Monitoring of water quality around the Biosphere
The levels of pollution in our rivers and seas has been a cause for concern for some time now. In recent years, public interest and engagement on this issue has increased substantially, with photos of suspected pollution now commonly shared on social media. Trustworthy and timely data on water quality is currently hard to come by, and so the North Devon Biosphere is looking to fill this gap using our #SmartBiosphere platform. The intention for the Smart Biosphere is to pull in data from many disparate sources and provide useful and understandable information for the public, the scientific community, and other key stakeholders. As part of this work, we are planning to deploy water quality buoys to monitor pollution in Westward Ho! and Croyde Bay. The Croyde Bay buoy is scheduled for deployment in Autumn 2025, and the Westward Ho! buoy in early 2026.

Our water quality buoys
Thanks to funding from the Environmental Space Living Lab (ESLL) & Torridge Levelling Up, we have purchased two marine buoys for deployment around the North Devon coast. We have selected the beaches at Croyde and Westward Ho! as deployment locations. These are two of the most popular beaches in North Devon and offer differing conditions for assessment.

​Croyde is a bay with strong currents and rips. Possible sources of pollution come from the two sewage overflows to the north, the river that crosses the beach, and flows from the Taw/Torridge estuary. In contrast, Westward Ho! is a more exposed beach with one sewage overflow that discharges to the far south of the town. There is no river onto the beach, but flows from the Taw/Torridge estuary may be a source of pollution. The beaches sit either side of the Taw/Torridge estuary, and so our buoys will be able to track pollution from the estuary as it moves into the sea. We are also installing sensors in the Taw and Torridge estuary.

The consultation process
The precise siting of the buoys is very important. We need to ensure minimal impact to the environment, to fishing, and to surfing. It's also important for the buoys to be as close as possible to where people use the water, whilst protecting them from the wave break of winter storms. For Croyde, we have already consulted with key stakeholders about where the buoys should be located. These include Ruda Holiday Park (the beach owners), the RNLI, local fishermen, North Devon Surf Reserve, and local councillors. We have also held a drop-in session for the public in the village hall. We will be carrying out the same for Westward Ho! ahead of deployment. For both sites we have carried out surveys to ensure minimal disturbance to the sea bed.

Westward Ho! beach

Croyde Bay beach

Our aims
We have very ambitious plans to improve water quality across the North Devon Biosphere. The deployment of marine buoys is one element of this, but it is the integration of data from various sources that will help us understand when, where, and how pollution is entering our waterways. The data will be available via the Smart Biosphere web app, providing up-to-date information on water quality for the public and other stakeholders.

How can you help?
Become a Citizen Scientist! We need your help to carry out regular testing of rivers and seas. Right now, we are looking for volunteers to test at Croyde and Westward Ho! To contact us about this, or to provide any feedback/questions about our plans, please email: [email protected]
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