A volunteer project which is keeping a close check on the health of one of North
Devon's best-loved rivers is about to begin another season.
The River Torridge in North Devon is the focus of a project which has brought
together 50 local volunteers whose job it is to take regular samples of its water
between April to September. The samples are then analysed to look for signs of life
in the shape of invertebrates - water-living mini-beasts - known as riverflies.
The work of the volunteers is providing an important regular check on the river's
health. The volunteers collect their samples at points along the watercourse. Their
efforts, which began in 2014, is allowing a better assessment of the Torridge's
water quality and is acting as an early-warning system with which to detect
pollution incidents. Data collected by the volunteers is also being shared with the
Environment Agency and will help to direct future land management locally.
Izzy Moser from the charity Devon Wildlife Trust, which is overseeing the project,
says:
'It's fantastic to see communities coming together to protect local streams and
rivers which are so valuable to us all. Our network of volunteers is one of best
Riverfly networks in the country. Last year they collected more than 290 samples,
about 12% of all the national data.'
The initiative is named 'Riverfly' after the water-living invertebrates that spend a
large part of their lifecycle in rivers and still waters as larvae, before emerging
in their masses as short-lived adult flies. Since riverflies are very sensitive to
changes in habitat and water quality, they are good biological indicators for
overall river health. Riverflies are also a vital link in the aquatic and land-based
food chain, providing a food source for many fish, birds, insects and mammals.
Understanding local water quality is seen as vital for the futures of protected
local species such as the endangered freshwater pearl mussel. North Devon has the
only remaining populations of these mussels in southern England and through the
Biffa Award funded 'Restoring Freshwater Mussel Rivers in England', Devon Wildlife
Trust's Izzy Moser has also been working on the River Torridge with a number of
volunteers to survey and improve conditions for the aquatic animals.
2016 is the third year of the Torridge Riverfly Partnership which was set up by the
North Devon Biosphere and Devon Wildlife Trust. Riverfly monitoring is a great way
to get your hands dirty, enjoy nature and collect valuable data to better understand
the health of the watercourse.
Izzy Moser says:
'This year, we are hoping to recruit more volunteers and perhaps extend the scheme
into the River Taw catchment. We are also planning to deliver a training event to
support new volunteers with the survey programme. If people are interested they can
contact Matt Edworthy by email at biosphere-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
or by phone on
01271 388647.'
The Riverfly project has been supported with funds from the North Devon Fisheries
Local Action Group and Torridge District Council.
Riverfly volunteers taking samples from the River Torridge in 2014:
