UK River Report #6: From Funding the Wye's Future, to Windermere's Vital Suture and Northumbrian Water's Stupor

Welcome back dear reader to the sixth installment of the UK River Report. In this month’s post, I shall cover the recent joint government proposal to fund investigations into sources of pollution along the Wye, despite evidence for this already widely available. I will also cover some positive announcements to finally come out of Windermere and the scale of raw sewage discharge that continues to originate from Northumbrian Water - the self-styled water company with supposedly England's best environmental credentials.

Fluvial funding farce?

Funding for a cross-border research programme has been jointly announced by the Welsh and UK governments, with £1 million set to help investigate the sources of pollution along the Wye [1]. This comes as the government announced earlier this year plans to devise an alternative to the Conservative-launched £35 million River Wye Action Plan, which was largely criticised by environmental groups for its shortcomings and failure to properly include Wales in plans to tackle pollution along the Wye [2].

Although this is a promising start, there has been some discourse between stakeholders over the adequacy of this funding provision and whether it is the right approach to dealing with the multifaceted pollution crisis facing the Wye. For instance, Simon Evans, CEO of the Wye and Usk Foundation, described the value of the fund, considering the 'very little money' currently available for monitoring and investigation work, while Nicola Cutcher of The Friends of the River Wye said the money was 'a drop in the ocean' and that there should be a greater emphasis on taking action, considering the wealth of evidence already available with respect to pollution along the Wye [1].

The decline of the Wye is apparent. From Natural England's downgraded designation in 2023, to the documented proliferation of intensive poultry farming, to the ever-culpable actions of Welsh Water allowed by failed government regulation [3]. While the news of this fund is certainly positive, action speaks louder than words, as restoring the river to its former glory still feels like a distant dream.

Steve Reed - saving Windermere?

Having touched upon the issues facing Lake Windermere, I am pleased to return to the subject with cautious optimism. This is due to an announcement made earlier this month by Environment Secretary Steve Reed committing the government to aid in eliminating all discharges from the lake [4]. Working with United Utilities, local authorities in Cumbria and environmental groups including Save Windermere, a long term plan is in development to tackle sewage entering the lake and ensure that 'only rainwater' enters Windermere [4].

From 2021-2023 over 140 million litres of untreated sewage was illegally discharged into the lake by United Utilities [5]. Hence, the reported significance of United Utilities CEO Louise Beardmore and Environment Agency Area Director Carol Holt's leadership in allowing this ambitious government vision comes as an encouraging surprise, at a time when swift action to protect and restore our waterways is of the utmost importance [6].

However, it will likely still be up to the tireless campaigning of environmental groups like Save Windermere to ensure the government follows through with its proposal.

North Sea nightmare:

Recently Northumbrian Water confirmed that in 2024 almost 1 million tonnes of raw sewage was released into the North Sea from a single pumping station [7]. Despite a slight decline from its figures for 2023, if this estimate is accurate, then a thorough environmental and ecological assessment of the region is certainly required [7].

Considering Northumbrian Water brands itself as having 'the best environmental record of any water company in England', this highlights the dire circumstances that continue to devastate our waterways and seas [8].

Thank you for taking the time to read this month's issue of the UK River Report. I hope you found it informative. If you would like to get involved and raise awareness of river pollution in your area, please head over to the UK River Report website and check under the 'Get Involved' page to complete our survey, or feel free to get in touch via the 'Contact' page, if you feel you have more to discuss than the survey can offer. 

With hope for the future,

Federico 

References:

1. Messenger S. Governments to Investigate River Wye Pollution. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 March 22]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30m64ge8g9o

   
   

2. Pearson J. MPs Call For Fresh Action on Wye Pollution. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 March 22]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3vpr9144dko

   
   

3. Horton H. River Wye Health Status Downgraded by Natural England After Wildlife Review. The Guardian; 2023. [cited 2025 March 30]. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/30/river-wye-has-health-status-downgraded-by-natural-england-after-wildlife-assessment

   
   

4. Bedendo F, Fisher J. Government Pledges to Clean up England's Largest Lake. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 March 22]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2je1djrm2o

   
   

5. Crowley J. Sewage Dumped Illegally in Windermere Over 3 Years. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 March 28]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdrj70dynk1o

   
   

6. Save Windermere. A Historic Win For Windermere - but Our Fight isn't Over. Save Windermere; 2025. [cited 2025 March 22]. Available from: https://www.savewindermere.com/sewage-free-windermere

   
   

7. Merugesu JA. Estimated 945,000 Tonnes of Sewage Pumped Into Sea. BBC; 2025. [cited 2025 March 23]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj92gpy9kkjo

   
   

8. Merugesu JA. Estimated Million Tonnes of Sewage Pumped Into Sewa. BBC;2025. [cited 2025 March 30]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck554p21l2zo