Against a background of sewage-degraded rivers throughout England, highlighted by Tim Farron, it appears that the Usk is more in danger than most in Britain. Guy Mawle with the aid of statistics from his former employers, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), has produced a grim report. Yesterday's Radio Wales Country Focus devoted the whole programme to the issue. Highlighted were the denial of sufficient finance to NRW to enable them to fulfil their legal responsibilities in respect of rivers and the fact that, unlike the River Wye whose state has received more publicity, the Usk receives treated sewage which has not been phosphate-stripped, resulting in unnatural growth of algae which if unchecked stifles a waterway.
The not-for-profit Welsh Water/Dŵr Cymru is clearly more responsible than the commercial water companies in England, but must do more. The Welsh Government should ensure that it does so, as well as providing adequate funds to our ecological watchdogs.
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