Twice a year, The Rivers Trust runs the Big River Watch and the next one is happening from 25 April to 1 May. This time, we would love to see even more volunteers from North Wales head out to their local river, so we can do our bit in contributing to the national picture of river health across the UK.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, the company responsible for most of Wales' wastewater, is discharging raw sewage into our rivers for thousands of hours every year. And in 2024, the data hit new highs. This new data revealed the worst offending sewage overflows by total time spilled and number of discharges. 

Join the Spring River Hub Training in Llanberis or Rhosneigr.

Following the release of Dŵr Cymru’s 2024 storm overflow data, Afonydd Cymru has analysed what this means in relation to rainfall.

The North Wales Rivers Trust (NWRT) has completed its latest phase of restoration on the Afon Wygyr, improving water quality, restoring habitat, and strengthening the local community’s connection to the river. This work, funded by Anglesey Council’s AONB Sustainable Landscapes Sustainable Places (SLSP) fund, marks the final year of a project aimed at tackling key pressures on the river and enhancing public access.

Last week, Rivers Trusts from across Wales met with the Minewater Remediation Authority and Natural Resources Wales to hear about their metal mines strategy which aims to minimise the impact of 129 historical metal mine priority sites in Wales – a major step in tackling approximately 1,300 known sites which currently cause around 700 km of Welsh rivers to fail to achieve ‘Good’ Water Framework Directive (WFD) status.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has recently published the latest water quality assessments for Welsh rivers, covering the period from 2020 to 2023. These assessments include both the nine Welsh Special Area of Conservation (SAC) rivers and the broader Water Framework Directive (WFD) results for all rivers across Wales.

Dry-stone walling is a traditional craft that has been practiced for centuries, with some walls in the UK dating back over a thousand years. Built without mortar, these walls rely on careful placement and interlocking stones for stability. They have long been used to mark boundaries, manage livestock, and protect crops from wind and erosion. Today, they remain an important feature of rural landscapes, offering both practical benefits and cultural heritage value.

Last night, we hosted our inaugural River Summit at Pontio in Bangor, and what an incredible evening it was! The event featured a diverse lineup of engaging talks, exploring both the challenges our rivers face and the inspiring efforts making a difference.

The Llyn Peninsula is an area full of agricultural heritage which continues to this day. The North Wales Rivers Trust is now working to partner with local farmers on the Llyn to safeguard its waterways. Our current focus is on tackling excessive poaching which is riverbank erosion caused by livestock repeatedly entering the river along the Afon Soch.

2024 was an incredible year for the North Wales Rivers Trust! Check out some of our key achievements in our 2024 Impact Report below.

Building a log pile otter holt.

Over the past nine months the North Wales Rivers Trust (NWRT) welcomed two interns to the team, providing valuable industry experience in river conservation, restoration, and community engagement.

As part of our ongoing efforts under Project Swimways, we recently carried out a tree planting event along the Afon Braint, with a focus on improving river habitats and supporting migratory fish patterns. The event was made even more special by the enthusiastic participation of Bangor University students, who joined us during Undeb's volunteering week

We recently had the exciting opportunity to run a story-making workshop with Year 1 & 2 pupils at Ysgol Waunfawr for Prosiect Torgoch. The children were full of creativity as they worked together to bring the story of the torgoch to life!

As part of our Floating Wetland project, funded by local nature partnerships, we recently carried out an exciting study to assess the ecological impact of our wetlands at Llyn Maelog, Rhosneigr, and Llyn Penrhyn, RAF Valley.

The North Wales Rivers Trust is excited to announce its inaugural River Summit. This event aims to unite innovative thinkers, wild water enthusiasts, passionate academics, and river lovers to shape the future of North Wales' rivers.

As part of our Living Sea Walls project, we’ve had the pleasure of delivering hands-on workshops to primary schools near the Menai Strait. These sessions are all about connecting young people to their local marine environment and sparking curiosity about how we can better coexist with nature.

Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) are remarkable fish that thrive in the cold, clear waters of Llyn Padarn. However, like many species, their spawning behaviors are vulnerable to environmental changes. While Afon y Bala is a well-documented spawning site, the role of other tributaries has remained unclear.

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Clwyd INNS Project, an exciting initiative focused on managing invasive non-native species (INNS) in the upper section of the Afon Clwyd, from Clocaneog Forest to Ruthin.