River Otter: ‘No improvement’ in water quality despite sewage concerns

One of Devon's most polluted rivers has shown no improvement in water quality over the last five years, with sewage discharges continuing to be identified as the primary cause.

The middle to lower reaches of the River Otter have been rated "poor" by the Environment Agency (EA) for several years, with the stretch downstream of Honiton sewage treatment works among the worst affected. Phosphate levels in the river continue to be driven largely by discharges from sewage works.

Richard Foord, MP for Honiton and Sidmouth, hosted a meeting on 1 April with the EA, members of the Otter Valley Association (OVA) and the River Otter Fisheries Association to examine water quality data collected by local volunteers.

The OVA has been testing the river every two weeks at twelve locations for the past year. Mr Foord said the data, combined with figures from South West Water and the EA, "demonstrates that there has been no improvement in water quality over the last five years" and suggested phosphate levels in the middle to lower reaches "continue to be driven largely by sewage works discharges."

At the meeting, Steve Marks, Acting Area Director for the Environment Agency, promised to help investigate discrepancies between the EA's own figures and those gathered by OVA volunteers. Mr Foord said the commitment was "encouraging."

Mr Foord also spoke at an OVA public meeting in Ottery St Mary last week, where the group's monitoring work was presented to local residents.

Peter Williams from the Otter Valley Association said the group welcomed the opportunity to work more closely with the EA, adding that well-designed citizen science "has enormous potential in supporting the work of government organisations like the Environment Agency."

Mr Williams said the OVA was pleased the EA had confirmed its findings "will help identify where action is most needed and guide investment decisions to improve water quality."