Caught by the River

Our Rivers – Make Rivers a Priority for Government's Water Agenda

22nd March 2011

The Our Rivers campaign is led by WWF-UK, RSPB, the Angling Trust and the Salmon and Trout Association. They’ve asked us to share the following information –

This summer the Government will publish its White Paper on Water. This is an important opportunity for the coalition to set out its priorities for safeguarding the health of our rivers and protecting freshwater wildlife for the future. We believe the Government must include two key commitments in this Water White Paper in order to protect our rivers. These are to:

1.Set out a clear timetable to restore the flow of our rivers and end unsustainable levels of abstraction, with action in the 2015-2020 water company investment period. 2.Reduce the impact of agricultural diffuse pollution on rivers and wetlands by ensuring more effective enforcement of environmental regulations, encouraging water companies to work with farmers to reduce pollution of drinking water sources, and by changing farming policy to reward land managers who deliver public benefits – including clean rivers and thriving wildlife.

Many voices are harder to ignore, so we are asking all river supporters to write to the Minister responsible for water, Richard Benyon, asking him to safeguard our rivers for the future. It’s easy to do and only takes a few minutes – ACT NOW SEND A LETTER TO THE MINISTER