River levels approach all-time low as drought announcement looms

Image source, Janey Liz/Weather WatchersImage caption, Natural Resources Wales said that north and south-east Wales were moving to "prolonged dry weather" statusBySteffan Messenger, Wales environment correspondent and Elen Davies, BBC WalesPublished22 July 2026Updated 19 minutes agoRiver levels are approaching all-time lows across Wales as an imminent "environmental drought" announcement looms for parts of the country.Wales has seen about 5% of the average rainfall for July, after a series of back-to-back heatwaves and a drier than usual April to June.Afonydd Cymru, which represents Wales' rivers trusts, said low river flows were causing "significant problems", killing fish and other wildlife, while farming unions warned of failing crops and heat-stressed livestock.

An announcement is expected later on Thursday from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), who said they were closely monitoring the situation.Image source, Tudur DaviesImage caption, The river Elwy in Denbighshire is among those running lowNRW announced last week that north and south-east Wales were moving to "prolonged dry weather" status - classed as a first step towards drought.It triggered enhanced monitoring and checks of waterways and important sites for wildlife as well as advice for farmers and others who use water from rivers.

Huwel Manley, NRW head of operations for south west Wales, said a number of watercourses were drying up and "even larger rivers are running at lower flows than usual".Rivers classed as exceptionally low include the Clwyd, Alwen, Alyn, Clywedog, Dyfi and Conwy in north Wales as well as the Wye, which runs through parts of mid Wales and south along the border with England.Extra water was being released from reservoirs to support flows on the Clwyd and Wye, as well as the river Severn in the south east and the Dee in north-east Wales.

Image source, Tudur DaviesImage caption, Much of Wales has gone for weeks without a drop of rain While there is some rain in the forecast for the weekend, it will take time for river systems to recover, Manley warned.Parts of the country could see the declaration of an "environmental drought", he predicted.This would mean that water shortages in rivers and the ground, as well as dry soils, were having an immediate and detrimental impact on ecosystems, rather than there being a threat to drinking water or household supplies.

But Manley urged the public to be careful with their use of water - for the sake of wildlife and the wider environment."Maybe have a shower rather than a bath," he said. "And then there are also little things that can be done, such as putting some water out in the garden for mammals and birds."

Image caption, Huwel Manley of NRW urged people to be careful with their use of waterGail Davies-Walsh, chief executive of Afonydd Cymru, said the country's waterways were already under strain due to pollution."The lack of rainfall and decline in river flows is really starting to exacerbate water quality," she said."We've already had a couple of rivers that have dried up and we're getting reports through of fish that have been killed because of a lack of water."

High river temperatures were also leading to concerns for the survival of aquatic life, she added, with water temperatures as high as 28C recorded in the Wye and Usk.Davies-Walsh said she was worried that people's frustrations at water companies over sewage spills and leakages was making them less likely to heed advice about being careful with their use of water."I'm looking at social media comments and I totally understand those frustrations," she said."

But we've really got to think about the fact that our water usage is directly impacting the flow in our rivers and directly impacting fish and other wildlife's survival."We really need to do our little bit to protect them."Image source, Stephanie HaffertyImage caption, Stephanie Hafferty says gardeners will need to adapt to the changing climateIn the horticulture and flower marquees of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show in Llanelwedd, Powys, both farmers and growers were talking about the weather's impacts."

People are going to have to adapt, think about gathering their own water," said Paul Thomas of the National Vegetable Society."In the spring when it was crazy rain, everything was delayed - sowing and planting -because it was just relentless, and then it was almost like an off-switch," added garden and food writer Stephanie Hafferty."One of the things I noticed this morning is the trees are going into autumn colour, and that's a big worry, it's not even August yet."

Elen Hughes of Trelawnyd, Flintshire, said the fields on her family's farm were "bone dry, nothing's growing"."They've just last week had to feed the second silage cut to the cows because there's no food for the cattle."Image source, Tudur DaviesImage caption, Farming unions have warned of failing crops and heat-stressed livestock"We've had really dry weather but also it's been really hot - and those things combined if