River Wye

Rising from Axe Edge Moor, a significant source of four rivers in the Peak District, the River Wye is a major tributary to the River Derwent which also feeds into the River Trent before making its way out to the Humber and then the North Sea.

The Wye has powered many water mills used for corn and cotton production through the years, making Derbyshire an industrial powerhouse. It is also one of very few places in the UK where a wild population of rainbow trout is currently able to survive alongside a host of other protected and special species.

Unfortunately, declining water quality in the river has been firmly in the news since reports of concentrations of pharmaceutical pollution were at levels of concern for both human and ecological health.  

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Risks to the River Wye:

The state of the River Wye

Unfortunately, declining water quality in the river has been firmly in the news since a report was released last August by Prof Alistair Boxall of York University. The report showed that concentrations of pharmaceutical pollution were at levels of concern for both human and ecological health.  

The Tideswell Sewage Treatment Works has been identified as a pollution hotspot due to untreated sewage being released into Tideswell Brook 125 times in one year alone. The brook now has the second highest level of pharmaceutical pollution in the UK, beyond levels experienced in inner cities such as London.  

Our research shows that the water industry is indicated as the main reason for failure in the river with 16 sewage overflow events occurring in 2024 resulting in 5228 hours total spilled into the river. 

Sewage treatment works are the main source of dissolved phosphorus in the river with 64.3 average tonnes of dissolved phosphorus per year found in the river.