Coastal Rivers Project
Feeling powerless about the worsening water quality crisis? Let’s take real action and improve what we can.
We’ve teamed up with the North Devon World Surf Reserve, the National Trust, and the Save the Waves Coalition on a new pilot project aimed at protecting and restoring rivers, helping to mitigate the expected impacts of climate change and improve water quality within the surf reserve.
Why it matters
Climate models predict, with a high degree of certainty, that the South West of the UK will experience increased heavy rainfall in short periods (Met Office 2024). This will increase ‘runoff’ of rainwater into the sea around the North Devon World Surfing Reserve. Runoff occurs when heavy rainfall saturates the land, particularly where there is reduced flora, and flows downhill across the land, increasing the volume and speed of streams and tributaries that feed into the sea.
Runoff is an issue as it carries pollutants, which have limited time to disperse or be filtered by natural processes, from land into waterways. This heavily affects water quality, wildlife, biodiversity and the surrounding community. More runoff = more pollution, and not just the things we can see.
What can we do?
This project is about restoring balance, starting small but thinking big. By enabling natural processes and improving natural habitats, we can:
Slow the flow of water and cleanse pollutants, improving overall water quality around the North Devon coastline.
Mitigate the effects of heavy rainfall events, caused by human-driven climate change
Increase carbon capture through wetland creation
Improve and restore biodiversity
Reduce erosion
We’ve launched a crowdfunder to support the next stage of our work.
Every pound raised for the interventions will be match funded by the National Trust, meaning your donation goes twice as far in helping us slow the flow, reduce pollution, and bring our waterways back to life. Here’s what we’re aiming for:
7 x Scrapes
(shallow ponds that hold rainwater and create wildlife habitats)
£500 each
4 x Baffles
(wooden barriers in streams that slow water)
£300 each
Land Drain Break
(breaking an old drain so water filters naturally into the land)
£1,000
8 x Leaky Dams
(dams made of logs and sticks that slow water flow)
£300 each
Fundraising, communications support and Crowdfunder platform costs: approx £2,000
Total we are looking to raise via our Crowdfunder: £6,100 (before National Trust match funding on the interventions)
If you’d like to fundraise for the project please drop us a line. We’d love to hear from you.
The starting point: Combesgate
The work began in the Combesgate tributary, a stream running through National Trust land and into the surf zone at Woolacombe, which is being treated as a live case study to test and refine nature-based techniques.
So far, the National Trust team has completed 27 interventions involving the removal and the breaking up of historic land drains and the installation of nature-based measures including leaky dams, baffles and ponds.
Our role
At EAND, we’re leading on communications and community engagement – connecting people to the project and building momentum. That means:
Telling the story of what’s happening and why it matters
Recruiting volunteers to help monitor the river
Helping make the case for funding and action across all five key tributaries in the area
Funding and looking ahead
Thanks to initial seed funding from the Save The Waves climate mitigation fund, match funding from the National Trust enabled by the Species Survival Fund (funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Defra), and a significant donation from Dryrobe, the National Trust team has made a very successful and inspirational start in the Combesgate valley.
However, we hope this is just the beginning. With the support of our community, we can take what works here and apply it to other streams feeding the North Devon World Surf Reserve, supporting ecosystems, surf breaks, and communities all at once.
Our long-term aim is to clean up many more tributaries throughout the reserve.
Get involved
Passionate about clean water, thriving rivers and tackling climate change?
Donate to our Crowdfunder to support interventions along priority areas. All donations will be match-funded by the National Trust Species Survival Fund (Defra)
Join the citizen science network – email info@earthactionnorthdevon.org or more information
Follow the project’s journey
Share the story and spread positive seeds of hope
