Skip to main content

PDF


Title: Exe : action plan : plan from July 2000 to July 2005
Author: Environment Agency South West Region
Document Type: Monograph
Abstract:
This LEAP encompasses the entire catchment of the River Exe, covering an area of 1,530 km2. It drains diverse habitats ranging from the moorland of Exmoor National Park at the headwaters of the River Exe, to the Exe Estuary at Exmouth. This area will subsequently be referred to as 'the catchment'. The River Exe rises on Exmoor at 450m above sea level and descends 87.2 kilometres from its source to the tidal limit, and the length designated as Main River is 82.7 kilometres. The main tributaries of the River Exe are the River Culm, River Barle, River Clyst and the River Creedy. The catchment extends across several different landscape types. The Rivers Exe and Barle rise in the wet open moorland of Exmoor, before running south-eastward through steep-sided valleys with extensive broad-leaved woodlands. Further east, smaller tributaries run off the Brendon Hills, with the River Haddeo dammed to create Wimbleball Reservoir. Man has modified much of the Exmoor landscape, with extensive enclosure and agricultural improvement taking place in the nineteenth century, giving it a less rugged appearance than other moorland. Below Dulverton there is a transition where the River Exe and its tributaries cut through the Culm Measures creating valleys with rounded ridges between. The valley sides are heavily wooded, with rock outcrops and occasional quarries acting as a contrast. The floodplain becomes increasingly broad further south, with rolling farmland replacing the woodland on less steeply sloping ground. South of Tiverton and towards the coast, the rivers are of typical lowland character, meandering across a flatter landscape with valleys separated by low hills in a patchwork of pasture and arable land.
Publisher: Environment Agency
Publication Date: 2000
Publication Place: Exminster
Subject Keywords: Local action plans (EA)Catchment managementEnvironmental planningEnvironmental managementRiversWater qualityRiver Quality ObjectivesWater pollutionWaste disposalCanalsFlood controlRecreationEnvironmental impactRiver fisheries
Geographic Keywords: ExeEast Devon catchmentDevon
Extent: 84; + maps
Permalink: http://www.environmentdata.org/archive/ealit:817
Total file downloads: 222

Download PDF    Display PDF in separate tab