From source to sea, the Bristol Avon is under continuous pressure by mankind. The river network is affected by agricultural practices (to feed us), flood management (to protect us), abstraction (to supply our water), effluent (from systems that treat our sewage and from industry), or just by our using it for leisure and recreation purposes. There are other problems too, but they are all mainly as a result of the pressures we place on the river network. These pressures will not go away and will increase as populations of local towns and cities increase.

BART recognises these pressures and the need to improve our rivers by collaborative working at a river catchment scale (looking holistically at the whole catchment, including the interactions between land-use and the river network).

BART are charitable co-hosts of the Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership, which works with Environmental NGOs, Water Companies, Local Authorities, Government Agencies, Landowners, Angling Clubs, Farmer Representative Bodies, Academia and Local Businesses to deliver a range of environmental, social and economic benefits and helps to protect our precious water environments for the benefit of us all and nature.

Example projects

Catchment management