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The #CunliffeReview dropped today, proposing a major overhaul of water regulation in the UK. But there's a glaring omission. The review recommends new regional water system planning authorities, several in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, one in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. But what about the Dee, which crosses the border? 👇

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This is the Llynor. It's one of the cleanest tributaries on the Dee. No farmyards or sewage treatment works upstream. And it's mostly forest, a big section being restored to ancient woodland. But it has a major problem.

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At Welsh Dee Trust, we believe this is a missed opportunity. The River Dee and other transboundary rivers such as the Severn and Wye) need catchment-based planning.

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This creates huge risks for misaligned decisions, poor coordination, and further environmental harm especially in a river already under pressure from abstraction. The report includes 88 recommendations, but non mention cross-border river management.

The River Dee starts in Wales (where it's stored in reservoirs), then flows into England (where it's abstracted to supply cities like Liverpool). Under the new plan, two different authorities could be undertaking planning for this system.

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Electrofishing the following year showed some success with 11 Young salmon above the road crossing. Over the next couple of months we will be back to electrofish again Fingers crossed we see yet another increase in Salmon numbers now they have had access for 2 breeding seasons

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So @WelshDeeTrust we have brought in tonnes of large boulders. Placing these strategically we have created a ramp that allows salmon and other fish to swim up and over the roads.

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The cause? Several forestry road crossings were probably stopping salmon migrating upstream. The photo shows one of these crossings. Although Salmon can jump 2 meters, they need deep water to get a run up. Downstream of these crossings was very shallow.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

In the lower sections of the river, Salmon are spawning. You can see a hen and cock fish spawning in the video below. But when we electrofished higher upstream, we found 0 salmon in the tributary. Even though the habitat looked perfect!

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That's excellent. Do you know when the forestry road crossings were installed?

EcosystemEngineer @ecosystemengineer.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

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A great thread that shows the value of boots on the ground, a keen eye and being pro-active.

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So @WelshDeeTrust we have brought in tonnes of large boulders. Placing these strategically we have created a ramp that allows salmon and other fish to swim up and over the roads.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

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I can't quite understand how the social values payment works or who is eligible?

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

The scheme will also include optional actions which receive additional funding. It's these optional actions that will have the largest impact upon river and water quality. First reaction is that the universal actions still feels paperwork heavy, rather than focus on outcomes. 😬

Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

More detail on the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 sustainable farming scheme has been released. This is the Welsh governments biggest investment in nature conservation and food production. 12 universal actions required to receive £70 a hectare.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

How's this for nature friendly farming? This is WelshDeeTrust site on the Cheshire plains. The 3D buffer will help protect the watercourse from any pollutants in the field and also provide valuable habitat for 🐛🦋🪶🐦‍⬛🐀.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

That's the plan for the landowner using long horns.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

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Heritage Chester @heritagechester.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

A big thank you to @peterpowell.bsky.social and @welsh-dee-trust.bsky.social for leading a walk along the banks of the #RiverDee in #Chester for #ChesterHeritageFestival yesterday. We learnt a lot about the challenges facing the river, and what we could do to help.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Gravel is the unsung hero of healthy rivers. I think it is (almost) as important for river wildlife as the water that flows over the top. The sediments, pebbles rocks and stones are vital to healthy rivers but they are also under threat. Read on to find out why 👇

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

He fired the black chairman of the joint chiefs for being woke and hired his brother.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

hard to imagine anybody being recalled from their holiday fora pollution incident anymore.

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Catherine Duigan @cduigan.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Dead Fish Broke His Holiday - Mr. King, #Dee Fisheries Manager, was recalled from his holiday on #Anglesey in August 1949 - @theguardian.com gem in @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy #FishFriday #RiverDee #Wales #envhist @welsh-dee-trust.bsky.social @peterpowell.bsky.social

Press cuttings with stamps from Chief Inspector of Fisheries

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

It turned me straight off reading the whole article. Such a statement in the 2nd paragraph, indicates the whole is likely to be a work of confirmation bias. And what's the point of reading things based on confirmation bias? Do they help any conservation actions?

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

I'm a sheep farmer and lover of nature. So interested to read this article, what's a sheep worth? scotlandbigpicture.com/rewilding-st... But the second paragraph talks about sheep: 'shuffling around ring feeders or staring vacantly into space' which is such an odd turn of phrase....

scotlandbigpicture.com

What’s a sheep worth?

<p>Sheep have come to dominate the Scottish landscape, but at what cost? We could produce all the lamb we need while also supporting farmers to restore our lost biodiversity, but if farmers insist the...

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

When the rspb and the nfu have the same message you know the government made a mistake.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Ecological restoration question? This is one of our grassland restoration sites @Cefn_Ucha farm. We have grazed hard this winter and spread hay from another species rich grassland. Do we buy in some more seed? Or wait and see what happens?

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Just read this word salad in an important conservation document. 🤮 'It is a long-term facilitative collaborative strategic partnership' Its no wonder wildlife continues to decline.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Not been this excited for years. #sixnations

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Carla Jack @pocketwildingie.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

Very informative #RiverEcology thread.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Spring is so close I can almost taste it.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

How does that work? Digging pieces of turf up and moving them over?

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

As part of a grassland restoration project at cefn Ucha farm we have been rolling out hay for sheep. This is hay collected from another which is full of wildflowers, hopefully this process will help spread seed to our restoration site.

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

700 trees planted yesterday by @welsh-dee-trust.bsky.social volunteers. Couldn't do it without them. 👏

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Recent woodland shelter we've created on the farm. Expanding what was a hedge and ditch into a corridoor of ponds, woodlands and scrub. Can't wait to see it in a few years when it's grown a bit.

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John Brophy @brophyecology.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

As you say, clean gravels are critical to the survival of many freshwater species. Freshwater pearl mussels, in particular, suffer when the clean gravels required for their young to develop become choked with fine sediment.

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Alistair Whitby @alistairwhitby.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Great thread on the importance of gravels in stream systems #willtravelforgravel

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Peter powell @peterpowell.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

First job is putting 25 fence posts by hand. I imagine the fun might wear off after the first 5. 😂