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Save the Teifi update – April 2024
It’s been a bit quiet on the public campaign front over the winter, but the steering committee have been busy attending meetings and carrying on the networking that is continuing to bring us useful ideas and contacts.
After the public meeting at the end of last year we formulated the Five Asks for our river, based around the feedback we had from people at the meeting:
- To end the pollution from Cardigan sewage works
- To undertake monitoring of river and estuary pollution re bathing water at Poppit
- To get citizen science project underway by summer 2024
- To have NRW act as regulator and enforcer and protector of nature
- To have CEOs held accountable for professional negligence
These were picked up by local papers, and we had responses from Dŵr Cymru and Natural Resources Wales. Needless to say there was nothing remarkable in the responses so we need to keep up the pressure for change. See https://www.teifi.one/resources/about-the-teifi/reponse-to-pollution
By the time you read this the petition started last year to call on the Welsh government to more fully fund NRW to enable it to better fulfil its regulatory role will have been heard by the Petitions Committee (April 22nd) The response from Julie James, ex climate change AM, expressed her ongoing concern for the state of Welsh rivers and a confidence that the Senedd will continue to lend their full support to NRW. Watch this space. See https://www.teifi.one/actions/stt-petition
NRW themselves established the Teifi Demonstrator Project at the end of last year as a means to establish new and innovative ways to tackle the issues facing the river. It’s an initial five year project and Callum Firth has been attending meetings on our behalf. The first brainstorming session was held in Aberystwyth last month with representatives from Dŵr Cymru, NRW, farmers’ unions, West Wales Rivers Trust, Afonnydd Cymru, Keep Wales Tidy, Save the Teifi and other independent scientists. There was much discussion on land use, water resilience, habitat surveying as well as pollution and the hope is to be able to take a long term approach as well as tackling immediate issues. Sadly the planned funding from Offwat has not materialised but a new project application will be going in in the autumn. More frustration at lost time but we have hope that the wider thinking at the meetings will lead to change. See https://www.teifi.one/resources/about-the-teifi/the-teifi-demonstrator-project
In terms of funding, Save the Teifi is really pleased to be part of the successful Esme Fairburn grant application with Fynnone Community Resilience , Small World Theatre, West Wales Rivers Trust and Space to Create. This ongoing project Afon Llais/River Voice (Or Voice of the River Teifi) will engage with primary school children in the area, teaching them about the river and what they can do to help it and look after it, with the end goal of a procession in Cardigan next summer. There will also be funding available for volunteers to get out onto the river and learn about how to monitor habitats and invertebrates which can tell us so much about the state of the water. More details soon via facebook page and email. See https://www.teifi.one/resources/about-the-teifi/the-esmee-project
There is going to be water-testing monitoring set up – we all know the river is in a shocking state, we have Dŵr Cymru’s figures readily available on their website – but there has been a call, getting louder, for a more citizen-science based approach. We will have access to testing equipment via Ceredigion County Council and are looking into purchasing more test kits with Save the Teifi funds as necessary. There will be a callout on facebook (see https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZBZPzNJLCPJDbcH/) and email for volunteers for this too. Currently we are liaising with the council as to where they are putting their own high level monitors so we can fill in the gaps. We are also correlating the worst Storm Overflow sites and land run-off areas.
The big summer event this year – let’s Walk the Teifi from Source to Sea! Taking some water from Teifi pools, gathering some from the main tributaries, and carrying it to Poppit for a symbolic celebration on the sands. Someone quipped “it might be the only way to get clean water to Cardigan”. This will be a relay over several days, so everyone can join in. It will also be an excellent way to get the Save the Teifi message further upstream. It’s just in the very early planning stages but more news soon.
Pollution comes in many forms. As the river levels start to finally fall after such a wet winter, we can all start to get out there and relieve the banks and trees of the plastic and rubbish that has accumulated over the last few months. I know we all do a little bit every time we go for a walk and it does make a difference. Just don’t fall in!
Huge thanks for your continuing support!
Save the Teifi
(Many thanks to Moira for putting this Newsletter together)
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