The headlines this spring have been how Devon’s beaches and rivers became the centre of the sewage crisis – with the photo accompanying this piece from the i newspaper showing the beach at Sidmouth and featuring grim statistics and quotes from the local MP.
However, water pollution on the Sid is generally not a problem. In a guest piece by Ed Dolphin from this time two years ago, he looked at sewage spill around Sidmouth’s beach: what’s it all about? And indeed, the amount of measuring and monitoring along the Sid shows that the river is generally not polluted as such.
More of an issue for the rivers of Devon is perhaps the lack of rain water – especially noticeable at the moment as we try to understand why spring 2025 is so dry. The Bickwell stream or Woolbrook is running very dry for the time of year, as is the River Sid itself.
There is also the problem of flooding in the Sid Valley – which is simply another reflection of climate change, as the amount of rain to expect becomes more and more unpredictable.
So, what about longer-term ways to tackle the issues?
We do now have research backing beavers in the fight against flooding and droughts – so we can to some extent ‘naturally’ manage water levels on our rivers, the experience on the River Otter providing excellent evidence of that.
And projects in restoring wetlands in Devon are also examples of good practice to maintain that balance between too much and too little water.
But as this piece from July 2022 noted, back then, the heat wave effects the river’s waters – and so as we go further into late spring and the summer, we will have to see how we can continue to manage the waters of the River Sid.
Ford across River Sid at Fortescue – June 2019
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