New Great Ouse Rivers Trust launched to protect vital waterway in Cambridgeshire
The Great Ouse is the fifth longest river in the UK
Last updated 9th Jun 2023
The Great Ouse Rivers Trust has joined the UK and Ireland-wide Rivers Trust movement to advocate for healthy rivers at the heart of communities.
The river flows through Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk, draining into the North Sea.
Phil Rothwell, Chair of the Great Ouse Rivers Trust, said: “The Great Ouse never had a Rivers Trust , it's the only gap in the map of Rivers Trusts across England.
"So, we launched the Great Ouse Rivers Trust to cover that gap because this is a very important river.
“It's a big drainage channel that takes floodwaters away from development and housing and agricultural land, and pushes it towards the North Sea.
“It also has a healthy wildlife population, but it still suffers greatly from a number of different problems, it's a cocktail of pollution, so the Trust has been set up to try and address some of those issues.”
In 2022, a House of Commons Committee report on the state of UK rivers concluded that no river in England was free from chemical contamination.
"We are approaching a critical phase concerning the river's pollution levels"
Pollution from wastewater, agriculture, and rural land management all contribute to the failure to achieve good ecological status.
Phil says that only 10% of the river is thought to be in good status and health, in terms of water quality.
He added: “We are approaching a critical phase concerning the river's pollution levels and the extent to which water is being drawn out of the river, which will lead to a future crisis.
“The Government increasingly promised to do more for nature conservation.
"But we think we really have to now concentrate on the health of the river because the health of the river is all about the health of people.”
Issues in water quality such as sewage, agriculture, road runoff and chemicals, alongside flooding, climate change, and invasive species have left Britain’s rivers in crisis.
The new Trust aims to protect its water quality and wildlife, as well as identifying safe areas for wild swimming, canoeing and paddle boarding, and conserving its rare chalk streams.
Phil said: “We want people to notice a much healthier river, more wildlife, and more water. We want to make the areas surrounding the river an even better place to be, to live, to work, and to just be able to relax by.”
The Trust will be leading on core projects that include river restoration, improving water quality, and natural flood defences, as well as improving fish and wildlife habitat.