The River Wharfe at Wetherby is to be formally designated as a Bathing Water site following a successful campaign supported by our local MP, councillors and the Wetherby and Villages Clean Rivers Group.
The Environment Agency will now prepare a bathing water profile for the site, which will be available on its Swimfo website (https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/).
Designation means the sites will be subject to regular testing by the Environment Agency throughout the bathing season, giving bathers a clearer picture on water quality for public health. The Environment Agency will also assess what action is needed to improve water quality to meet the standards set by the Bathing Water Regulations.
Wetherby MP, Sir Alec Shelbrooke, said: “This designation is the result of years of collaborative work between the clean rivers group, local councillors, government and the intensive lobbying of local river experts such as Mark Barrow. It was clear during my own lobbying of ministers that there was a strong case for bathing water status in Wetherby and I’m pleased to have been able to work with government and our local groups to secure this for the town and the wider river catchment.”
Linda Richards of the Wetherby & Villages Clean Rivers Group, said: "This status is important because it ensures that the water quality is monitored to a much higher standard than the normal requirements. This means that the level of impurities and sources of them are more easily understood and empowers those responsible (Yorkshire Water and the Department for the Environment) to act upon this by investing in infrastructure. This has already happened in Ilkley since they were granted status in 2022. This has been a wonderful community effort to achieve the status which we believe reflects the importance of the Wharfe in the lives of all residents both in the town and surrounding villages and the work now begins to ensure that the necessary changes are put in place to support a healthy river for all its users".
Environment Minister, Robbie Moore MP, added: “The value our bathing waters bring to local communities is incredibly valuable – providing social, physical and positive health and wellbeing benefits to people around the country – and I am pleased to have approved a further 27 new bathing water sites for this year. These popular swimming spots will now undergo regular monitoring to ensure bathers have up-to-date information on the quality of the water and enable action to be taken if minimum standards aren’t being met".
Elsewhere in the Wetherby & Easingwold constituency, Yorkshire Water is set to invest a share of £797m in network improvements citing an understanding of concerns regarding discharges to waterways from combined sewer overflows, which can occur during periods of heavy rainfall. Yorkshire Water has explained how the government's Storm Discharge Overflow Reduction Plan (SODRP), published in August 2022, has shaped their planning for investment in overflows. Legally binding through the landmark Environment Act 2021, the plan prioritizes storm overflows that could cause the most harm to our natural environment whilst also balancing the impact of consumer bills.
In July 2020, Sir Alec organised a meeting with the environment minister, councillors and local river expert Mark Barrow to raise awareness of Mark's work filming the impact of storm overflows on the River Wharfe. This evidence, alongside lobbying from community groups and other MPs, helped shape the landmark Environment Act of 2021.
