Wales’ environment ‘showing signs of strain’ following prolonged dry spell

Emily Price

Wales’ environment is showing signs of strain following a series of record-breaking heatwaves and prolonged periods of hot, dry weather this spring and summer.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) confirmed today that the worst affected areas – in north and south east Wales – will move from ‘normal’ to ‘prolonged dry weather’ status.

The Welsh Government sponsored body said this decision is based on hydrological and environmental factors and concerns around the pressures high temperatures and lack of significant rainfall has placed on rivers, groundwater levels, fisheries, wildlife, land management and the wider natural environment.

Prolonged dry weather is a natural event which has become more likely as climate change accelerates.

It is the first step in NRW’s Drought Plan for drought status.

It occurs when rainfall is lower than expected for a sustained period of time resulting in low river, reservoir and groundwater levels as well as the drying up of land and soils.

While Wales as a whole saw average amounts of rainfall during June, some catchments including Clwyd, Dee and Upper Severn received lower than average amounts.

So far, Wales has only received 5% of the expected rainfall for July, with the current hot, dry weather expected to continue into next week.

The intensity of the current weather means that without notable and sustained rainfall in the coming weeks, catchments could quickly deteriorate further

Rhian Thomas, Sustainable Water and Nature Manager at NRW said: “The exceptional series of heatwaves we’ve experienced this spring and summer are now starting to take its toll on our rivers, lakes, habitats and wildlife.

“In response, we’ll be stepping up our actions and monitoring across Wales to help ease the pressure on the environment, land and water users, as well as responding to environmental incidents linked to dry weather.

“The move to prolonged dry weather status follows another record-breaking spring/summer last year, which saw drought declared for the majority of Wales.

“We expect these extreme weather patterns to become more frequent as our climate changes – with wetter winters and drier summers becoming the norm.

“We support water company messages to customers to continue to use water wisely.

“Every drop we waste at home or at work, is less water to help keep our environment healthy when it needs it the most.”

NRW teams are reporting exceptionally low river flows in some stretches in north and south-east Wales, as well as groundwater levels regressing.

Temperatures in most rivers have been recorded at or above the 20°C threshold which can become dangerous for fish during low flows, with Wye and Usk peaking at over 26°C.

Teams are reporting concerns about the prolonged dry weather on the environment, including reports of dry riverbeds in north Wales, salmon welfare and fish in distress.

The impact of the heat is also being felt in the countryside, leading to a major incident declared last weekend following a number of devastating wildfires in north Wales.

NRW’s decision to declare prolonged dry weather status was shared with the Wales Drought Liaison Group earlier today.

The group is chaired by the Welsh Government and made up of senior decision-makers from NRW, the Met Office, water companies, Public Health Wales, farming unions and local authority representatives.

NRW says it is engaging closely with the Environment Agency in respect to the cross border catchments.

When enjoying the outdoors, the public is asked to be mindful that wildlife and ecosystems are under more stress.