The health of rivers, with special reference to the Rivers Western Rother and Arun

Speaker: Aimee Felus (Chief Executive of the Western Sussex Rivers Trust)

To an audience of 51, Aimee gave a comprehensive, but with depressing aspects, talk on the Health of Rivers. As CEO of the Western Sussex Rivers Trust (WSRT) she focussed on the Rivers Rother and Arun and their environs.
Considering the state of waterways, WSRT has Three Pillars of River Health: Ecosystems and Wildlife, Water Quality, and Naturalness/Geomorphology.
Rivers have to contend with: run-offs from agriculture and roads; untreated sewage; changes to low flow (through extraction); changes to high flow (flooding); lack of ecological connectivity (how fish and wildlife move); and invasive species (such as Mink, Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed).
In 2023 in the WSRT catchment there were 57,854 hours of ‘spilling,’ i.e. release of untreated sewage, poorly managed septic tanks, and insecticides such as those used as flea and tick treatment on dogs.
WSRT runs The Citizen Scientist River Monitoring Project collecting data from nearly 200 River Guardians who record phosphate, nitrate turbidity (cloudiness), dissolved solids, temperature and local ecology. That organisation also has two further projects: Soil Smart working with local farmers; and The Rother Partnership, bringing together local parties to improve that river.
The Society will be having a Field Meeting alongside the Rother in March 2025.
Aimee recommended doing our bit to conserve water by making a Rain Garden. Go to: https://raingardens.info/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/UKRainGarden-Guide.pdf or by using Faith in Nature skincare and cleaning products.