Deputy First Minister visits Upper Wye Restoration Project

The Deputy First Minister has visited a project funded by the Welsh Government which aims to improve water quality in the upper catchment area of the River Wye.

The project focuses on the Wye catchment from its source on Plynlimon to the border at Hay-on-Wye with the aim of reducing sediment and pollutants entering the river and improving its resilience to extreme weather and the Climate Crisis.

The river, which runs for 130 miles from central Wales to the Severn Estuary in south-west England, has seen its water quality and wildlife drastically decline after years of exposure to agricultural pollution, sewage discharges and phosphates.

Important species

The Wye’s upper catchment area is home to several important species, including Atlantic salmon, otters, shad, white-clawed crayfish, and water crowfoot.

The scheme started last year and will take a total of five years to complete.

A dedicated team of specialists is tasked with improving the river environment, thanks to funding from the government’s Nature and Climate Emergency (NACE) fund, which includes capital funding for farm improvements.

During the visit Huw Irranca-Davies, who also has responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, saw how the team is “Slowing the Flow” at Tarenig Forest by putting wood from the forest into small streams and drainage ditches.

This helps trap sediment before it enters the river, re-creates vegetation corridors along the river, and creates new wetlands near the Tarenig Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is working with communities, landowners and groups to:

Provide land management advice to farmers

Restore riverbanks and buffer strips

Improve homes for wildlife using natural materials

Cut down on pollution and keep soil in place

Slow water runoff during heavy rain

Reconnect rivers to their floodplains

Remove barriers that stop fish moving freely

Remove harmful non-native plants

Site of Special Scientific Interest

The River Wye is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation.

The Deputy First Minister, said: “We are determined to keep improving our rivers across Wales, including the Wye, and it’s great to see the progress being made.

“This work in the upper Wye catchment will benefit the whole river, making it more resilient to climate change and extreme weather and also protecting precious wildlife.

“The joint research funding I announced on Tuesday will support both nature recovery and sustainable farming practices to improve the local environment in the Wye catchment. This will work in tandem with capital projects such as this in ensuring we take the necessary steps to improve the water quality throughout the length of the Wye.”

Susie Tudge, Upper Wye River Restoration Project Team Leader said: “It was fantastic to welcome the Deputy First Minister to see first-hand some of the projects we are delivering with communities and landowners to restore habitat and improve water quality in the upper reaches of the Wye.

“The approach we are taking here in the Tarenig Forest is a great example of how work within the Welsh Government estate can contribute to restoring natural river processes and increasing future resilience to climate change.

“This is one of the first interventions to be delivered by our project, which we will use as an exemplar demonstration site for other forest managers.

“Elsewhere, we are working on local farms to fence off buffer strips and plant corridors of trees. Combined with the other focus areas of our project, this will deliver a significant contribution to the restoration of the upper Wye catchment.”