MANY areas of the river Teifi have continued to fail water quality tests and miss pollution targets, a Natural Resources Wales report has found.

NRW published a new evidence report about water quality within Special Area of Conservation (SAC) rivers in Wales last week.

The report follows NRW’s 2021 phosphorus compliance report which led to stringent new planning policies being put in place for new developments in the catchment area of the Teifi.

The new targets led to a huge backlog of applications, with developments being turned down unless they addressed how any new building would impact the situation.

The latest report said that “notable failures against targets” were recorded in the Afon Teifi, with the “majority relating to targets which are indicators of organic pollution.”

Rhian Jardine, Head of NRW’s Development Planning Advice Service said: “Our previous report into phosphorus compliance was considered to be crucial new evidence, and critical for decision makers across Wales.

“Since then, there has been much collaboration between Government, local authorities, regulators and industry and significant progress to reduce the sources of phosphorus entering our rivers.

“Amongst many things, this includes the establishment of Nutrient Management Boards, the introduction of the Control of Agricultural Pollution Regulations, and work to reduce the impact of development on river water quality.

“We expect that these efforts will in turn, also help to reduce some of the other pollutants and indicators of pollution highlighted in this report.”

NRW said that where areas of concern have been identified, additional investigations and monitoring will be considered.

Rhian added: “New evidence is always welcome and will continue to inform our efforts to tackle the many challenges facing our rivers.

“As Wales’s environmental regulator, NRW is committed to play our full part to reduce pollution and improve water quality, and we will continue to collaborate with others to deliver the changes we all want to see in our rivers.”

The report follows reports which highlighted the extent of sewage being pumped into the Teifi and other Welsh rivers, reported in the Cambrian News last year.

Millions of pounds have been promised in a bid to curb the issue.

Following the publication of the latest report, NRW said it is working to update its guidance for planning authorities.