Rights of Rivers in the Forest of Dean
This Council observes that:
- Every river in England is polluted beyond legal limits. 75% of UK rivers now present a “serious” risk to health
- Summer droughts and winter floods are becoming the climate “new normal”
- Our rivers suffer from over abstraction, untreated sewage, toxic road run off and diffuse pollution from agriculture
- National legislation protecting rivers is piecemeal, is silo working and fails to meet its own river protection targets
- Nature is in headlong retreat due to degradation of ecosystems – 19% of species in UK are declining; 1 in 6 faces extinction – aka the “6th mass extinction” in Earth’s history, is in progress
- 20% of the water supply in England and Wales is lost to leaks at the rate of 570 million litres/day
- The Forest of Dean is obliged by government fiat to build 13k new houses over the next 15 years so without decisive remedial action, it’s hard to see how maintaining our supply of clean water and protecting our own unique natural heritage can be achieved
To help protect the rivers and their tributaries in the Forest of Dean, the Council has decided to introduce the Forest of Dean District Council Rights of Rivers Charter.
Full details for the Charter can be found below:
