Friends of the Dart Join Forces with Plymouth University on River Health Project

At Friends of the Dart, our mission has always been about protecting the river we love—and that work is always stronger when it’s done together. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce our involvement in a powerful new partnership aimed at tackling pollution in the Dart and its tributaries.

We’re joining forces with researchers from the University of Plymouth, local community groups including the Bidwell Brook Partnership, and industry experts at MolEndoTech Ltd in a groundbreaking initiative to better understand—and act on—water pollution. Together, we’re combining scientific research, community action, and innovative technology to build a collaborative way of ongoing monitoring of River water quality.

Why This Matters

As many of you know, pollution in UK Rivers is a growing issue. Runoff from farmland, stormwater drains, sewer overflows, and old septic tanks is pushing harmful bacteria like E. coli into our waterways. This can make people ill and harm wildlife. Yet under current systems, detecting and responding to these problems can be slow. Test results can take days, and by the time pollution is detected, it’s often too late to take meaningful action.

Working Together

The Bidwell Brook—a tributary of the Dart—has been chosen as a “living laboratory” for this collaborative research. Over the coming months, our team at Friends of the Dart will be working closely with scientists, local residents, and other partners to collect data, test methods, and explore how we can build a community-led monitoring model that could be scaled up across the country.

One of the tools we’ll be testing is BactiQuick, a fast, portable water-testing system developed by MolEndoTech with the University of Plymouth. It uses AI, smart sensors, and a hand-held device to detect bacteria in water in just 15 minutes—so no laboratory testing needed. The project also includes the development of an app to log results, map pollution hotspots, and help validate a predictive model of river health.

Why Friends of the Dart Are Involved

We’re proud to bring our deep local knowledge and passion for the river to this partnership. Our role is to help ground the research in lived experience and ensure that the tools being developed are genuinely useful to communities like ours. We’ll be training volunteers, collecting samples, sharing insights, and helping shape a monitoring system that empowers people to protect their own stretch of river.

Here’s what Dr Eva Perrin, Research Fellow at the University of Plymouth, had to say about the project and our involvement:

“The University of Plymouth are thrilled to be working with members of the local community and action groups including Friends of the Dart and the Bidwell Brook Partnership to undertake this exciting research project to further understand the impact of pollution from sewage and agriculture on Bidwell Brook and the Dart. Alongside our industry partners, Molendotech, we hope to use spatial and temporal water quality data to generate new understanding about the catchment and inform the development of a novel water quality testing device for rapid and user-friendly assessment of risk to water users from bacterial pollution. The input of local knowledge and hands-on water quality sampling support from Friends of the Dart and the Bidwell Brook Partnership is invaluable for this.”

Partners

This project is a collaboration between:

• University of Plymouth (Professor William Blake and Dr Eva Perrin)

• MolEndoTech Ltd (Professor Simon Jackson)

• Friends of the Dart

• Bidwell Brook Partnership

• With support from South West Water and the Westcountry Rivers Trust

It’s a powerful mix of academic insight and grassroots action—exactly the kind of coalition we believe is needed to create lasting change.

What’s Next

This is an exciting step forward. With researchers, communities, and River lovers all working side by side, we’re hopeful that this project will not only improve our understanding of pollution in the Dart—but also help build a national model for how local people can be at the heart of protecting the Rivers and biodiversity they care about.