Our Mission

CROWD works with Water Companies, the Environment Agency, local communities, river groups, Town and Parish Councils and our MP to clean up West Dorset’s rivers, beaches and coastal waters so they meet or exceed the targets set in the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan (2018) and the Environment Act (2021).


CROWD’s current focus is on:

• An Integrated Monitoring Strategy (IMS): We will develop an IMS framework that sets out our objectives and approach. Meanwhile we will continue to collect monitoring data for rivers, coastal waters and beaches in the CROWD area. This will create a group resource that supports and supplements EA data and establishes a baseline from which we can track future environmental changes.

​

• Whole-of-River Testing: As part of this strategy, we have started a pilot scheme to identify types of pollution present at specific points along one CROWD river (the River Char), pinpoint the sources of that pollution and eliminate them. We will extend this to other CROWD rivers as soon as possible.

​

• The lagoons at Charmouth and Seatown: we are testing water quality regularly and trying to get designation as part of the neighbouring (marine) bathing waters or as bathing waters in their own right.

​​

• Rainwater separation at source: We will continue to work with Wessex Water and our MP to encourage, support and extend the trial projects with householders and at larger sites (holiday parks, schools, etc.)

Photos from the riverbank: Dana Assinder ~ More here