Wetherby and Villages Clean River Group are delighted to announce that Bathing Water Status has been approved by DEFRA for the River Wharfe in Wetherby
This status is important because it ensures that the water quality is monitored to a much higher standard than the normal requirements. This means that the level of impurities and sources of them are more easily understood and empowers those responsible (Yorkshire Water and the Department for the Environment) to act upon this by investing in infrastructure. This has already happened in Ilkley since they were granted BWS in 2022.
It is not a magic silver bullet, and will not happen overnight but it is part of the process of managing and caring for our beautiful River Wharfe.
Status has been granted because of the work which has been done by members of our community. The first application started in 2022 with members of Boston Spa, Thorp Arch and Wetherby Town Councils working with interested residents who collected the necessary data by counting the number of users on the river Wharfe. This application was rejected in 2023 but it was decided to apply again focussing entirely on the riverside bandstand area near the bridge as it more easily fulfilled the range of criteria needed for an application such as local businesses and services.
This has been a wonderful community effort to achieve the status which we believe reflects the importance of the Wharfe in the lives of all residents both in the town and surrounding villages.
The work now begins to ensure that the necessary changes are put in place to support a healthy river for all its users.