Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife

The WI was one of the first organisations to sound the alarm about pollution of our rivers, as far back as the 1930s. In 1936 the WI began campaigning on river pollution from dairies, and WIs wrote to their local authorities urging them to take responsibility for this issue.

Then later the WI spent almost 20 years in the late 1950s and early 1970s sounding the alarm about the scandal of untreated sewage flowing into our seas and rivers. WI members were outraged and pushed the government to act. WI representative Lady Anglesey even served as vice chair on a government working group looking at sewage disposal.

In 2023, members again expressed their outrage at the state of our rivers. The Clean Rivers campaign seeks to tackle river pollution from key sources such as sewage run-off and industrial agriculture, in particular through promoting bathing water designation.

According to the Rivers Trust, no single stretch of river in England is in good overall health. In 2022 the Environmental Audit Committee found that “a ‘chemical cocktail’ of sewage, agricultural waste, and plastic is polluting the waters of many of the country’s rivers” and called for “far more assertive regulation and enforcement from Ofwat and the Environment Agency”. The Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee in the Senedd found similar conditions in Wales.

Sewage is spilled into rivers as storm overflow. This is a mechanism to prevent capacity issues in sewage treatment systems with high rainfall, but reports suggest it is happening much more than it should. Intensive livestock and poultry farming also contributes to river pollution in some areas through farm waste making its way into the water, raising nutrient levels.

Designated Bathing Waters are the only places in the UK where bacteria levels in open water are monitored and the data published. Tests are carried out regularly, by government environmental agencies between May and September in England and Wales. Pollution incidents must be explained and there are legal obligations to improve water quality over time.

1. In September each year, we mark the WI Week of River Action, a week focused on making noise about river pollution locally and nationally. Members arrange stunts, river cleans, protests and yarn bombing to raise awareness of the state of our rivers in their communities.
   
   In 2024, over 80 WIs and many more WI members took part in Earthwatch’s citizen science drive, the Great UK Water Blitz. Read more in our blog. In 2023, we spoke to MPs and gathered members dressed as aquatic creatures for a mini-protest outside the Houses of Parliament. Read more in our blog.



2. Find out more information about how to apply for inland bathing water by using the Surfers Against Sewage’s ‘Wild Water’ website.The website contains a useful nine-step guide that provides guidance about applying for a designated bathing water. You can also access the Surfers Against Sewage community bathing waters toolkit here.



3. Find out about sewage pollution in rivers in your area. You can find out about the location of combined sewage outflows (CSOs) in your area by looking at the Rivers Trust Sewage Map.