Update on the River Wye

 There's a full two page spread in the Brecon and Radnor Express this week about the River Wye.

The first story is about the legal case brought by River Action against the Environment Agency.  They are arguing that the Environment Agency has failed to enforce important environmental regulations (which is, after all, its job), and therefore has acted unlawfully.  They also argue that the Environment Agency has failed to protect the Special Area of Conservation along the River Wye from the agricultural pollution that has caused so much of the recent ecological collapse of the river.

The case was being heard in Cardiff, and a group gathered outside the court with Save the Wye banners.  Feargal Sharkey was among the crowd - he was a member of the Undertones, and he's been campaigning for clean rivers across the UK.  Also in the crowd was the ten foot high puppet of the Goddess of the River Wye - and there was a steel drum band.

Much of the pollution which is going into the river comes from chicken farms which supply Tesco with meat and eggs.

The legal costs of bringing the case are estimated to be around £60,000, so River Action have set up a Crowdfunder to raise the money.

On the facing page, the story is about the bid for bathing status for the Warren.  I was at the meeting in the Parish Hall at the end of 2022 where the decision was made to go for this, but the wheels of bureaucracy grind very slowly, so it hasn't happened yet.  Oliver Bullough, who is leading this initiative, makes the point that the bid for bathing status is the only tool the public has to get Natural Resources Wales to test the water in the river regularly (at least between May and September, the bathing season), and to do something about it if the levels of pollution are higher than the legal maximum.  

The bid is supported by Hay Festival, Radnorshire Wildlife Trust and local businesses like the canoeing firm Places to Paddle.

The public consultation runs until February 19th, and there is a form to fill in at 

www.gov.wales/bathing-water-review-wales-2024

Meanwhile in the Hereford Times, the ten foot puppet of the Goddess of the River Wye turned up at the Herefordshire Council's offices in Plough Lane.  She was escorting a container of water from the River Wye to display in the atrium of the building - a reminder of the importance of the health of our rivers, for the councillors to take into consideration when they are making decisions.