The River Wye (; ) is the fourth-longest river in the UK, stretching some from its source on Plynlimon in Mid Wales to the Severn Estuary. The lower reaches of the river form part of the border between England and Wales. The Wye Valley (lower part) is designated a National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The Wye is important for nature conservation and recreation, and is affected by pollution.
Etymology The meaning of the river's name is not clear. Possibly the earliest reference to the name is Guoy in Nennius' early-9th-century and the modern Welsh name is , meaning wet or liquid. The Wye was much later given a Latin name, , an adjective meaning 'wandering'. The Tithe map of 1844 references a Vagas Field in both Whitchurch and Chepstow.The Tithe map (1844) Philologists such as Edward Lye and Joseph Bosworth in the 18th and early 19th centuries suggested an Old English derivation from , 'wave'.
Description The source of the Wye is in the Cambrian Mountains at Plynlimon, just southwest of the source of the Severn. Although it rises only about from the Irish Sea, its course, at first, leads inland. It flows through or past several towns and villages, including Rhayader, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Hereford (the only city on the River Wye), Ross-on-Wye, Symonds Yat, Monmouth and Tintern, meeting the Severn Estuary just below Chepstow. The lower of the river, from Redbrook to Chepstow, form the border between England and Wales.
Tributaries The Wye's tributaries include the rivers Lugg, Elan, Dulas, Irfon, Marteg, Monnow, Trothy, Ithon, Llynfi, Letton Lake, Tarennig (the Wye's first tributary) and Bidno. A fuller list is available at the relevant section of the list of rivers of Wales
Conservation
The River Wye is protected by two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, one covering the Upper Wye () above Hay-on-Wye, and one covering the Lower Wye () downstream to Chepstow. The criteria for inclusion of the river as an SSSI include geology, topography, flora, mammals, invertebrates, fish and birdlife, as the river and its tributaries constitute a large linear ecosystem. The Lower Wye SSSI is itself divided into seven units of assessment set by Natural England, and administrative responsibilities are shared between the councils of Powys, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Monmouthshire. The Wye abuts a range of other SSSIs in England and Wales, including the Upper Wye Gorge and Lower Wye Gorge.
It is also a Special Area of Conservation and one of the most important rivers in the UK for nature conservation. It is an important migration route and wildlife corridor, as well as a key breeding area for many nationally and internationally important species. The river supports a range of species and habitats covered by European Directives and those listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In Powys the river lies within the Radnorshire Environmentally Sensitive Area. Much of the lower valley is designated a National Landscape.
Salmon The Lower Wye has been designated as a salmonid fishery under the European Community Freshwater Fish Directive (78/659/EC).
The Wye was particularly famous for its large "spring" salmon that had spent three or more years at sea before returning to spawn. They used to enter the river between January and June and sometimes reached weights of over , the largest recorded being landed after a long fight by Miss Doreen Davey from the Cowpond Pool at Winforton on 13 March 1923. The last recorded rod-caught salmon from the Wye was taken in 1963 by Donald Parrish and weighed . Since the early 2000s the spring catch has been steadily recovering and salmon of over have been reported every year since 2011.
Pollution Pollution has severely affected the river; the Wye does not meet European and national standards on river health. This has been happening for some time; a Nutrient Management Board (NMB) was established in 2014 to address the issues. Pollution from chicken and dairy farms has become so bad the Wye has been used as an example of river pollution in the UK on Countryfile and in several national newspapers.
This pollution causes algal blooms several times a year with increasing frequency and length, depleting the oxygen in the water causing fish such as brown trout, chub and barbel, as well as aquatic invertebrates and plants, to suffocate to death. Fish and aquatic invertebrates are the main food source for otters, kingfishers, herons, eels and other protected species.
Along with many other rivers the Wye is being heavily polluted by manure from the 10 million free range chickens for eggs and meat in intensive poultry units (IPUs) in Powys and Herefordshire, contaminating the Wye's tributaries. As of April 2020, there were over 110 registered IPUs in Powys, each with over 40,000 birds (smaller IPUs need not be registered).
In addition, runoff from dairy farms, farm slurry and silage liquor are entering the Wye. A study by the Welsh Government found that only 1% of farm slurry stores in Wales met regulations and that farms were purposely spreading slurry on fields before high rainfall, leading to increased runoff into waterways. An investigation by Greenpeace found that Environment Agency staff cuts from austerity had reduced pollution inspections by up to one third. An internal report by the Environment Agency showed that the use of a “voluntary approach” by government was leading to increased levels of river pollution across the UK. Powys County Council approved the construction of 20 new free-range chicken sheds in 2019 and as of February 2022 continues to license new chicken farms. In addition to problems with the riverine environment, this is causing air quality issues. Pollution from the chicken factory farms is estimated to have killed 90% to 97% of the river's water crowfoot beds, and more phosphate than plants can absorb is released in the River Wye's catchment every year.
In February 2022, it was declared at a meeting of the River Wye Nutrient Management Board that In March 2023, a High Court claim was brought against the Environment Agency by environmental charity River Action for failing to take action to protect the Wye from environmental pollution, after a Lancaster University study found that 60-70% of phosphates in the river come from agriculture.
History
The Romans constructed a bridge of wood and stone just upstream of present-day Chepstow, some remains of which were found in the river bed during an archaeological dig in 1911. The River Wye is tidal from its junction with the River Severn for about to Bigsweir, where a band of hard rock forms a natural weir across the river. The tidal range on this lower section is huge, with water levels rising by up to on some spring tides, but despite the risks of navigating such a river, it has been used since Roman times to transport coal from the Forest of Dean, cider from Hereford, together with Italian wine, iron, stone and timber.
When compared to many of the long rivers in Britain, the Wye is quite steep, with a rise of 1.93 feet per mile (0.365 m per km) between its junction with the River Severn and Monmouth, and a rise of 2.4 feet per mile (0.455 m per km) between there and Hereford. In the summer months, the river level at Hereford is above ordnance datum (AOD), and Hereford is about from the river mouth. For navigation to occur, some form of management of river levels was required. Early records are fragmentary, but it appears that the river was used to transport iron from the Forest of Dean for Edward the Confessor's ships in the 11th century, and in 1171 and 1172, iron was supplied to Henry II for his invasion of Ireland. From the 13th century, the records are clearer, and iron from forges at Bicknor, Lydbrook, Monmouth and Carey Mills was transported by river. During the reign of Edward I, a common right of navigation on the Wye was recorded, with the channel to be kept free of weirs and other obstructions. Where these already existed, they were to be demolished at the owner's expense. Documents from 1561 and 1571 concerning water mills and weirs show that the river was used for navigation at the time.
In 1622, a petition was raised by the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, together with the city of Hereford, that the river should be cleared of obstructions that made fishing and navigation difficult. A commission of sewers was appointed, but seems to have done very little, since most of the weirs belonged to the king. There were seven weirs on the river in 1641, to provide water power for mills and forges. During Cromwell's Commonwealth period, proposals were made to improve the river for navigation by building flash locks at the weirs, and dredging the channel to make it deeper. Although there were arguments for and against the proposals, Sir William Sandys was appointed in 1662 to oversee making the Wye and the River Lugg navigable. He had previously worked on the Warwickshire Avon to make that navigable. Some £1,300 had already been raised in the country, but it is unclear what he did with the money. He was assisted by Henry and Windsor Sandys, and they were given powers to construct a towing path, wide on both sides of the river, to allow boats to be hauled upstream. Although tolls could be charged, they also had to maintain the right of free passage which was long established on the river. Twenty commissioners were appointed, ten from Hereford, five from Gloucester and five from Monmouth. All weirs were to include an opening, so that salmon and other fish could migrate along the river.
The scheme involved the construction of flash locks in channels cut to bypass the weirs, a system which Sandys had used with success on the Avon, but the Wye was a much faster flowing river, which meant that the solution was impracticable and very costly. It had been abandoned by 1668, as maintenance costs made the operation of boats unprofitable, and a new scheme, proposed by Lord Coningsby of Hampton Court Castle, Herefordshire was to be implemented. All fishing weirs and mill weirs would be bought and demolished, while Sandys' locks would be abandoned. The river bed would also be deepened where necessary. The cost of buying the weirs would be raised by a tax on the county, and it was estimated that the river would be navigable for about 200 days per year. At the time there were weirs supplying six fulling mills and three corn mills at Hereford, and another nine elsewhere, at Fownhope, Hancox, Carey, Foy and Wilton. There were another nine derelict weirs above Monmouth, and five below the town.