AN Action on Water Quality day run by the Ilkley Clean River Group brought the best of the town's community spirit together.
Fourteen environment groups provided exhibition stalls along the Grove to share how they are contributing to climate change; over 70 people took part in a town discussion with the Environment Agency and Ilkley's MP Robbie Moore and the Ilkley Clean River Group signed up 100 new members.
Campaigners from across the North of England came to learn about how Bathing Status can drive improvements; how to test water quality; and where to focus their own efforts to clean up their rivers.
Prof Becky Malby, of the Ilkley Clean River Group said the town meeting set out the conflicting legislation and roles of the agencies and was feisty as local people were shocked by the lack of a clear plan.
She said: "We secured a commitment to get back round the table across the agencies to work out the real costs for cleaning up Ilkley.
"We secured a commitment from our MP to get the whole stretch of the Wharfe at Ilkley within the designation zone so we can secure funding to sort out the Ashlands works.
"We have secured a commitment from Yorkshire Water to collaborate on where they are going to invest to upgrade the river (outside of the town meeting but as part of the process). Basically we have nudged it all along another step."
After the meeting there was a street party, a Declaration of the Rights of the river and a flash protest swim to support Surfers Against Sewage.
Ilkley residents have been campaigning for three years to stop raw sewage pollution of the river. The campaign has contributed to the national attention now being given to the massive pollution issues in rivers in the UK.
After Ofwat's CEO and chair, and the Environment Agency chair visited Ilkley last summer, the campaign has provided evidence to the Environment Audit Committee, appeared on national television countless times, and secured some investment upstream of Ilkley.
Prof Malby added: "Raw sewage is discharged 120 days of the year at Ilkley and has been for years. That’s a third of the year. The Environment Agency is allowing this with its permit to pollute.
"Across the UK Storm Overflows (dumping raw sewage into rivers) operate over 400,000 times a year. Meanwhile water companies have paid out £72 billion to shareholders."
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