River Dart set to finally get bathing water status

Four popular swimming sites along the River Dart are set to become official bathing sites, as part of the Government's plan to improve water quality across the country. 

Subject to a two-week consultation, the Environment Agency will create 27 new designated swimming spots across England in the largest-ever rollout of new bathing water sites. 

If designated, sites will receive regular water monitoring from the Environment Agency, which will investigate pollution sources and identify steps to be taken in response, which could include actions by water companies, farmers and others.

The sites proposed on the dart are: 

• River Dart Estuary at Dittisham, Devon   
• River Dart Estuary at Steamer Quay, Totnes, Devon   
• River Dart Estuary at Stoke Gabriel, Devon   
• River Dart Estuary at Warfleet, Dartmouth, Devon   

Coastguards Beach, River Erme, near Plymouth is also being considered.

All residents, bathers, businesses, and organisations are invited to have their say before the consultation closes on 10 March.

The River Dart has long been a much-loved swimming destination for locals and visitors alike but has also been at the centre of debates around sewage, water quality and pollution. 

In 2022, the River Dart Estuary was polluted by sewage 597 times, lasting 1,655 hours (according to South West Water data collected by campaign group Top of the Poops). At Stoke Gabriel, there were over 120 hours of raw sewage dumping into the river; a site which is now proposed to be a bathing site. Similarly, Steamer Quay in Totnes saw over 30 dumps, amounting to 63 hours.

At the forefront of the drive to clean up the Dart is the local group Friends of the River Dart, who were responsible for submitting the four applications. 

A spokesperson for the group, said: "We have some fabulous news, all four of our bathing water application sites are through to consultation. 

"Our negotiations with South West Water have shown us that achieving bathing status will update the timeline for a resolution to sewage and wastewater spills both at the site and 5km upstream. Bathing status can make a real difference for the health of our river. 

"Thank you to this amazing community for pulling together and making it possible."

Water Minister Robbie Moore said:

Many people enjoy spending time in our rivers, lakes, and coastal beaches, and I am very aware of the value they bring in terms of social, health and wellbeing benefits.

I want to continue to improve the quality of our bathing waters, which is why we are taking action across the board to drive up standards and hold water companies to account.

I encourage all local communities and organisations with an interest to take part in this consultation and have their say.

Currently, when selecting new sites, Defra considers how many people bathe there and if the site has suitable infrastructure and facilities, such as toilets. All applications are assessed against these factors and only those that meet these factors are taken forward to public consultation.

Last year, 96% of bathing waters in England met minimum standards and 90% of bathing waters in England were rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, up from 76% in 2010, despite the classification standards becoming stricter in 2015. 

This consultation will build on recent improvements the government has delivered to the water environment, including:

• Announcing a ban on bonuses for water company executives whose firms have committed serious criminal breaches – subject to Ofwat consultation.
• Quadrupling the Environment Agency’s regulatory capacity – allowing them to carry out 4,000 water company inspections by the end of the next financial year.
• Requiring companies to monitor 100% of storm overflows in England - providing a complete picture of when and where sewage spills happen.
• Removing the cap on civil penalties for water companies and broadening their scope so swifter action can be taken against those who pollute our waterways.
• Requiring the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £60 billion over 25 years – to revamp ageing assets and reduce the number of sewage spills by hundreds of thousands every year.
• Increasing protections for coastal and estuarine waters by expanding the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, prioritising bathing waters, sites of special scientific interest and shellfish waters.
• Providing £10 million in support for farmers to store more water on their land through the Water Management Grants to support food production and improve water security.
• Speeding up the process of building key water supply infrastructure, including more reservoirs and water transfer schemes.