Update from the River Wye Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG).

The River Wye Statutory Officers’ Group (SOG) meeting slide deck was provided in Supplement 1, with the Natural Resources Wales update provided in Supplement 2.

Board members asked questions and made comments; the main points included:

1.           It was clarified that poultry units with less than 40,000 birds did not require environmental permits but were subject to the planning process and pollution prevention regulations.  Comments were made around the challenges of understanding the cumulative impact of livestock units operating without permits.  Later in the discussion, reference was made to the role of habitats regulation assessments in identifying potential impacts of planning proposals cumulatively and individually on designated features.  The Chairperson suggested that local authority representatives obtain further details about the planning approach to cumulative impacts of livestock units in their areas.

2.           Reference was made to the Natural Resource Wales update ‘Focussing on Phosphorus and compliance against the tighter SAC [Special Area of Conservation] targets there has been an overall improvement in the Wye since 2021’.  Ann Weedy advised that the reasons for deterioration in two waterbodies in the upper catchment were being explored.  Attention was drawn to the news item Natural Resources Wales / New water quality data sheds light on health of Wales’s waters and Ann Weedy offered to arrange a separate session on the detail.

3.           The Chairperson commented on the recent River Improvement Co-Delivery event in Cardiff and welcomed Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water’s Wye phosphorus removal programme which was expected to achieve a reduction of approximately 13kg/day, adding that the board would welcome data as it became available.  It was questioned how mandatory housing target increases were factored into the investment programme going forward.  Daniel Humphreys said that he was not involved in Developer Services, but the water company was one of the consultees for local development plans.

4.           The Chairperson welcomed: the Environment Agency website resources, link to the hub Environment Agency / River Wye Water Quality; the use of satellite data and drone imagery; and the information on Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) partnership projects, albeit further details were requested about what they had been set up to achieve and how the successful delivery of outcomes would be measured.  Martin Quine reported that the WEIF projects were aimed at the Water Directive Framework and acknowledged the need to consider how to ensure that relevant plans and action logs were kept up to date.

5.           Liz Duberley reported that: Herefordshire Council had met recently with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the Nature Restoration Fund and an update was awaited; 796 houses had been released using phosphate credits from the Luston and Tarrington wetlands; the authority was working to acquire a third wetland site; and it was considered timely to undertake a review of strategic mitigation given the Nature Restoration Fund and the required growth in housing numbers in Herefordshire.  Later in the discussion, it was noted that mechanisms other than wetlands were coming forward elsewhere in the country and that options would be considered in the review.

6.           There was a discussion about quantifying nutrient reduction numbers in projects and initiatives, with a view expressed about the challenges around scientific certainty in terms of metrics and other views expressed about the value of identifying estimates wherever possible.