Ways to help our river
How to help if...
you're by the water
It's up to all of us to look out for our river. If you're nearby you can do these simple things to help keep the waters healthy.
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Follow the countryside code, we also like the Welsh waterside code.
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Keep dogs out of the water. Flea treatments can leach into the water and kill off insects.
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Keep away from the banks and waters edge as much as possible, otherwise you could disturb wildlife.
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Watch out for pollution, litter and invasive species, if you see these report them or tell us.
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Leave no trace. Take your litter home else it might wash into the water.
Foamy water, bad smells, stranger colours, dead critters? Report it to the Environment Agency on their 24/7 pollution hotline: 0800 80 70 60
Find out how to install a water butt.
How to help if...
you're at home
Even though we might feel far from seas and rivers and home, our actions there have a big impact on them. Here are a few things we can all do at home to improve our waters.
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Don't pour harsh chemicals down the sink or in any drains. Same goes for oils and paints. If it's going down the drain it should be biodegradable.
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Don't use pesticides on your garden, and limit fertiliser use (it can wash off, draining into the land and the water course).
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Think hard about the water you use and try and keep it to a minimum. The Wildlife Trust has lots of great advice on how to conserve water.
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Reduce, reuse, recycle! All sorts of things require water when they're made, this is called 'embedded water'. One cotton t-shirt can require up to 3000 litres of water to make. Reusing and repurposing things cuts down the amount of water taken from our rivers, seas, lakes for manufacturing.
Other ways to help
We're working on resources, tools and advice for landowners, farmers and policymakers. Watch this space!