ABOUT THE DEBEN SOURCE TO SEA
The River Deben and its tributaries (streams, ditches, and rivers that flow into the main river Deben and estuary) are in need of help. Environment Agency monitoring in 2015, 2019 and 2022, showed that only one out of the ten waterbodies (watercourses and river segments) that make up the River Deben catchment meet good ecological status. The remaining nine waterbodies in the catchment are failing both ecologically and for water quality. The river and its wildlife need our support to help it recover.
To find out how your local waterbody is performing, visit the Deben Operational Catchment Data Explorer.
This project will work across the whole catchment (land within the watershed which drains into the river and tributaries) from the source of the Deben near Debenham all the way to Woodbridge, near to where the river becomes tidal, continuing to the sea at Felixstowe Ferry.
The Recovering the Deben From Source to Sea plan has five working objectives. All are directly connected to key issues within the catchment that prevent the river from meeting good ecological status. View the objectives.
HOW DID THE PROJECT GET STARTED?
In mid-2023 the East Suffolk Catchment Partnership, a group of organisations and individuals that have an interest in the state of rivers of East Suffolk decided to focus efforts on a project to improve the river Deben by engaging as many people as possible to help from across the whole catchment. Work began on what would become known as Recovering the Deben From Source to Sea. The early stages of this project were to establish governance and bring structure to multiple efforts within the catchment with the purpose of restoring the waterbodies in the catchment for both people and wildlife.
A draft action plan was agreed by the East Suffolk Catchment Partners on 8th February 2024. Published on the 14th May 2024, the full Action Plan is now available to view online.
HOW CAN WE WORK TOGETHER?
There are many factors contributing to the state of the river, most of which are from human activity and include: pollution from the land, highways and water recycling centres (sewage treatment plants); historic engineering affecting flow of water and habitat; and the impacts of management practices, abstraction and low flows.
Futureproofing the River Deben will mean reversing historic habitat fragmentation as well as adapting to the weather extremes that climate change is bringing, causing lower flows in the summer and an increased potential for flooding in winter.
The challenges facing the Deben catchment require us to plan actions strategically, so that the whole impact can be more than the sum of individual efforts. This requires us to work together - coordinating between organisations and local people. Already a lot is happening so together, we can capture current activities, build on them and scale up our efforts.
The Restoring the Deben From Source to Sea project has access to over 40 water quality datasets, of varying timescales and measuring many variables, that have been provided by several organisations. The Project Working Group recognise that The Deben Climate Centre has been instrumental in their monitoring efforts. You can read their full 2024 report on the water quality in the River Deben.
WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE WORKING GROUP?
To facilitate the coordination of tasks such as the initial set up, investigation, and strategic action planning, a Working Group has been formed. This group includes a variety of organizations from both governmental and non-governmental sectors. You can read more about the member organisations on our partner page.
OBJECTIVES
1. To work with farmers to improve livestock management to reduce impact on the river catchment
2. To promote better nutrient management in agricultural and waste water discharge
3. To engage with farmers, industry, and communities to help educate and understand where improved soil and water management is needed
4. To improve river resilience to low and high flows
5. To enhance wildlife habitat quality and connectivity across the Deben landscape
DELIVERY PROGRAMME
Delivery of the project is well underway with Step 1. Establishing governance agreed and expanded upon with the establishment of a relationship between the project team and Defra. Step 2 and Step 3 are currently in progress and Step 4 is likely to begin soon.
By end of 2023
By end of 2024
By end of 2024
By end of 2026
By end of 2030
Step 1. Establish governance
Step 2. Gather and evaluate evidence against objectives
Step 3. Engage landowners, industry, and communities
Step 4. Action plan together
Step 5. Deliver the plan
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PROJECT THEMES
Recovering the Deben from Source to Sea is a large landscape-scale project that includes five key areas of work. Each of the sections below represents a different focus area - click to explore how we’re restoring natural edges to riverbanks, improving water quality, rebuilding habitat connectivity, utilising natural flood management (NFM) and promoting the value of the river and the water within it.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Recovering the Deben from Source to Sea is a collaborative project open to everyone. We want to hear your thoughts on what we need to do to make the Deben Catchment a better place for all.
Please take a few minutes to fill out our questionnaire to help us shape the future for our natural environment on the Deben.