Severn Trent River Ranger mark two years of protecting rivers in Shropshire

Steve is one of 10 river rangers employed by Severn Trent, tasked with working closely with partners across the county to focus on improving river health and boosting biodiversity along watercourses in Shropshire.

Since January 2022, the team have carried out over 6,000 inspections across the region, including Shropshire, and attended over 200 meetings with partners, environment and community groups on the subject of river health.

And now Steve, who lives in Shrewsbury, is looking ahead to his third year in the role, insisting that there’s more work to be done.

Steve Caldwell, Severn Trent River Ranger said: “Before joining Severn Trent as a River Ranger I worked for Shrewsbury Town Council in the Grounds Maintenance team and before that I worked in the Outdoor Partnerships Team at Shropshire Council, so it’s fair to say that I love the outdoors, and that the natural environment is very important to me.

“My average week would be a mix of being out on the riverbanks checking our outfalls to see if they are working as they should be; water sampling in different watercourses; and having meetings with citizen science groups or other organisations such as local wildlife trusts, or the Severn Rivers Trust.”

Severn Trent is delivering an industry-leading plan that includes bold commitments, such as by 2030 they will cause no harm from their storm overflow operations, as well as creating more opportunities for everyone to enjoy the regions’ rivers.

This includes a trial of the bathing rivers approach as part of Severn Trent’s £78 million Green Recovery programme to improve the water quality along more than 50km of river in Warwickshire and Shropshire, and help move two stretches (on the rivers Leam and the Teme) towards bathing quality by 2025 – making them better places to be for everyone.

Steve added: “At Severn Trent we take our responsibilities towards river health very seriously and we’re supportive of all who work with others to champion the environment. It has been great to meet with citizen science groups to encourage and help them with water sampling activities and invertebrate sampling, which provides an indication as to how healthy a watercourse is.

“It’s important to also meet with as many groups as possible to show how we operate, and the investments we’re making.

“People tend to see me when I’m out sampling and when I explain the work that I’m doing they are generally positive and supportive, especially when I talk about Get River Positive and our river pledges, and how we’re being open and transparent about our plans.”

In Shropshire, the company is also making an £11.5 million investment to upgrade six sewage treatment works, which includes a significant investment at Monkmoor to improve river health.

Steve believes that ‘collaboration is key’ when it comes to improving river health across what is a big catchment to cover in Shropshire.

Steve added: “As river rangers, our only aim is to improve river health. To try and make that happen with other groups is really important as it’s a collaborative approach.

“I’ve really enjoyed the last two years. I love being outside and having the opportunity to try and make a positive change. I’ve enjoyed working with the other river rangers as we all get on really well and we’re all happy to support each other.

“I’m also proud of the amount of dialogue we’ve opened up with different groups such as the Wildlife Trusts, Severn Rivers Trust, but also citizen science groups, to show that river health is really important to us and that we want to make a difference.

“Everyone has a part to play and there’s still more work to be done.”