To receive the update report from the Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG); the meeting notes of the latest meeting will be circulated as part of a supplement to the agenda.

Several questions were asked about the River Wye Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG) meeting slide deck and meeting notes, the principal points arising included:

River Wye SOG / Meeting Headlines

1.           The SOG had discussed the need to undertake an internal review the Terms of Reference and learning over the last twelve months for the next SOG (18 December 2024), with feedback and comments to be sought from board members.

2.           With reference made to the sentence ‘SOG discussed the need for a focus on River Lugg nutrient data and its failing targets compared to the River Wye’, it was clarified that: the River Wye was a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in England and Wales, but the River Lugg was a SAC in England only; for the Diffuse Water Pollution Plan and the next steps, consideration was being given to the measures that would be required to address the different issues for each river; and data was available and was being worked on for sub-catchments, but the focus was predominantly on SAC failures at present.

3.           A board member commented on the need to consider messaging carefully, especially given the potential for public confusion about differences in targets for different parts of the river.  It was clarified that: the agencies worked collectively across the catchment; the importance of narrative around technical data was recognised; it was appropriate to have higher targets for headwaters than for the lower reaches of the water course; and reference was made to the Common Standards Monitoring guidance which was applied across the UK [link to Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) webpage on Common Standards Monitoring].

Updates from Natural Resource Wales

4.           It was reported that the Upper Wye Restoration Project was looking at the holistic health of the river and had not designed around phosphate issues.  A board member suggested that, for the purposes of the board, headlines directly related to the Nutrient Management Plan and the DWPP could be distinguished from other initiatives and developments.

5.           A board member commented that amended planning advice from Natural Resources Wales diverged from that of Herefordshire Council, informed by the position of Natural England, and the agencies should be encouraged to work together to address this.

6.           It was confirmed that the review of phosphorus limits on Environmental Permits for wastewater treatment works discharges had been undertaken by Natural Resources Wales, but a response on quantification would need to be provided subsequently.

Updates from Herefordshire Council

7.           It was reported that the initial data from the Luston wetland showed average reductions in total phosphorous levels of 68% during the first 12 months of site operation and it was currently on track to meet the 100% reduction modelled over a two year period; further detail would be published on the Herefordshire Council website in due course [link to Herefordshire Council webpage on Luston Integrated Constructed Wetland].

8.           It was noted that Herefordshire Council was to host a second rivers conference (21 November 2024) on sustainable practices for arable farming and consideration could be given to another event on river recovery practices.

Updates from Natural England

9.           It was clarified that the Wyescapes project was in a two-year development phase, and was not yet at the point to quantify the level of delivery.

10.        A response on the potential for Whole Farm Plans to inform example models for typical farm types would need to be provided subsequently.

11.        With attention drawn to the information provided on ‘38 farm visits’ and ‘Consents and Planning’, a board member commented that further detail was needed, especially in relation to outcomes with measurable nutrient reductions to inform the plans.  It was acknowledged that further narrative would be helpful, and clarifications were provided on the matters referenced in the slide.

The Chairperson commented that one of the roles of the board was to triangulate actions with the delivery of the current Phosphate Action Plan, and there was a need to quantify and identify the benefits arising from actions being undertaken.  The need for regular updates from other partners charged with the delivery of actions was re-iterated.

A board member emphasised the need for combined plans for the whole catchment, and suggested that an annual report be produced on activities and outcomes set against the targets included in those plans.