Public advised not to swim at Wye bathing waters due to high bacteria levels
A public health notice posted at The Warren, near Hay-on-Wye, on 18th July 2024. Credit: Eamon Bourke
After the Warren at Hay-on-Wye was declared the first Welsh river inland bathing water in June, Powys Council this morning erected signs advising the public not to swim at the historic swimming area due to high levels of bacteria being detected.
Later in the day, the results of the water quality testing this decision was based on were published on the NRW website, revealing that tests performed on Wednesday 10th July found that the two forms of bacteria used to judge the fitness of bathing waters - Enterococci and E. Coli - were at levels of more than 5 and 7 times the safe limit for bathing, respectively.
A Natural Resources Wales spokesperson said:
“Last Wednesday, our officers took the first bathing water sample at the Warren since it was designated. The water quality results of the sample showed an elevated level of bacteria. This led us to inform Powys County Council who have the responsibility for public health. Based on this information, the local authority has erected signs advising bathers not to swim.
“After receiving the test results of the sample, our environment officers investigated the area to try to find a source of the elevated level of bacteria found in the sample, however, no direct cause was found.
“This water sample is the first in a schedule that will take place throughout the bathing water season which ends on 30 September. We will continue to monitor the results of each sample and make the information available on our Bathing Water Explorer.”
While dismayed at these results, at Friends of the River Wye we are far from surprised that they were found at this much-beloved place. With this threat to health for any river users now clearly identified alongside the collapse of nature in this most “protected” of rivers, surely both Welsh and UK governments - and the agencies tasked by them to defend our environment - can no longer ignore the issue of rampant pollution. They must take swift and decisive action to investigate and stop the sources of pollution, invest in our water and agricultural sectors to transition to more sustainable and less polluting practices, and punish those who have - and continue to - treat the river as a waste disposal facility.