Help Keep our Bathing Waters Excellent
Water is a precious resource. Did you know that some surface water drains flow directly into the watercourses? Meaning what we put down them can go straight to the rivers estuaries and seas, including litter, chemicals and other pollutants. While we may not have control over every aspect, small changes that we make can have a big impact, helping to protect nature and keep our bathing waters excellent for people and nature
Help Keep Our Bathing Waters Excellent
Have you seen this fish?
The Yellow Fish Campaign is all about helping people understand how our everyday actions affect local water quality. You might spot little yellow markers next to drains—they’re there to remind us that anything going down our drains could end up in nearby bathing waters rivers, lakes, estuaries and sea, where it can harm wildlife and pollute the water.
The campaign aims to help people understand what those sources are, how they get there and simple changes to help reduce and prevent them.
So what's the problem and what can I do?
Surface water pollution occurs when harmful substances enter the sea, estuaries, rivers, lakes, and streams, often through runoff or direct discharge. Common sources include litter, oil and fuel spills, pesticides and fertilizers from gardens and farms, detergents from car washing, pet waste, sewage overflows, and industrial discharges. These pollutants can harm aquatic life, disrupt ecosystems, and contaminate drinking water sources. The good news is we can all help prevent it—by properly disposing of waste, reducing chemical use, picking up after pets, and keeping drains clear.
Water Quality is a complicated issue and can be hard to know how to stay up to date with conditions in your local area. Below are some links that give you pollution forecasts, and information on the waterbodies within your 'River Catchment Areas'
Learn more about Water quality on Catchment Data Explorer:
Check the Pollution Forecast
Small actions by us in our homes, gardens and boats can make a big difference in keeping our water clean and safe.
Here are three actions we can take to help keep our bathing water excellent
Unlike household drains, surface water isn’t treated—so anything that goes in, like litter or chemicals, flows straight into rivers estuaries and seas. Keeping drains clean helps protect water, wildlife, and our communities.
- Bin your litter right: ensure that your litter, especially cigarette butts are put in the bin properly, or take it home with you. Litter can get washed into drains and make their way into watercourses. Why not take part in a litter pick in your local area.
- Check your home for misconnections: Sometimes old houses or mistakes, oversights or shortcuts during construction and renovations can result in pipes not being properly connected with them discharging without treatment. Make sure that they are connected to the right system
- Think Sink: avoid putting cooking fats, oils, chemicals and even detergents down the drain. Dispose of them in general waste when they have gone solid. Use environmentally friendly washing up liquids.
- Remember the 3 Ps: Only pee, poo and paper down the toilet! Wet wipes can block the pipes - even if it says that they are biodegradable. Don’t throw household chemicals, medication and pills, or sanitary products down the loo.
- DIY paints, solvents and other chemicals: check with your local recycling centre to see if they accept these and dispose of them responsibly.
- Tips to remember when washing your car: Try to wash your can on a permeable surface like gravel or grass. Use phosphate- free environmentally friendly detergents. Don't put the soapy water from wash buckets down the drain, pour it down the loo or in the garden.
- Green your garden: minimise the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers and never dispose of these or other chemicals down the drain
Using less water and slowing the flow before it becomes runoff is a simple yet powerful way to protect our environment. It helps reduce flooding and gives nature time to filter out pollutants, leading to cleaner rivers and seas. The more water we use in our homes, the more ends up in the sewer system — raising the risk of flooding, storm overflow events and pollution. There are a small changes that can help to reduce the impacts.
- Be water smart: if there is heavy continuous rainfall and storms, think about how much water you are using... do you need to flush the loo, can you hold off on doing the washing? turn the tap off when brushing your teeth, take shorter showers, use water from dehumidifiers to water plants...
- Flood guardian gardens; use water butts to collect rain to water the garden, rain chains slow the flow of water, think about your planting, you could make a rain garden or use plants that like 'soggy feet'.
- Support local initiatives: Natural Flood Management methods can be used to reduce the flow of water and in turn help reduce flood risks. These are approaches like reconnecting wetlands, planting trees and shrubs as 'buffers', selectively felling trees, creating leaky dams, scrapes and sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDs) like ponds. Get involved by supporting organisations carrying out this work, many of which also look for volunteers to help with the projects.
Boating is a great way to enjoy the water, but it’s important to be mindful of the environment. Fuel spills, sewage, and harsh cleaning products can pollute the water, harm fish, and damage habitats like seagrass beds.
But, a few simple choices can make a big difference in keeping our waterways clean and healthy.
● Oil & fuel: minimise the chance of spills by transferring oil and fuel in appropriate containers, use a fuel collar, don’t overfill and always carry a spill kit.
● Sewage discharge: use sea toilets in the open sea and if you have to empty your tanks only do so 3 miles off-shore. Use pump-out facilities wherever possible.
● Antifoul & hull paint: prevent anti-fouling from entering the water by catching it in tarpaulin and disposing of it safely, and choose the lowest biocide levels for your needs.
● Cleaning your boat: use non-toxic and environmentally-friendly products, avoid chlorine, bleach and products containing phosphates.
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