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We want to make sure we have good water for swimming and other activities for everyone to enjoy.
We can also reduce the climate impact of our water usage.
Many things contribute to how good water quality is.
Litter, dog mess, sea birds, heavy rainfall and flooding all play their part.
As well as this, broken pipes in homes and businesses, wastewater treatment works for sewage, chemicals and treatments used in gardens and for farming, sewer blockages, and pollutants getting into the water from homes and businesses can also affect it.
But there are lots of things we can do to make sure we are protecting the water quality in our area.
At home
Wiping out wet wipes and avoiding flushing anything other than toilet paper down your toilet is critical to making sure our rivers and beaches stay free from pollutants.
Try to avoid using pesticides and other chemicals in your garden as these can run off your land into the water.
You could also check all pipework to make sure there aren’t any misconnections.
These are caused when waste is plumbed into any pipes that go directly to the sea so it’s important to make sure plumbing is connected correctly.
Out and about
When you visit a beach or river, take home all your litter, clear up after your dog and dispose of it responsibly.
If you don’t, your litter will get caught up in the tidal waters and cause pollution.
Litter also attracts sea birds, so please do not feed the birds or leave behind any food.
Feeding the birds results in them being attracted to our food outlets where they can become a menace and food scattered on the ground attracts rats.