The EA website states that: the transformation of these rivers has been achieved thanks to thousands of habitat improvement projects, tighter regulation of polluting industries and work with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce pollution and improve water quality.
River habitats have also benefited from reductions in the volume of water taken by water companies, farmers and industry. The Environment Agency has reviewed thousands of abstraction licences and is amending those that were causing environmental damage.
Ian Barker, Head of Land and Water at the Environment Agency, said:
“Work we have done with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce the amount of water taken from rivers, minimise pollution and improve water quality is really paying off – as these rivers show. Britain’s rivers are the healthiest for over 20 years and otters, salmon and other wildlife are returning for the first time since the industrial revolution. But there is still more to be done, and we have plans to transform a further 9,500 miles of rivers in England and Wales by 2015.“
Environment Minister Lord Henley said:
“England’s rivers were once home to many iconic species of wildlife, and with Defra’s £110 million funding to help clean up England’s rivers and the extensive work being done by the Environment Agency, water companies and landowners, we’re already seeing fish and mammals, including salmon and otters, thriving once more.”
The 10 most improved rivers are:
The River Wandle, London
The River Wandle is a well known chalk stream and tributary of the River Thames that flows through parts of Mitcham, Morden, Wimbledon and Wandsworth in South West London.
Historically the river has suffered extreme pollution and was officially declared a sewer in the 1960s. But over the last 20 years it has become a rich habitat due to better environmental regulation, a fish stocking programme and huge local enthusiasm for the river which has resulted in a vast improvement of water quality.
The Wandle is now known as one of the best urban coarse fisheries in the country and supports a huge variety of wildlife supporting a wide variety of species including chub, barbel and eel.
River Thames
The dramatic recovery of the River Thames was internationally recognised last year when it was awarded the International Theiss Riverprize which celebrates outstanding achievement in river management and restoration.
The Thames has been transformed from a biologically dead river in the 1950’s to today’s thriving waterway; teeming with fish and with returning salmon, otter and sea trout populations.
Since April 2005 over 500 habitat enhancement projects have been completed and nearly 90 km of river has been restored or enhanced. Tighter regulation of polluting industries and the Environment Agency’s work with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce pollution and improve water quality, have all helped to make the Thames a living river once again.
River Wear, County Durham
Another river which has shrugged off its industrial past is the River Wear in Northumberland. The Wear and its more famous sibling the Tyne are now the top two rivers in the country to catch salmon – and recent fish surveys have shown that more fish are present on the Wear than ever before.
Apart from the large numbers of game fish that are now being caught in the river, other wildlife has benefited and water voles, otters, and a vast array of invertebrates, plants and flowers have returned to the river.
River Stour, Worcestershire
For years the Stour was famous not for its wildlife but for the rainbow-coloured dyes that flowed into it from the local carpet manufacturing units. The pesticides used for moth-proofing carpets also wiped out many of the aquatic invertebrates and an out of date sewage system didn’t help the pollution problem.
The Environment Agency worked alongside Wyre Forest District Council, Severn Trent Water, the Wildlife Trust and retailers to transform the Stour into a river that is healthy for wildlife as well as the local economy and water quality has improved so much in the river that salmon and otters, have returned.
The River Darent, Kent
The River Darent flows from Westerham in Kent, through Dartford before joining the Thames and during the late 80s it was recognised as being the lowest flow river in the country after years of over abstraction. As recently as 1996 parts of the Darent dried up completely in the summer months – having a devastating effect on wildlife.
As a result of improved flows, the Darent has seen a healthy population of flow sensitive fish species and invertebrates such as brown trout and river limpet flourish in previously vulnerable sections of the river and the river is now classed as having Good Ecological Status.
The River Dee, Wales and North West England
The River Dee rises in Snowdonia and flows for 70 miles through Wales and England, forming part of the border between the two countries and is an important natural fishery and its stocks including salmon and trout prove a magnet for many angling clubs.
However, the Dee has faced many threats. Parts of the river flow through industrialised areas, and over the centuries unregulated commercial discharges polluted the once-clean waters of its lower reaches with toxic chemicals and sewage. Strict conditions on these discharges as well as a review of how much water can be taken from the river has improved the water quality and ensured that there is always enough water for wildlife to thrive.
River Nar, Norfolk
The River Nar in Norfolk is protected as is one of the few remaining fenland chalkstreams but over hundreds of years it has been over widened, deepened and straightened for agricultural drainage – ruining wildlife habitats in the process. Work by the Environment Agency and other partners has helped to restore the river to its natural state and it is one of the few remaining rivers in East Anglia which supports a run of rare sea trout and its upper reaches resemble a Hampshire chalk stream, with dace, chub and brown trout on its gravel runs.
River Taff, South Wales
The rivers of South Wales once ran black with coal and were so polluted that no life could survive – even as recently as the 1980s – but 30 years on the coal mines have closed and work by Environment Agency Wales, local authorities and angling clubs has seen fantastic results, with the Taff now supporting many species of wildlife, including salmon, barbel, otters, sea trout and eels.
River Stour, Dorset
The River Stour in Dorset has been the subject of drastic improvement due to the joint efforts of the Environment Agency and the National Trust. Conservation work has centred around one of the oldest mill pools in the UK with silt removal and restoration of the weir, leat, and tailrace pool to create an area in which fish can seek refuge from the strong currents of the main river.
The Mersey Basin, North West
The River Mersey is the river that powered the industrial revolution and chronic pollution from industrial discharges and raw sewage brought about a drastic decline in water quality and the wildlife of the rivers. The once thriving fisheries became ecological ‘dead zones’ and by the 1940’s all commercial fishing had ceased and by 1982 the Mersey had become the most polluted river in Europe.
Over the past 25 years more than one billion pounds has been invested in cleaning-up the Mersey. Improved sewage treatment and industrial processes and tight controls on discharges to rivers have ensured that the river is now cleaner than it has been in over a century – and salmon, otters, trout, chub and eels are regular sights in the Mersey once again.
For full details check out the EA website
