SOUTH West Water is celebrating 15 years of its flagship catchment management programme which has worked with over 2,000 farms across 144,120 hectares of land to reduce river pollution.

The project’s focus is on applying natural solutions to farmland and water sources to reduce the negative impact of farmland run off on biodiversity and water quality.

When runoff from farms reaches water sources, the treatment required to meet drinking water standards becomes more intensive and expensive.

Upstream Thinking funds and supports farm advisors to work with farmers and landowners next to rivers and reservoirs to manage their land in a way that’s good for water quality.

First introduced by South West Water in 2010, Upstream Thinking utilises a variety of long-term solutions including soil testing, nutrient management, introduction of manure sheds, improving farm tracks, increasing slurry storage, and building ponds.

The scheme has overseen the planting of over 390,000 trees which play a vital role in enhancing water quality by acting as natural filters, reducing pesticide run-off into watercourses, preventing soil erosion, and slowing water flow.

The next phase of Upstream Thinking for 2025-30 now extends across the South West Water and Bournemouth areas and, for the first time, includes Bristol Water.

The delivery partners are Bristol Avon Rivers Trust, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, Catchment Sensitive Farming, Dorset Wildlife Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Devon Wildlife Trust, South West Peatland Partnership, Wessex Rivers Trust and West Country Rivers Trust.

Susan Davy, CEO of Pennon Group, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what the Upstream Thinking programme has achieved over the past fifteen years. It shows what’s possible when we look beyond simply treating water, and focus instead on protecting and improving it at its source. When our raw water is cleaner, with less sediment, nutrients and pollutants means healthier rivers, thriving biodiversity and fewer environmental impacts.”