Actions

Please also see our Fund Raising Page

1. Join us - Get involved - Come to a meeting

Join our Friends of the Teifi group: Send us an email

Get involved with these Specific issues:
1. Engagement with community; (See: Engagement with the Community – Teifi-Forum)
2. Political pressure; (See: Political Pressure – Teifi-Forum)
3. Citizen science; (See: Citizen science – Teifi-Forum) &Teifi Citizen Science Volunteering
4. Recycling urine: (See: Recycling Urine – Teifi-Forum)

Come to our next meeting: Date and Venue TBA

(For reports of our previous meetings go to the Reports page)

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2. Visit-Learn-Report

Visit the Teifi (See Gallery for films/videos of its entirety), learn its History, share photos. If you notice a problem... Report them to NRW and Welsh Water

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3. Write to the Welsh Government & your Senedd member

The responsibility for pollution, rivers and water lies with the Welsh Government - so letting Welsh ministers and Senedd members your concerns is vital.

Here is a template you can use to write to your Senedd Member:

Support Campaigns to Tackle Pollution on the Teifi.

Dear {MS}

The river Teifi is dying!

This valuable natural resource, which has been the lifeblood of our area for centuries, is being polluted by sewage and chemicals, while politicians and regulators appear to be unable to halt the decline.

Data provided by Natural Resources Wales indicate that the Teifi’s poor water quality means 78% of the water bodies in the Teifi catchment are classified as poor or moderate under the Water Framework Assessment. In addition, NRW’s own studies indicate the Salmon and Lamprey populations are at risk of extinction in the next 15 years, and that otters and other aquatic life are in serious decline.

In 2022 the Teifi experienced 1,889 sewage spills from combined sewage outfalls which lasted 14,079 hours, the 6th worst river in England and Wales for sewage spill duration. It is no longer necessary to measure the water quality to see how bad the situation is, walk along the river to the estuary and you can see (and smell) the high levels of untreated sewage.

The Teifi is not only a Special Area of Conservation but an important part of the economy in your constituency. As our Member of the Senedd I urge you to support the Save the Teifi campaign and take all opportunities to raise the problem in the Senedd, including looking for ways to ensure Natural Resources Wales fulfils its obligations in relation to the monitoring of the health of the river and the enforcement of legal requirements.

Not only is it vital that Natural Resources Wales maintains oversight of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water conduct, but that it is also held to account for its own performance, by ministers and the Senedd.

Please use your influence within the Senedd to help safeguard the Teifi for us all, and for future generations, as proposed in The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015.

Yours sincerely

You can also write to your MP

Carmarthen
Ceredigion
- Ben Lake - Plaid Cymru
Pembrokshire
- Stephen Crabb - Conservative

Here is a template you can use to write to your Member of Parliament:

Support Campaigns to Tackle Pollution on the Teifi.

Dear {MP}

The river Teifi is dying!

The Teifi is not only a Special Area of Conservation but an important part of the economy in your constituency. As our Member of Parliament, I urge you to support the Save the Teifi campaign and take all opportunities to raise the problem as appropriate in your parliamentary work.

Whilst many aspects of our concerns are devolved matters for Welsh Government, the health of our rivers in Wales should be of interest to the UK as a whole. Certainly there are many parts of the West Wales economy that rely on a flourishing River Teifi, so I urge you as our MP, to get behind the campaign.

Please use all your influence to help safeguard the Teifi for your constituents, visitors, and for future generations alike.

Yours sincerely

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4. Sign appropriate petitions.

Increase the effectiveness of Natural Resources Wales in halting pollution on the Teifi.

The petition is now closed see latest petition news here

This Petiton has been created by one of our Friends of the Teifi members - this is her message "Great news, our petition to the Senedd is now live! It calls for them to better fund NRW and hold them to account with specific regard to the Teifi. The start of some regular political action (see: Political Pressure – Teifi-Forum). Please sign and share, share, share! At 10,000 signatures it will be discussed by the Senedd.

Here is the link: To act to increase the effectiveness of Natural Resources Wales in halting pollution on the Teifi. - Petitions (senedd.wales)

RiverActionUK

Are urging the Government and all political parties to rescue our rivers by 2030 . At the recent local elections, sewage and agricultural pollution was a major issue**. Together, we can force those responsible to stop this happening.

Along with over 50 organisations including The National Trust, The Wildlife Trusts, WWF, Soil Association, The Rivers Trust, Angling Trust and many more, we've outlined 10 simple solutions to restore the UK’s freshwaters to health in the first Charter for Rivers.

Now we need your voice behind the Charter to help us demand political leaders rescue our rivers before it’s too late. Join us by adding your name to our petition now.

Rescue Our Rivers | 38 Degrees

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS)

Sign the petition to demand an end to water companies profiting while polluting.
Click link: 300,953 sewage dumps… £958 million paid out to shareholders? This shit needs to stop.

GREENPEACE

To: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “Clean up and protect our beaches, rivers and waterways:
1. Reverse the budget cuts and properly fund environmental agencies
2. Give environmental agencies the legal powers and authority they need to hold polluters to account
3. Set more ambitious legal targets to clean up water in England and Wales than currently planned ”
Click link: Greenpeace

CHANGE.ORG

By signing this petition, you are pledging your support for the UK Government to place a legal duty on UK water companies to secure a year-on-year reduction in sewage pollution through investment in infrastructure, with the ultimate goal of eliminating CSO releases within the next ten years. Click link: Change.org
Double environmental protection budgets in England & Wales to fight river pollution. Click link: change.org

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5a. Adopt a Tributary

There are now several active Adopt a Tributary groups (eg Plysgog) covering much of Wales. As well as the Teifi Catchment area data can be collected for: Tywi, Rheidol Taf, Loughor, Tawe Neath, E. Cleddau, W. Cleddau, Ystwyth, Afan and Others.

See this link for the Adopt a Triputary Newsletter Spring 2023

If you would like to join please email Nathaniel: nathaniel@westwalesriverstrust.org

West Wales Rivers Trust have developed an App to make it easy to log issues including:

Artificial barriers (weirs, culverts, dams, etc.)
Natural barriers (log jams or bedrock)
Water quality issues - See also below
Habitat issues
Invasive species
Ranunculus (water crowfoot)
Redd (Salmon spawning site)
Otter (animal, spraint or footprint)

Once submitted, these results are uploaded onto a map so that locations can be easily identified, and action taken where necessary.

First you will need to download the ArcGIS Survey123 Android app from Google Play or ArcGIS Survey 123 Apple from the App Store (depending on your device).

You do not need to create an account or log in to use this app, instead:
Once the app is downloaded, go to your web browser on your device and enter the following link:

https://survey123.arcgis.app?itemID=1aa50dadba6d4ca7bb319faa46f2255a

This should then open the app - click 'continue without signing in', allow permissions, and you are all set to record information in the field!

For full instructions see this pdf document: Adopt a Tributary Survey Form

Further information can be found in the following documents:

Note:The principal tributaries of the Teifi (ordered from source to sea) are as follows: Afon Mwyro, Nant Glasffrwd, Afon Meurig, Afon Fflur, Camddwr Fach, Camddwr, Brennig, Nant Carfan, Afon Brefi, Nant Digonest, Nant Clywedog, Ffrwd Cynon, Nant Gou, Nant Dulas, Nant Hathren, Nant Eiddig, Nant y Gwragedd, Nant Dolgwm, Afon Granell, Afon Duar, Nant Hust, Nant Ceiliog, Nant Caradog, Nant Cwm-du, Nant Cledlyn, Nant Fylchog, Afon Clettwr, Nant Wern-macwydd, Gwenffrwd, Afon Cerdin, Afon Tyweli, Nant Merwydd, Hoffnant, Afon Gwr-fach, Afon Siedi, Camnant, Nant Bachnog, Nant Iago, Nant Bargod, Afon Cynllo, Afon Cwm-wern, Nant Halen, Afon Arad, Nant Sarah, Afon Ceri, Afon Nawmor, Afon Hirwaun, Afon Cych, Afon Eifed, Nant Arberth, Afon Morgenau, Afon Plysgog, Nant Rhyd-y-fuwch, Afon Piliau, Afon Mwldan, Nant Degwen, Nant-y-ferwig.

(See River Teifi - Wikipedia) and (List of rivers of Wales - Wikipedia)

5b. Teifi Citizen Science Volunteering

For more information visit out Citizen Science page - Volunteer for these projects by email

6. Support appropriate causes.

Compel the Government to rewrite its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to impose much tighter deadlines on water companies to clean up their act.

Target of £50,000 by Nov. 18, 2022, 10 a.m

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How to identify water pollution

Please make sure you report all visual signs of water pollution to Natural Resources Wales 24/7 freephone number 0300 065 3000 or on their form here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NU2VYV/

We understand the frustration that some have had with a lesser than hoped response to reporting incidents, but if they are not reported then there is no evidence that they have happened.

The above guide, from the West Wales Rivers Trust #AdoptaTributary project, shows the signs of water pollution to look out for.