This week there have been streams and lakes appearing where they have never, in my twenty years living in Herefordshire, been before. Driving anywhere has become what I imagine it’s like being in a monsoon; with pot holes becoming invisible in the multiple enormous puddles.
Apart from the gloomy light and the expensive tyre replacement, it makes me think about food security and pollution. If you see a stream which is significantly more discoloured than the receiving watercourse, this is a sign of excessive soil loss. Obviously this is going to effect the productivity of the land, and that soil and water will end up in the river system where it causes pollution. The reason for such accute soil run off is down to land use and farming practices, of course exacerbated by climate change.
With run-off causing more than 80% of the Wye's pollution issues according to the latest figures, we desperately need everyone's help in identifying where and how soil is entering the river and damaging the ecosystem that we all hold dear.
If you see soil run-off, please take plenty of photos and report it right away - it will store all the key information and give you straightforward instructions on the quickest and most effective way to report to the Environment Agency. Introducing the Run-off Reporter — Friends of the River Wye
Our Herefordshire MPs Dr Ellie Chowns and Jessie Norman have written an excellent letter to Emma Harding (Minister for Water and flooding) requesting a “water protection zone” for the Wye, and asking three critical questions. You can read the letter here Chowns letter
Citizen scientists in the catchment of the River Wye have now taken over 50,000 water samples in an extraordinary show of people-power to monitor the health of an ailing river. We’re calling on the government to match their commitment by acting on their data to restore the river to health.