The Taff is one of Wales’
river success stories but a set of ambitious
plans developed by Environment Agency Wales
and the Welsh Assembly Government aim to
further improve not only the Taff but all
of Wales' waters by 2015.
The Taff, now cleaner
today than it has been for generations,
is one of Wales’ river success stories but
a set of ambitious plans developed by Environment
Agency Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government,
aim to further improve not only the Taff
but all of Wales’ waters by 2015, and return
them to a near natural condition, where
at all possible, by 2027.
The River Basin Management
Plans (RBMP) launched today by Jane Davidson,
Minister for the Environment, Sustainability
and Housing, will improve lakes, estuaries,
coastline and groundwaters as well as rivers,
encouraging an increase in the return of
wildlife to Wales’ waters and making them
better places for people as well.
Developed by the Environment
Agency and approved last month by Government
Ministers, the plans detail how the water
environment across England and Wales will
be both protected and improved in light
of challenging new EU targets (Water Framework
Directive). For the first time they set
out how water companies, farming groups,
industry, Local Authorities, the Agency
and many others, will take collective action
to improve the nation’s water environment.
The RBMPs include three
river basin districts in Wales; Western
Wales, the Dee and the Severn. They detail
actions to tackle pollution including run-off
from rural and urban sources and pollution
from sewage treatment works. They also address
other major pressures on the water environment
including over abstraction of water, which
can affect wildlife and wetlands, and obstructions
such as weirs and culverts that can prevent
wildlife from thriving in rivers and streams.
Jane Davidson, Minister
for the Environment said: "I am delighted
that rivers like the Taff running through
South Wales into Cardiff Bay are now cleaner
than they have been for generations. These
plans set out how we intend to repeat the
success so far in three other river basin
areas of Wales to ensure they are healthy
thriving environments for people and wildlife.
We have a duty to make sure the quality
of our rivers is improved and protected
for our children and their children.”
The event was held at
Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, which is fed
by the Rivers Ely and Taff. Pupils from
Mount Stuart School’s Eco Committee attended
wearing masks representing some of the many
creatures set to benefit from the delivery
of the RBMPs; otters, water voles, frogs,
kingfishers, butterflies and fish.
Chris Mills, Director,
Environment Agency Wales, said: “Our rivers
are at their healthiest for over a century.
In the River Taff, much work has been done
to improve water quality and construct fish
passes where man-made developments have
created barriers. Salmon and other fish
are now thriving and returning to its upper
reaches for the first time in more than
200 years. However, more work is still needed.
Diffuse pollution from urban and rural land
uses impacts water quality, and the spread
of ‘non-native’ species threatens Wales’
natural wildlife.
“To address these issues
and meet new targets not just on the Taff
but across the whole of Wales’ waters, everyone
will need to play a part including farmers,
water companies, industry, Local Authorities
and groups such as Wildlife Trusts and the
RSPB. We all have a role in tackling the
pollution and obstructions that prevent
wildlife returning to some parts of our
country.
“This is an achievable
challenge that will make Wales an even better
place to live. We’ll have even healthier,
cleaner rivers and we want to see more natural
waters in towns and urban locations where
they’re all too often hidden by too much
concrete.”
The plans will also
benefit more than 50 sites which are of
European importance for wildlife and will
contribute to achieving the aims of the
Wales Environment Strategy for protected
sites. Many such sites have been damaged
by past and current activities that affect
the water environment, such as diffuse pollution
and changes to water levels.
John Lloyd Jones, CCW
Chairman said: "These plans will make
a significant contribution towards conserving
sites which are of European importance for
wildlife. Many of these sites depend on
the quality of the water environment and
the action in these plans will bring huge
benefits to biodiversity. We look forward
to working closely again with Environment
Agency Wales and others to implement the
plans and prepare the next round for 2015."
Also speaking at the
launch event was Steve Hill, Development
Manager at the Coal Authority. He spoke
of the Authority’s extensive minewater treatment
programme which has so far delivered 11
schemes in South Wales including the one
at the site of the former Taff Merthyr Colliery.
The scheme successfully treats minewater
flows, that contain damaging iron ‘ochre’,
from the old Colliery works to the Bargoed
Taff. This has helped improve the water
quality of the Taff, and as one of the largest
minewater wetland schemes in the UK is aiding
the area’s biodiversity. The delivery of
the RBMPs will see Environment Agency Wales
in partnership with the Coal Authority,
deliver a strategy for the investigation
and remediation of minewater sites across
Wales.
Case study – The status
of the River Taff today and the challenges
that lie ahead
The River Taff has seen
major fish passes constructed at Llandaff,
Trefforest and Merthyr with salmon now able
to access its upper reaches for the first
time in more than 200 years. However more
investment is needed to tackle barriers
to fish migration, an important component
of achieving or maintaining good ecological
status. And there are still a diverse range
of other issues that also threaten the Taff’s
water quality such as those associated with
urban development - poorly designed or managed
industrial premises, inadequate sewerage
infrastructure, the spread of non-native
plants and animal life, changes to the shape
and flow of rivers which fulfil important
'uses' such as flood and coastal risk management,
and the legacy left from past activity such
as historic mining.
An example of
the partnership approach to address such
issues is the pollution prevention work
to improve the water quality of the River
Taff; delivered by the Agency in conjunction
with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, estate owners
and local companies at the North Outfall,
a surface water discharge that serves the
Treforest Industrial Estate. By working
together a targeted drainage inspection
regime using dye tracing was delivered along
with company inspections. Misconnections
within the area’s drainage system were identified
and steps taken to reduce the frequency
of intermittent polluting discharges from
the outfall. All companies that were inspected
are now correctly connected or have implemented
measures that will safeguard the water environment.
The Agency plans to undertake further investigations
on the Industrial Estate to establish whether
there are any other misconnections to the
surface water system.
