West Water (SWW).  However, the majority of issues occur because of SWW sewage pollution.
  • We have teamed up with local MP Richard Foord to bring pressure on SWW in regard of their untreated sewage discharges and the phosphate levels within their continuous treated discharges.
  • The ORCA team have met face:face with SWW, the Environment Agency and Richard Foord (MP) to discuss the state of the river.  SWW declined to offer any changes to their current practices in the short-to-medium term.
  • Richard Foord  issued a press release to launch a campaign with the OVA entitled #ReviveTheRiverOtter.  You can read his release on our OVA website here [LINK].  The key points of this announcement are:
  • The middle and lower reaches of the River Otter are now so contaminated with sewage-related pollutants, that it is classed in the bottom 20% of rivers in England for water quality.
  • Shocking figures from local environmental groups suggest that the River Otter has the highest phosphate levels of any major watercourse in Devon and Cornwall.
  • 70% of phosphate levels in the Otter come from the sewage system, according to the Environment Agency.
  • South West Water say they've no plans to invest in their local sewage infrastructure to improve the dire water quality of the Otter, but we believe that people power can change the minds of their senior managers.  
  • We are asking local people during their summer walks, to photograph their most, and least, favourite parts of the river, post on social media, tagging Richard Foord, ORCA - Otter River Catchment Action and South West Water

Peter Williams, OVA lead analyst, summarises the quality issues: “The data shows the Otter has the highest phosphate levels of any major river in Devon and Cornwall, and goes some way to explaining why it’s the only river system in the area classified as ‘poor’ by the Environment Agency. High levels of phosphate cause slimy algal blooms on the riverbed and decreased oxygen levels, leading to severe consequences for plant life, wildlife and fish populations.  According to the Environment Agency, approximately 70 percent of the phosphate entering the Otter is a result of discharges from South West Water’s sewage infrastructure.”

Haylor Lass, Chairman of the Otter Valley Association, said: “This river is the lifeblood of our landscape, and it’s been neglected for far too long. We are standing together—locals, anglers, experts, and nature lovers—to give the Otter back its sparkle.”

Richard Foord (MP), added: 

  • “The river Otter should be crystal clear and teeming with fish and invertebrates, but instead, the middle and lower sections are murky, slimy and sick. This is largely due to untreated or inadequately treated sewage being endlessly discharged in the river, by South West Water.
  • We felt we had no option to but to launch #ReviveTheRiverOtter to stop SWWs appalling use of the River Otter as a free extension of their sewage infrastructure. This is just the start. We’ll keep going until we succeed in getting the investment the River Otter desperately needs to thrive once again.
  • “I want to pay tribute to the remarkable work of volunteers at the Otter Valley Association. Their data, expertise, clear objectives and mobilisation of the local community for water quality testing is very impressive. I was taken aback by their efforts when I met them, and I am backing them to the hilt in their endeavours.”

 

  • The OVA has issued their own press release as a follow-up with supporting comments from Devon County Council, East Devon District Council, Otterton Parish Council, Budleigh Salterton Town Council, Ottery St Mary Town Council, Newton Poppleford & Harpford Parish Council, Westcountry Rivers Trust, River Otter Fishereies Association, Ottery Fly Fishing Club, Tracey Farm, Clinton Devon Estates, Richard Foord MP. You can read this release on the OVA website here.
  • The BBC and local newspapers have already covered this campaign in their news updates.  You can view some of this on the OVA website here: [LINK]
  • Richard Foord has written to SWW CEO Susan Davey asking for demonstrable improvements to these two issues.  You can view the letter written by Richard Foord to Susan Davey on the OVA website here.
  • SWW have replied with a detailed explanation of their plans – which unfortunately do not constitute significant change in the next 10 years.  You can read their reply in full on the OVA website here: [LINK]
  • The ORCA team are preparing a detailed analysis of this response - we will publish when ready.

 

We are calling on local people to join the ORCA Facebook group, and to share images of the river on social media with the hashtag #ReviveTheRiverOtter.