Dear Friend of the River,
Thank you for joining us! We are glad that you are a part of this movement to protect the Dart.
Friends of the Dart is a not-for-profit organisationfocused on representing the interests of our River at both local and National levels. Our mission is to advocate for the River Dart, working to minimise pollution, improve biodiversity, and empower communities from source to sea. We do this through evidence-based advocacy and constructive engagement. All those who love the River have a seat at our table. This diversity and inclusivity fosters healthy engagement to ensure we pull in the same direction for positive change. We are the largest citizen funded bacterial testing programme in the country!
In this Newsletter;
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A more detailed look at our Water quality Monitoring on the Dart
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Music and Art at the Green Table
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River Summit 2025
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Is the River Alive?
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Become an Official Supporter
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Water Quality Monitoring
Over the past few months, we’ve been putting our Phase 3 water quality monitoring plan into action — and it’s been our most ambitious phase yet.
We are now conducting regular sampling at 31 sites across the Dart catchment, monitoring both wet and dry conditions each month. This expanded network — combined with three years of previous data and additional sources — is giving us a clearer picture of how pollution behaves in different weather conditions and how individual tributaries contribute to the overall bacterial load in the River Dart. This helps us hone in on problem sites.
Petrifilm plates are at the heart of this phase, allowing us to analyse E. coliconcentrations in water samples. Cost-effective and efficient, Petrifilms deliver results within 24 hours, enabling wider coverage than ever before. To validate this method, we compared E. coli concentrations from Petrifilm assays with those from an accredited lab, and we continue to run quarterly laboratory tests to confirm reliability. You can read more about how we validated the accuracy of petrifilm here.
We’re working hard behind the scenes on ways to make it easier for you to access the information we’re gathering, as well as trying to secure ongoing funding for our activities. We’re particularly excited about our River Ambassadors Programme, currently being developed in response to the question we get asked all the time: “What can I do?” Watch this space!
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An example of some of our recent petri-film tests.
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Our move to a dedicated lab space within the Radical Ecology building in Dartington has been a game-changer. The new space allows us to process samples quickly, store equipment safely, and continue growing our capacity as a community-led monitoring group.
Recent data from the Environment Agency has been especially valuable. Their bacterial monitoring shows:
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E. coli concentrations at Totnes Steamer Quay are consistently above the 500 cfu/100ml threshold used to define “excellent” bathing water quality.
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Sites further down the Dart Estuary — including Stoke Gabriel, Dittisham, and Warfleet Creek — are nearly always below this threshold.
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Several investigative sites on the tributary feeding into Mill Pooland points on the River Hems and Bidwell Brook have recorded extremely high levels of both E. coli and Intestinal Enterococci.
These findings highlight the critical role that official Bathing Water Status can play. Such designations require extensive monitoring and transparency, helping to build a fuller picture of pollution sources and pressure points throughout the Dart catchment. Steamer quay is currently under formal investigation following a poor rating at our designated site.
The latest Environment Agency bacterial monitoring data is available here — data from the Dart begins on page 21.
All of this data is shaping our work. With a robust, localised evidence base, we can better direct our campaigning efforts and engage with — and influence — polluters and decision-makers. With Phase 3 well underway, we’re excited to keep building momentum, working towards a healthier, cleaner River Dart for wildlife, communities, and future generations.
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Music and Art at The Green Table
This Friday 4th July, The Green Table will be hosting an event to celebrate 100 Years of Dartington Arts. With music, comedy, film screenings, and photography, The Green Table will generously be offering a free cocktail if you mention that you are a Friends of the Dart supporter!! Paul Hornsby is kindly donating Friends of the Dart will be in attendance — if you see one of us, do come and say hello! Details of the event can be found here.
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River Summit 2025
We are participating in this year’s River Summit in London on 8th July. We are very much looking forward to forming part of this national conversation about river pollution and in particular, sharing our transparency template with policy makers, government organisations, NGOs and river protection groups. More details can be found here.
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Phase 3 Monitoring
In 2025, we entered Phase 3 of our monitoring programme, building on work from 2024 to provide accessible, reliable data on faecal pollution, potential sources, and solutions for a healthier river. Our efforts have helped secure four Bathing Water Site designations, driven South West Water to commit to 16 infrastructure upgrades, and supported other communities to begin their own bacterial monitoring, all in close partnership with local councils, universities, government agencies, businesses, and community groups. Read more about the aims of Phase 3 in our blog.
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Thanks to Laura Campbell and Dartmouth Chamber of commerce for inviting our water technician Eliza (middle wearing green) to present at the Tourism business forum last week. It was a well attended and interesting event.
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The East Gate Bookshop Joins us!
As part of our Business Ambassadors scheme, we are delighted to welcome The East Gate Bookshop in Totnes as a Business Friend of the Dart. This family-run, local bookshop is loved by many in our community, and we are very happy to have them on board. As part of this, they are generously pledged to donate £2 from every sale of Is a River Alive? by acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane to Friends of the Dart. I can highly recommend this fabulous book!
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Summer Fundraising
We will be at lots of coming events, talking about our work. and fundraising throughout the summer. Here are a few; Skyrise festival,Buckfastleigh water day, Riverford Eat festival, Dittisham Regattaand Dartmouth Regatta — we hope to see you there, come and say hello. Volunteers for these events are needed, let us know if you can help.
Become a Supporter
Please share this newsletter with your family and friends! As always, we’re so grateful to everyone who supports us. You can now become a Supporter by giving £3 per month or more. £3 pays for one petri-film water quality test. Monthly donations can be set up on our paypal. It is thanks to your support that we’re able to continue this vital work. Sign up to monthly donations and receive a special supporters certificate.
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Friends of the Dart, CIC is a community group based in Devon UK
It is our mission to advocate for the River Dart.
We work to identify and minimise pollution, improve biodiversity and empower communities from source to sea.
We do this through scientific-based advocacy and constructive engagement.
We seek to contribute to the well-being of all other UK rivers, through shared best practice, leadership and collaborative working.
We are emailing you our newsletter as you have either added your name to our newsletter list, donated towards our work or volunteered with us. Should you wish to not receive these newsletters, please do unsubscribe by clicking on the link at the bottom of this email.
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