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 are pressing for a pilot scheme to identify types of                             pollution present at specific points along one CROWD river, 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 will seek to test water quality regularly and try 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.)
NEWS and EVENTS:
  • Thurs 22nd Feb: Community Meeting Whitchurch Canonicorum Village Hall.
  • Sat, 2nd March: Natural Flood Management working party - River Char. 
  • Sunday 10th March: Community River Day, Charmouth.​
The CROWD - Clean Rivers of West Dorset - area includes: We meet regularly to discuss river-related issues, to share news, knowledge and data (on issues like river water quality and Storm Overflow sewage spills) and to brief our MP on developments.

CROWD Resource Documents

​info on rainwater separation that may be of interest, either for CROWD members, or as a training opportunity for wider communities:

WESSEX WATER Resource Documents

CROWD Meeting Documents

25th January 2024 Meeting
9th November 2023 Online Meeting
22nd September 2023 Meeting
9th August 2023 Meeting
8th August 2023 Meeting with Environment Agency ​
23rd June 2023 Meeting
14th April 2023 meeting
8th February 2023 meeting ​
6th January 2023 meeting
Below is a summary of sewage spills in West Dorset in 2022 (prepared by Howard Atkinson)
[sites marked in yellow are those that Wessex Water has prioritised for improvement in its 2025-2030 plan]
Click here for a map of all discharges in the CROWD area

Information from CROWD Rivers 

​River Char ​​
Rivers Simene and Asker ​
​WRAG (Winniford) ​
RLAG (River Lim)

Other Background Information