Monitor high temperatures and algal blooms with an early warning system
Monitoring equipment worth £100k has been installed in the Wye and Lugg catchments to capture real-time data.
The Environment Agency is using water quality monitoring activity to prioritize how and where to address phosphate pollution on the River Wye, aided by citizen science data.
The Wye catchment is a well-known location that is vital to biodiversity, owing to a diverse range of rare river wildlife. Diffuse agricultural pollution from livestock manure and nutrients washing into the river during heavy rain accounts for more than 60% of the phosphate load in the catchment.
The Environment Agency, Natural England, and Natural Resources Wales are among the partners working together through the Wye Nutrient Management Board to address concerns about phosphate levels in the catchment and advance nature recovery.
The Environment Agency has made a series of recommendations based on the most recent water quality monitoring report, which has been enhanced by new data obtained through an ongoing citizen science monitoring program, on where actions are most needed and where those actions can have the greatest impact across the catchment.
This includes a suggestion that partners take a catchment-based approach, focusing on five upstream areas of the river with high phosphate levels compared to the rest of the catchment.
Evidence also suggests that efforts to increase shade through tree planting and better riparian tree management may help to reduce high temperatures. The Environment Agency is working on an early warning system for algal blooms in response to high temperatures, with advice for anglers and river users.
The Environment Agency’s newly launched Wye Water Monitoring webpage contains the most recent water quality monitoring report, as well as analysis, activities, and plans to improve water quality in the Wye and Lugg river catchments.
The Environment Agency’s Area Environment Manager, Grace Wight, said:
The inclusion of citizen science data in our most recent monitoring report is a fantastic step toward combining more data sources and is already assisting in identifying where pollution inputs to the river can be reduced.
Because of the size and complexity of the problems in the catchment, solutions will take time and must be based on solid evidence.
We will continue to update our partners and stakeholders through our new website and ongoing engagement efforts so that we can work together to combat pollution and ensure the river’s future health.
The Environment Agency continues to expand its monitoring program in order to inform the Wye’s next measures. A £100,000 grant from a national fund that promotes agricultural regulation has been acquired for the Wye and Lugg catchments.
The additional funding will be used to purchase monitoring equipment that will record high-resolution data in real time across the catchments. Ten sondes and six auto-samplers will be deployed across the rivers Wye, Lugg, and Arrow.
The work of Natural England’s Catchment Sensitive Farming team, which provides advice and guidance to farmers on how to decrease air and water pollution, will be aided by more monitoring. More resources have been allocated to this work area, allowing more farmers to get guidance and assistance.
The Environment Agency has also boosted farm visits in the catchment, focusing on high-risk areas and firms that had previously been non-compliant. Increased monitoring will allow regulators to focus their efforts even more precisely, collaborating with farmers to promote ecologically responsible farming that does not degrade water quality.