Aiming for clean water status - absolutley, but safety is big concern as 'Bathing Water Status' granted on Wharfe

Ilkley MP Robbie Moore has welcomed the decision by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to award the Ilkley section of the River Wharfe with Bathing Water Status after an application was lodged by the Ilkley Clean River Campaign. This will be the first section of any river in the UK to be awarded such a designation. However, Robbie has stressed that despite significant focus having been put on improving water quality, awareness of the dangers of bathing within a river must also be emphasised, commenting “just because a river has Bathing Water Status, doesn’t mean it is safe to swim in”.

For far too long, untreated sewage has been released into the River Wharfe by Yorkshire Water at times of high rainfall. This has promoted a long running campaign, led by the Ilkley Clean River Campaign Group to put pressure on the utility company to put mechanisms in place so that no untreated sewage is released into the river. One of the avenues pursued by the Campaign Group was to apply for Bathing Water Status, which now granted will put more pressure through regulatory means on the utility company to put in place more monitoring of sewage outfall and subsequent investment into their infrastructure.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs conducted a consultation earlier this year on whether to grant this section of the river with Bathing Water Status. Such status has been granted today. 

Commenting Robbie said: “As a mechanism for providing stricter regulation to improve water quality, I welcome the decision made by DEFRA to grant Bathing Water Status to this section of the river. This will through regulatory means now put pressure on Yorkshire Water to meet much higher standards when discharging water into the Wharfe. We all want improved water quality and with the Wharfe now having such status, this will also put pressure on the utility company to ensure improved investment into their sewage treatment infrastructure. ”

“I do however have big concerns which relate to the safety of the river and attention must equally be given to that. Whilst getting Bathing Water Status will help put more pressure on cleaning up the river, it must not be seen as granting the River Wharfe as a safe river in which to swim. This was a major concern I raised during the consultation period. I do believe that the title itself is misleading and focus should be given to its desired ‘clean water’ status – not its ‘swimming water’ status. Over previous years we have unfortunately had several incidents of individuals getting into difficultly in the river due to the strong currents and the ever-changing nature of the Wharfe. Therefore, appropriate measures must be put in place to make people aware of the dangers of swimming in the river, and from jumping into the river from the swing bridge. I will be working with Bradford Council to ensure such measures are put in place. Just because a river has Bathing Water Status, doesn’t mean it is safe to swim in.”