Good Afternoon,
Please see below an update from the Environment Agency regarding the River Wye and water quality.
Temperature and algal bloom warning system
In July 2022, we communicated a change to a warning system we had developed to monitor water temperatures and algal blooms on the River Wye.
At that time, the system was classified as ‘amber’ due to higher river temperatures and precautionary actions were advised for river users and anglers.
Today, we have changed the status of our warning system to ‘green’ due to the current river temperatures. Please take note of our advice for anglers below:
- Take care over fish welfare, particularly for more sensitive species, including salmon, sea trout, brown trout, grayling, pike and barbel.
- Take care when playing, landing and releasing salmon and sea trout as we approach the end of the season. The fish have had stressful experiences due to the prolonged high temperatures and have been in the river for many months. They require extra care when returned so that they survive and continue their journey.
- Unhook fish in the water if possible and only take them out of the water if entirely necessary.
- Take photos of fish in the water – keeping a fish in the air, even for a few seconds, can greatly reduce its chances of surviving after capture and going on to spawn successfully.
- It is likely that fungal infections and lesions on salmon and sea trout may be more prevalent this year as we approach spawning time. Please do not remove any dead or dying fish from the river. If you see dead fish or fish in distress please report immediately with details to our 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60, or email ics@environment-agency.gov.uk.
- For more information, please visit our section on the webpage relating to the warning system.
Monitoring Sondes
There are currently 11 sondes deployed across the Wye, Arrow, and Lugg catchments that are providing continuous water quality monitoring to improve our understanding of the current water ecology.
As river levels begin to rise over the coming months due to increased rainfall, we will be removing the sondes so that they do not become damaged during higher flows.
This means that our continuous water quality monitoring will stop, and live data will no longer be available. We don’t have a date for when this will happen, but we are aiming to keep the sondes deployed for as long as possible until rainfall events become more frequent. We will communicate when they are removed from the river.
We hope to be able to deploy the sondes again next year and are exploring ways to secure funding to do so.
Citizen Space Webpage
We have updated our dedicated Citizen Space webpage reflecting the latest information detailed above.
Please share this email with your contacts and signpost people to our webpage. We aim to improve the content of our information overtime and welcome your feedback.
Kind Regards
Nathan
Nathan Harrison | Engagement Specialist – River Wye Water Quality | West Midlands
Environment Agency | Sentinel House, 9 Wellington Crescent, Lichfield, WS13 8RR
For further information please contact the Customers & Engagement Team:
Tel: 02030 251583 | Email: engagement_westmids@environment-agency.gov.uk
