Household River Care ManualFriends of the Dart

Make a pledge

The River Dart needs you. Pick one pledge, or pick the lot. Every pledge, counted across the catchment, is evidence we can put in front of funders and the Environment Agency to show what this community is doing for its river. It takes about a minute.

1. Your pledges

Tick the ones you will do. Jon at the Environment Agency put it best: just pick one or two. Then tell us whether it is a new habit or one you already keep, because that is the difference between us telling a funder how many people we reached and telling them what actually changed.

The kitchen pledgeWe keep a fat jar, and no fat, oil or grease goes down our sink. Read more: In the kitchen →

The bathroom pledgeThere is a bin beside every loo, and only pee, poo and paper get flushed in this house. Read more: In the bathroom →

The medicines pledgeOld and unused medicines go back to the pharmacy. Nothing is flushed or poured away. Read more: Medicines & chemicals →

The rainwater pledgeWe will fit a water butt or divert a downpipe, so our roof water helps the garden instead of the sewer. Read more: Your water use →

The drains pledgeWe will check our home for misconnections, and nothing but rain goes down our outside drains. Read more: Your drains & pipes →

The dog pledgeWe bag and bin, everywhere, every time, and after any spot-on flea treatment our dog stays out of the water for at least four days. Read more: Dogs & the river →

The septic pledgeFor off-mains homes. We know which system we have, it does not discharge to a watercourse, and it is emptied at least once a year. Read more: Off-mains homes →

The reporting pledgeThe hotline number is saved in our phone, and if we see pollution in the river we will report it. Read more: Where to get help →

2. About your home

This is what turns a tick into a number. Four households on a septic tank in one village is a very different story from forty, and we cannot estimate litres kept out of the sewer without knowing roughly how many people are in the house. We ask for the first half of your postcode only, never the full one, and never your address.

Your parish or villageStart typing, or write your own

Postcode districtThe first part only, such as TQ9

How many people live in your home?

Where does your waste water go?

3. Want to do more?

Plenty of people finish the jobs at home and then ask what else there is. This is that list. Nothing here commits you to anything, it just means we will get in touch about it.

Join a water testing round Walk my local stream and tell you what I see Come to the septic tank event in September Take a talk to my street, group or parish council Help out at an event Hand the fridge sheet to my neighbours Find out about becoming a River Guardian

4. Staying in touch

All optional, and each tick is a separate choice. We will not add you to anything you have not asked for.

First nameOptional

EmailOnly needed if you tick a box below

How did you hear about this?

Send me the Friends of the Dart newsletter Tell me about events near me Email me once, in six months, to ask how the pledges are going

What we do with this. We report pledges as totals, by parish, and nothing else. Your name and email are used only for the things you ticked above, and you can ask us to delete them at any time by emailing Friends of the Dart. We do not pass anything to the Environment Agency, South West Water or anyone else. And one important thing: this form is not a way to report pollution. If you have seen something in the river, please call the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 straight away.

Every pledge is counted as evidence of what this community does for its river.

See pollution? Report it.

Pollution in or entering any watercourse, dead or gasping fish, or an unusual flow, smell or colour: call the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline, or report online via GOV.UK. Keep your incident reference number and follow up if you want to hear the outcome.

☎ 0800 80 70 60

Report online at GOV.UK →