Moseley Festival 2023
Clean rivers for people and wildlife
Hello, welcome to Balsall Heath & Moseley WI! We guess you've landed here because you found our yarnbombing in Moseley Village. We've installed it as part of Moseley Festival, to support this year's National Federation of Women's Institutes campaign resolution.
The NFWI have chosen to campaign on the issue of pollution in our rivers for the next year. Members of Balsall Heath & Moseley WI are responding to this campaign by raising awareness through our yarn bombing which contrasts healthy and polluted rivers.
Photo credit: Surfers Against Sewage
The scale of the problem
- In 2018, DEFRA introduced Farming Rules for Water to prevent manure entering water courses. However, in 2023 The Times reported that the legislation had failed to result in a single fine or prosecution despite thousands of potential breaches.
- In January 2022 the Environmental Audit Committee found that in England “a ‘chemical cocktail’ of sewage, agricultural waste, and plastic is polluting the waters of many of the country’s rivers” and called for “far more assertive regulation and enforcement from Ofwat and the Environment Agency”.
- In March 2022, the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee found similar conditions in Wales. The Environment Agency said that ‘the two main polluters, the water and farming sectors, are not yet doing enough to protect and enhance the environment.” The report suggested water companies in England should designate a stretch of each river to gain status as bathing water by 2025 as a way to drive the clean-up of rivers. The Government has been criticised for lack of action on this issue.
- In August 2022, the Government published a plan to tackle storm overflow. It requires water companies to improve storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water; and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites, by 2035. By 2050, this will apply to all remaining storm overflows covered. The plan was criticised for being weak and insufficiently ambitious, as well as likely to increase water bills for consumers.
The Resolution
Water quality in our rivers is shameful. Legally designated bathing waters must be regularly monitored for pollution. The NFWI urges its members, the wider public, local authorities and Government to make, support and promote applications for officially designated bathing sites on appropriate stretches of rivers in their area. This will be instrumental to the clean-up of rivers as it has been for water quality improvement at coastal beaches. Herefordshire Federation of WIs
Photo credit: Surfers Against Sewage
How you can get involved
- Find out more information about how to apply for inland bathing water by using the Surfers Against Sewage’s ‘Wild Water’ website.The website contains a useful nine-step guide that provides guidance about applying for a designated bathing water. You can also access the Surfers Against Sewage community bathing waters toolkit here
- Find out about sewage pollution in rivers in your area
You can find out about the location of combined sewage outflows (CSOs) in your area by looking at the Rivers Trust Sewage Map.
Further resources
- Watch: NFWI Resolution Webinar, 12 April 2023
- Kirsty Davies, Community Bathing Water Officer at Surfers Against Sewage, spoke ahead of the 2023 Annual Meeting about Inland Bathing Water Designation.
- House of Lords Library - Sewage Pollution in England’s Waters
- River Action UK
- The Rivers Trust
- Find out more about the issue and how bathing waters can help drive the cleanup of rivers by reading our resolution briefing notes
About us
We have a stall at the Moseley Festival street fair on Saturday15th July in the village centre, come and say hello!
We'll be selling cakes, books, plants and handicrafts. We'll also have our latest programme available, do come and have a chat if you're interested in finding out more about our WI and how you can join us. Or you can find out more right now:
