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

Learn more

Commissioned by the North Devon World Surfing Reserve, and filmed entirely by North Devon Moving Image's trainees (Lavinia, Imogen, and Mollie), this short documentary explores the issues of water quality within the North Devon World Surfing Reserve.

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.

Get involved

Passionate about clean water, thriving rivers and tackling climate change? Follow these tips from the North Devon Biosphere:

Walk your local river and report any issues. Pollution should be reported to the Environment Agency on 0800 807060
Always bag and bin dog waste.
Use eco cleaners around your house.
Stop using fabric softener; generally these chemicals are not removed by treatment works.
Create a "rain garden". By diverting downpipes onto your garden, you can slow water flow into the sewer system and reduce the risk of sewage overflows.
Add water butts to your downpipes to reduce water usage and thereby keep more water in our rivers.
Remove litter from rivers and beaches.
Stop using pesticides in your garden.
Avoid/reduce the use of flea treatments for pets.
Support campaigns for improving water quality.
Find out more about the Healthy Rivers project.

And don’t forget to join the citizen science network – email info@earthactionnorthdevon.org or more information

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.

How much the work costs

Scrapes
(shallow ponds that hold rainwater and create wildlife habitats)
£500 each

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

Leaky Dams
(dams made of logs and sticks that slow water flow)
£300 each