At the end of April, as part of our Frogmore Creek project, Westcountry Rivers Trust and the South Devon AONB hit the road to raise awareness of water quality issues and what each of us can do to help. We visited two local primary schools and a village hall, bringing along info, advice and even a few freebies to help encourage us all to use less water, and think more carefully about what we put down the drain. We were also chatting about local water quality issues, and Westcountry Rivers Trust’s Citizen Science scheme. Thank you to everyone who came along!

This is really important because Frogmore Creek is suffering from algal blooms, which are unattractive and harmful to plants and wildlife in the creek. The blooms are the result of excessive nutrients and other pollutants reaching the Creek.

The Creek provides us all with opportunities for walks and wildlife-spotting, but also needs us all to take responsibility for looking after it.

Here’s some top tips from South West Water if you’re keen to reduce your impact on Frogmore Creek and the wider environment:

  • Think Sink! South West Water are encouraging all of us to think before we pour food waste down our sinks. When fats and oils are poured down the sink they can solidify in our pipes and sewers. This not only increases the risk of flooding in your home, it also costs millions of pounds to sort out – which all adds to the cost of our water bills. Simple changes like this one below can help reduce this problem:

Scrape food scraps into the bin or food waste container.

Collect oils and fats from pans and roasting trays in a gunk pot or similar container.

Wipe greasy pans and plates with kitchen roll before washing up.

Empty your gunk pot into the bin or food waste.

(images from South West Water)