Tuesday 16th September, 2025
With the onset of autumn it is easy to forget that (as of writing) most of Wales remains in “environmental drought” status.
This situation has been declared by Natural Resources Wales because of exceptionally low rainfall, significantly declining river levels and concerns over wildlife, fish and river habitat. And whilst a return to school for many has signalled a change in weather, the questions will be about the time it takes to replenish surface and groundwater sources, and whether more could be done to prepare for and alleviate the effects of extreme weather patterns that are predicted to become the norm?
Reaction on social media to this year’s drought has been disappointing but not unexpected. As water companies’ performance continues to test everyone’s patience, it is clear that many hold them responsible for these drought announcements in Wales. However, Welsh water companies continue to report that water supplies for customers are robust and that there are no plans for any usage restrictions. It might be possible that we are not holding the right organisations to account.
Sadly, there have been reports of dead fish in several rivers across Wales during the summer, succumbing to high water temperatures and low oxygen levels.
Back in May, Afonydd Cymru expressed concerns over an already dry spring and falling river levels in Wales. The call for an environmental drought initiated in South Wales but quickly extended to North Wales too. In fact, only West Wales has sustained anything like normal river levels this year. Many rivers have been at low or exceptionally low flow levels with rainfall only half of typical monthly rainfall levels. There are also current concerns on how low groundwater levels are, which will impact restoration of river flow and have significant effects on the private water supplies that are common in many areas of Wales.
The impact of this has unfortunately been evident across Wales with an increasingly number of reports of dead fish as oxygen levels deplete in some rivers. But, whilst it can declare an environmental drought, what options are then available to Natural Resources Wales and what practical steps is it taking to limit the impact?
What can Natural Resources Wales do?
Many rivers in Wales are supported by releases from reservoirs to equal the impact of abstractions for water supply. Others have daily compensation releases to support river flow or have set levels under which abstraction is limited. These requirements are built into water company permits to support the environment. In fact, on the River Wye, permit changes were amended further to make additional environmental releases to mimic spate flows in the river to support salmon migration upstream.
Similar proposals were put forward by Afonydd Cymru and the rivers trusts in Wales on other rivers including the Usk and the Dee, but so far there has been no enthusiasm to take them forward, despite salmon populations in all 22 “principal” rivers Wales being at risk of extinction.
In fact, changes made by Natural Resources Wales to the licences to support the significant environmental impact of the Canal & Rivers Trust abstraction for the Brecon and Monmouthshire canal have been met with widespread challenge rather than any recognition that the previous abstraction was unsustainable to protect the species and habitat of an internationally recognised river. And worse still, it took over 15 years from making that decision to get it implemented.
Whilst Natural Resources Wales can monitor the current concerns, it has very few drought powers to take any action on curbing abstraction or demand, with many current powers sat only with water companies.
The current drought in Wales is an environmental one, declared by Natural Resources Wales. There have been no issues with water supply to homes and businesses.
Uncontrolled abstraction
The regulator can impose restrictions on licensed abstractors in times of low flows but the reality is that nobody actually knows exactly how much water is being taken out of rivers in Wales. There is a large, unquantified element of unpermitted abstraction – water which can legally be taken from rivers with no registration, no controls and, therefore, no restrictions. Some of this abstraction is undertaken at times when our river flows are at their most vulnerable so whilst permitted abstractors (like water companies) are reducing the amount they take or even supporting flows, others are actually increasing their abstraction.
Welsh Government must require permitting of all abstraction in Wales. Only then would we have a clear understanding of whether abstraction is sustainable, and what other measures need to put into place during droughts to support rivers, agriculture and rural communities’ water supplies.
Extra releases from Caban Coch reservoir (left) into the Elan have been made since May to sustain flows and support ecology in the River Wye, its salmon in particular. The photo on the right show the Elan flowing strongly in August 2025 as a result of these releases.
However, the latest hydrological summary shows that further downstream the river has been at record low levels in August, at just 20% of its average flow (1991-2020).
So where is this Elan water going? In truth, neither Natural Resources Wales nor (in the case of the Wye) the Environment Agency in England have a good grasp on how much water is being abstracted where and by whom.
Can we just build more reservoirs?
The drive for investment in water resources for a water company comes from something known as the Water Resource Planning process. When demand exceeds supply, a water company is required to consider the least costly option to fill that gap. New reservoirs would be one such option but despite calls for more of them, reservoirs are expensive, take many years for approval and build, and are not particularly environmentally friendly.
UK Government has made announcements this year for more reservoirs in England. It is without doubt that we need to think and act rapidly regarding water attenuation and storage, and more implementation of nature-based solutions, to support land management, low flows, flooding and food production. But, large-scale reservoir infrastructure alone will neither resolve water shortages nor deal with flooding. And, what seems to have been overlooked by all those calling for reservoirs, is that they will come with their own impact to the environment and rivers.
Afonydd Cymru wrote to both Ofwat and Natural Resources Wales earlier this year regarding our continued concerns both on Welsh Water leakage performance but more importantly, on what we see as failures by the company to base plans on current leakage levels rather than aspirational targets they have no guarantee of achieving. This is an important difference. It means that water supply is less resilient, and more abstraction is needed to meet demand.
The data centres that are muted to be coming to Wales use significant amounts of water, placing further pressure on our water resources.
Arguments for simply building more reservoirs across the UK usually do not take into account the feasibility, enormous cost and the environmental damage to rivers that would result.
Whilst water companies undertake long-term planning , there appears no national plan for water resources in Wales which considers all abstractors. A recently published report by Water Resources West focused only on cross-border rivers and deficits for water supply in England. With increasing economic growth opportunity for Wales to provide data centres and energy solutions for the UK, Wales needs to wake up to the water challenges it faces to support this extra demand and also have a much better understanding on the water it currently uses. Without that, making plans and policy in this area will be largely guesswork.
The future of Welsh rivers depends upon management of adequate water supply throughout the year, including during hot dry spells which are likely to become ever more frequent with climate change. This exceptionally dry year is laying bare the weaknesses in the way we currently manage our water resources in Wales, deficiencies that will be increasingly exposed if nothing is done.
We must start planning for the future now and not wait until the next drought. Natural Resources Wales must be given more powers to act, not just during times of drought but in preparation of them, and the regulator must use those powers. Abstraction must be managed at levels which meet long-term sustainable needs for the rivers and the ecology that depends on them, particularly our declining fish stocks. Actions taken during a drought are all too late.