Sampling of streams in the Drift, Cober & Falmouth Reservoirs

---

Farm visits were carried out by Cornwall Wildlife Trust staff to farm within the three catchment above in order to consult and advise on habitat, water and spoil management, in particular the management of waste water. The aim being to provide concomitant improvements in the water quality of the reservoirs and the River Cober, from which potable supplies are abstracted. Water quality issues, in particular eutrophication and elevated pesticide levels have been recorded in the past, in particular at the two reservoirs.

Sampling of the aquatic invertebrate and diatom communities was undertaken to assess if the improvements in farm management practices following the consultations had led to improvement in the water quality of watercourses in the three catchments. Invertebrate sampling, along with  RICT analysis provided an assessment of the WFD ecological status of each site, whilst the diatom data enabled assessments of the levels of eutrophication within each catchment. This project was part of  many carried out under South West Water’s ‘Upstream Thinking’ approach, to apply natural, landscape-scale solutions to water quality issues across its operational area.