Dan Wood: It’s Time We Treat Our Rivers as Key Community Assets

Across Wales, young people are witnessing the reality of river pollution in their own communities. Through our Not So Freshwater campaign, Voices for Freshwater are sharing what is happening where they live and what they want the next Welsh Government to change.

Here, Dan Wood, one of our Voices for Freshwater spokespeople, reflects on the state of the River Tawe.

How does water pollution show up where you live?

On my local river the River Tawe Pollution is a common issue, the lower more urbanised part of the river saw “2,173 sewage dumps in 2024, lasting 16,144 hours. This made it the 14th most polluted river in the entire UK”(1). In the upper part of the catchment in the Black mountains agriculture is also likely to be a nutrient source. Sometimes, this is visible in the form of algae blooms, sewage fungus or coloured plumes. In addition, the River Tawe also has a strong history of heavy metal pollution, as it was once a popular navigation route for the copper industry. However, we have the power to change the future, where the River Tawe is recognised as biodiversity haven.

How does it affect your relationship with nature or your community?

I want clean rivers and the community wants clean rivers, and this at large has been recognised many times. A big part of the recreational value rivers provide is there beauty, biodiversity and sense of tranquillity they bring. The joy of seeing the flashing blue of a sweeping  kingfisher, or a family of otters, only exists in a world where we look after our rivers and treat them with the respect they deserve .

The community wants to be able to swim in their rivers, to enjoy the wildlife which thrive in these habitats, this can only happen if we keep these beautiful habitats clean and free from evaluated nutrients

I truly believe our disconnect from nature is due in part to the degradation of rivers.  Cleaner more beautiful rivers restore our connection to nature, restore our health, restore biodiversity, this benefits everyone in society.

Its time we treat our rivers as key community assets.

What do you want the next Welsh Government to protect or change?

• Rivers need greater environmental protection – currently only SSSI’s or SAC’s are afforded higher levels of legal protection. Freshwater species abundance has fallen by 20% since 1994, and only 44% of rivers meet Good Ecological Status. All rivers need legal protection, to halt these declines.

• Prioritisation of nature-based solutions. Nature has all the answers and is the best form of water treatment and storage. We won't build ourselves out of the nature and climate crisis. Instead, we have to work with nature. This means investment for farmers to increase regenerative methods and river restoration techniques.

• 'Polluter pays' principle needs clear results. Capital from this principle should be directly reinvested back into the affected rivers.

• Increased water quality and biological monitoring. Rivers need proper monitoring to prioritise and evaluate restoration work effectively and to highlight ecological pressures

Join Not So Freshwater & take action

If you want to see stronger protections for rivers like the Tawe, send our election manifesto to your Member of the Senedd (MS) and ask them to commit to these changes.

Add your voice. Share this story. Help make sure the next Welsh Government treats our rivers as the vital community assets they are.