Save the Teifi Updates by Callum Firth (Oct 2024)
Source to Sea 9th -11th August – The team carried water from Teifi Pools to Poppit sands. There were 24 participants on the 9th who walked from Teifi Pools to Tregaron, a core of 5 then walked onto Lampeter. The next day 22 cyclists rode from Lampeter to Newcastle Emlyn along some enchanting sections of the Teifi. On the final day the core team cycled from Newcastle Emlyn to Llechryd via Cenarth where they were joined by 20 walkers and 24 paddlers who all made their way to Poppit Sands, along the way they were joined by the Cilgerran Coracle Paddlers and the Poppit Life Savers. The weather was outstanding and the final celebratory event involved around 120 people supported by excellent singers and musicians.
Many thanks to the core organising team:- Moria Williams, Judith Firth, Adam Dawson & Daryl Gasson for their excellent organisational skills, and to all those wonderful people who supplied food and help especially on the last evening.🙏🙏🙏🙏
Citizen Science Activities – There are now 10 groups undertaking water quality measurements on Teifi tributaries. The sites have been selected based on local concerns and on tributaries where there are no Natural Resources Wales (NRW) data. Unlike other citizen science projects the data is being used by the Nutrient Management Board. An analysis of the results will be produced over the coming month.
Teifi Nutrient Management Board – The Nutrient Management Boards for West Wales have produced draft Nutrient Management Plans for the Teifi, Cleddau and Tywi catchments. These draft plans outline what actions can be taken to resolve the environmental issues facing these Special Areas of Conservation rivers. The plans are living documents, meaning that they will evolve through time. Actions will be assessed as changes are made and the plan modified to ensure it is effective. It is anticipated that the plans will be approved in early October and form the basis for action.
Teifi Demonstrator Project – NRW and DWR Cymru/Welsh Water are working with other stakeholders including Save the Teifi to submit funding bids to OFWAT and other organisations to secure funding to support innovative actions to resolve the issues facing the Teifi. NRW and DC/WW are already investing funds to improve water quality but they are supporting the grant applications to accelerate the rate of improvement.
