River Friendly Severn

Project description:

The River Friendly Severn Project engages people with measures to improve water quality in the river Severn by improving understanding and reducing pollution from a variety of sources. 

The project is led by the community with support from Severn Rivers Trust, which means there is local support, sustainable outcomes and good value for money. 
Working in the former county of Montgomeryshire in northern Powys.  

What will the project achieve?

There is a cost saving when communities are motivated to become involved with river projects. For example, when removing invasive Japanese Knotweed from riverbanks, by working alongside Friends of the river groups, we were able to identify its location, treat it and return to check in subsequent years. As Knotweed needs a five year management plan, there is a substantial saving here. Again, with building rain gardens, when supporting volunteers to undertake some of the building work and helping the schools to take on maintenance.

By engaging businesses in the River Friendly Business Award, we are able to show them the benefits to their business in getting involved with the local community. For example, working with Stadco, they have funded hi-vis jackets for school river days and removed a weir which was causing a problem for fish migration. We will continue to work with them in the future on river projects. 

Who are the project beneficiaries?

Communities and business across the River Severn in Powys.

Challenge 

Water enters our rivers from a variety of sources, and will support river wildlife if it is of good quality. Clean rivers are important for recreation, for wildlife, for fishing, agriculture and for many businesses relying on clean water.

Some of the sources of river water are directly or indirectly effected by people, for example storm drains which are linked to the river could be polluted by fuel spills and more diffuse pollution occurs for example where large areas of land suffer from soil erosion.  

The way in which we build on and use land also contributes to flooding of peoples’ homes and businesses.  

Solution 

Working in primary and secondary schools in five key river catchments in Powys, we were able to offer children a ‘River Friendly Kids’ Award, where they learned about water quality, farming, river invertebrates and other wildlife and worked towards making their school a ‘river friendly school’. 

River friendly schools have installed rain gardens to hold rainwater and reduce pollution into rivers. By creating rain gardens at the school, the community becomes involved through events and localised flooding is reduced.  

What was the result of your project?

The community is really invested in the project, for example the sustainable urban drainage system at Llanfyllin High School has multiple benefits; flood management, amenity value, environmental art and education with the whole school on literature, environment issues and natural flood management.  

We have supported networks of volunteers in a sustainable way, who will remove invasive species, collect river invertebrate water quality data, survey the location of Salmon redds (nests) and plant the rare Black Poplar Trees.