Challenges and Choices - A Consultation on Wales’s Significant Water Management Issues

Overview

Water is a vital natural resource for the environment and people. Water creates and sustains the ecosystems upon which all life depends. It is vital to the economy and for health and is used to generate power, run industries and grow food. Physical modifications are severely reducing the diversity and resilience of our waters. Rural areas, wastewater, towns, transport and abandoned mines are sources of pollution such as chemicals, metals, nutrients and bacteria, in addition to this, plastics and microplastics can be harmful to people and nature. The presence of invasive non-native species can have significant ecological and economic impacts. Climate change is anticipated to cause increasing temperatures, more intense rainfall and extended periods of dry weather.  

The combined effect of these issues and competing demands for water means that our water ecosystems are under pressure. Widespread species, including salmon and sea trout, are undergoing catastrophic declines; salmon is predicted to be locally extinct in some Welsh rivers by 2030.  

Our investigations and research through the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) tell us what the challenges are, and we want to share this with you. We need to continue to work together to take urgent, collaborative action to address these issues. By sharing what the main challenges facing our water environment are, we want to hear from you about how our waters can be improved. 

Have Your Say on the Future of Water in Wales

We are seeking your views on the key issues affecting our water environment and the actions needed to address them. Your input will help shape the future of water management in Wales.

A PDF copy of this consultation, including the questions, is available here.