The Dee Trust / Cynefin Dyfrdwy

Looking ahead. Today our trustees and staff came together to shape what comes next beyond 2027, using insights from volunteers and the public to guide discussions. Links to support current work go live from 22 April

A common concern we get at the Dee Trust is reports of petrol pollution, but sometimes it can just be a naturally occuring bacteria. @powell_peter explains a quick test to tell the difference. #rivers

Grateful to Empathy Through Art CIC for supporting Dee Trust with a weekend of art & poetry at Froncysyllte Community Centre (Sat 25 & Sun 26). Donations go to Dee Trust and will be DOUBLED during our match funding week. Find details on their page & get involved.

These small samples build a big picture of what’s happening in the River Dee 🌿 Through @wildfish SmartRivers, we collect and analyse them to track pollution and river health over time. Full process coming next week 👀

Save the date !

New name, same organisation and the same goal: a River Dee free of pollution and full of wildlife. We’ve changed from Welsh Dee Trust to Dee Trust to better reflect our work across the whole catchment. Our Welsh name is now Cynefin Dyfrdwy. @powell_peter

Peter at one of our habitat sites, working downstream of an Irish bridge to improve fish passage. By building up the riverbed we’ve created better conditions for fish to move upstream and reach spawning areas. Small changes, big impact. @powell_peter

Meet Emma 👋 Emma studied Environmental Science and a Masters in Sustainable Water Management, working in consultancy and river restoration in the Lake District. She joins Dee Trust as a Project Manager, helping improve rivers and water quality.

Meet Erinna 👋 From Mid Wales, she studied Wildlife Conservation and a Masters in Bioscience, going on to work in conservation across the UK. She now joins Dee Trust, helping inspire others to care for rivers and wildlife.

Ever wondered how our SmartRivers sessions work? We collect invertebrate samples, then volunteers sort and identify them down to species level. All guided and quality controlled by @WildFishCons to ensure high-quality, usable data on river health.

Thank you to all of our volunteers for your help this tree planting season and to the @WoodlandTrust for the tree donation. Keep an eye out for maintenance sessions.

last day to have your say about the river Dee in Chester receiving designated bathing water status consult.defra.gov.uk/water/13-propo…

Complete the survey by 23/03/2026 : eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%…

Tree planting season coming to a close! The @KellyKettle keeping us fuelled

We brought our citizen scientists together to review last year’s monitoring data and plan the next steps for the project. Great to see volunteers connecting across the catchment. Thanks to Nick from Transition Tatton Hall for an inspiring talk on community water monitoring.

Tree planting is important, but so is looking after the trees as they grow. Little video here about where and when we use tree guards. Also highlighting the important job of going back to remove tree guards when they are no longer needed.

To guard or not to guard?

A brilliant crew after a successful litter pick on the Afon Clywedog. Rivers like the Clywedog and Gwenfro flow through Wrexham and act as litter catch points. By removing waste from the river we stop pollution reaching the Dee. Gathering data for a future project with Groundwork

Luckily 7th of May 2026 we have an election coming up. When people ask for your vote, ask them how they plan to fix rivers. And don't let them get away with slogans, celebrity endorsements etc. Ask for specific, actionable policies!

Fixing these problems is largely a political issue. Better enforcement and better investment are the key foundations we need to fix sewage pollution into Wales rivers's.