River Darwen Watershed
Management Strategy

Local fishermen noticed a deterioration of water quality in the River Darwen and decided to seek advice and find a way to improve the water. The Living Water Charitable Trust (LWCT), was requested to carry out an assessment of the watershed of the River Darwen, Lancashire with the aim of identifying the impacts affecting the river and find ways of addressing these with the ultimate aim of improving water quality.

There were two broad types of problems: visual and biological/chemical. Litter is an example of the visual problem which impairs the enjoyment of the river and reflects an underlying waste management issue, but does not have a direct impact on water quality. On the other hand, chemical or biological discharges which may or may not provide a visual impairment actually degrade water quality. We will be tackling both types of problem.

We have noticed in the press that contamination of the beaches at Lytham and Blackpool continues to be a problem despite massive investment by United Utilities. We suspect that some of this contamination is derived from the Darwen and some other rivers in the catchment.

The aim of preparing a watershed management strategy is to provide an integrated approach to finding solutions and ensuring a healthy environment for people and wildlife. The strategy, with community participation and consultation will help to prioritise, identify organisations that need to be involved and provide a timescale for the work to be carried out.

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Pictures taken along the River Darwen.