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UK and Welsh Government unite in 拢1 Million fund to transform River Wye

• Water Minister Emma Hardy and Deputy First Minister of Wales hosts roundtable at River Wye to kickstart action to tackle local pollution
• UK and Welsh Governments announce 拢1m research fund to tackle pollution in iconic river
• River Wye is latest visit in Environment Secretary and Water Minister鈥檚 tour across UK to see how water investment underpins government鈥檚 Plan for Change

The Welsh and UK Government have today announced a new 拢1 million joint research initiative to tackle water quality issues in the River Wye.聽

The Welsh Deputy First Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, and UK Government鈥檚 Water Minister, Emma Hardy, made the announcement during a roundtable meeting in Monmouth with key stakeholders from both sides of the border.聽聽

The comprehensive cross-border research programme will:聽

• Investigate the sources of the pollution and pressures affecting the river聽

• Study the impacts of changing farming practices and land management聽

• Develop and test new ways to improve water quality聽

• Examine what鈥檚 driving wildlife decline and water flow 鈥� the movement and quantity of water which is crucial for habitats and species聽

Local farmers, environmental groups, and citizen scientists will play a crucial role in gathering evidence and shaping the research priorities. The programme will work closely with established organisations including the Wye Catchment Partnership, the Nutrient Management Board, and farming organisations like Herefordshire Rural Hub and Farm Cymru.聽

Following the visit to Monmouth, Water Minister Emma Hardy said:聽聽

鈥淔or too long, the River Wye has suffered from extreme pollution, leading to devastating effects on wildlife and impacting all those who live along its banks.

鈥淭hat is why we鈥檙e resetting relationships on both sides of the border to share our knowledge and make sure this research translates into real action.聽聽

鈥淥ur Water (Special Measures) Act has laid the foundations for cleaning up the water system. As part of the government鈥檚 Plan for Change to grow the economy and make Britain better off, over 拢100 billion of private sector money is being invested into the water sector to upgrade and build infrastructure.聽聽

鈥淏ut we must go further, and vital research like this gets us one step closer to cleaning up rivers like the Wye for good鈥澛�

Deputy First Minister of Wales Huw Irranca-Davies said:聽聽

鈥淭his is an important step to protect the River Wye, and we are committed to continuing to work together to restore our rivers.聽聽

鈥淭his research funding will support both nature recovery and sustainable farming practices to improve the local environment.聽

鈥淏y bringing together expertise from both sides of the border and working closely with local groups, we can better understand the challenges facing the river and find the solutions that will make a difference.鈥澛犅�

The initiative builds on existing collaboration between the UK and Welsh governments, including an ongoing 拢20 million project addressing soil phosphorus levels through the Land Use for Net Zero, People and Nature programme.聽

This new research will support wider government planning on water quality, nature recovery and farming regulation by identifying effective interventions that can be implemented at a landscape scale.聽

Minister鈥檚 visit to Wales is the latest in a series of visits this week by the Environment Secretary and Water Minister Emma Hardy to iconic water sites across England and Wales as part of the 鈥楾hings Can Only Get Cleaner鈥� tour, to see where investment in water infrastructure will underpin the building of new homes, create jobs and turbocharge local economies 鈥� a cornerstone of the government鈥檚 Plan for Change.