£1m from government to clean up River Wye
River Wye © Adobe Stock An additional £1m to tackle water quality issues in the River Wye have been made available by the Welsh and UK governments with a series of research initiatives.
The joint initiative builds on existing collaboration between London and Cardiff, including an ongoing £20m project addressing soil phosphorus levels through the Land Use for Net Zero, People and Nature programme.
See also: Defra reveals multimillion-pound River Wye action plan
The cross-border research programme is set to investigate the sources of the pollution and pressures affecting the river, study the impacts of changing farming practices and land management, develop and test new ways to improve water quality, and examine what drives wildlife decline and water flow.
The programme will also work closely with established organisations including the Wye Catchment Partnership, the Nutrient Management Board, and farming organisations such as Herefordshire Rural Hub and Farm Cymru.
Local farmers, environmental groups, and citizen scientists are also said to play a crucial role in gathering evidence and shaping the research priorities.
Interventions
The research further aims to support wider government planning on water quality, nature recovery and farming regulation by identifying effective interventions that can be implemented at a landscape scale.
“For too long, the River Wye has suffered from extreme pollution, leading to devastating effects on wildlife and impacting all those who live along its banks,” said water minister Emma Hardy.
She added that “vital research like this gets us one step closer to cleaning up rivers like the Wye for good”.
Huw Irranca-Davies, deputy first minister of Wales, added: “This research funding will support both nature recovery and sustainable farming practices to improve the local environment.”
Bringing both sides of the border together and working closely with local groups, he said, will allow them to better understand the challenges facing the river and find solutions.
Previous projects
Last April, the UK government allocated roughly £35m to the River Wye Action plan, which funded poultry manure management equipment and saw the appointment of a locally based “river champion” and task force.
Defra has also previously allocated £1.2m to farms in the Wye catchment through the Slurry Infrastructure grant scheme.