Latest News on the River Wye

 The Environment Agency have recently unveiled their Diffuse Water Pollution Plan for the River Wye.  It took ten years to write, during which time, pollution of the river has only got worse.

Campaigners who have been trying to get the Wye cleaned up (also for years) are, to put it mildly, disappointed.  The spokeswoman for the Voice of the River Wye, Louise Bodnar, describes the scheme as "a death warrant for the Wye" and calls for a Water Protection Zone for the Wye and its catchment area.  The Environment Agency looked at the potential use of a Water Protection Zone, which gives legal protections to the river, for the River Lugg back in 2011, and it still hasn't happened.  More recently, MP Ellie Chowns asked for the same thing for the River Wye in Parliament.

The main cause of pollution for the River Wye is agricultural, and there are farmers who have been involved in the consultations that want to improve the quality of the river water, but  the campaigners say that, even if every farmer complied with the regulations 100%, and there was a huge takeup of voluntary measures, this would still not be enough to clean up the river.  And of course there is only limited funding available.

Save the Wye chair David Gillam is equally scathing.  "How can it possibly take ten years to produce such a pathetic plan?" he asks.

River Action's head of legal team Dearnaley says: "After a court ruling and ten years to act, continued reliance on measures that have already failed is indefensible."

The Environment Agency responded to the criticism by issuing a statement saying that the problems of the River Wye are complex (we knew that ten years ago).

Herefordshire Council, meanwhile, have been doing their best to solve the problem.  They brought together farmers, land owners, environmental groups and industry experts to look at innovative new solutions to help protect and restore the river and its tributaries.  They also hosted a special conference in November, alongside national government partners and agencies, including the Nutrient Management Board, to look at ways to improve water quality. 

I hope the New Year brings positive changes for the River Wye - after all, a lot of people have been campaigning for a long time for improvements, and it's about time the Environment Agency listened to them. 

[Information from the Hereford Times]