Traces of human and animal bacteria identified in River Wharfe at Ilkley
This is the first year that part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley has been given an official classification after being added to the list of bathing waters
Last updated 19th Jan 2022
18 of the 19 bathing waters in Yorkshire have passed water quality standards following a programme of testing at the designated sites carried out by the Environment Agency (EA).
In 2021, 16 of the 18 designated bathing beaches in Yorkshire were given an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ rating, with two achieving the minimum ‘Sufficient’ rating.
England’s first ever designated bathing water on a stretch of river, which is situated in Ilkley, was classified as Poor.
This the first year that part of the River Wharfe in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, has been given an official classification after being added to the list of bathing waters in 2021.
Bathing waters are monitored for sources of pollution known to be a risk to people's health, if they go in the water, with up to 20 samples taken from each site during the bathing season.
Each sample is tested for bacteria, specifically E coli and intestinal enterococci.
The Environment agency says:
"While a designation is an important first step towards longer-term water quality improvement, it will take time to identify how to meet the required bathing water standards alongside the financial investment and co-operation needed to make it happen.
"To help achieve this, the Environment Agency is working with other organisations through the Dales to Vale Rivers Network (DVRN) - the catchment partnership for the Wharfe and Lower Ouse, hosted by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust. The network includes local authorities, landowners, Yorkshire Water, Wildlife Trusts and community groups, and coordinates research and actions.
"Initial investigations this year by the EA and partners suggest a variety of bacteria sources including human and animal DNA are impacting water quality in the River Wharfe."
Yorkshire Water has announced new investment of up to £13 million to improve water quality in the area.
This will include extra disinfection measures and a new scheme to reroute the sewage network in areas upstream of the bathing water site.
Environment Agency area environment manager for Yorkshire Martin Christmas said:
“All eyes have been on Yorkshire this year after the first river bathing water in the country was designated in the county.
“The Environment Agency has already established a strong partnership approach to improving water quality at the newly designated stretch of the River Wharfe and we’ve put in place enhanced monitoring to help understand what is impacting bathing water quality.
”We are at the beginning of the journey at the site in Ilkley and we’re committed to working with the community, Yorkshire Water, local farmers, local authorities and other organisations to improve bathing water quality in the years to come.”