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Many Streams, One River: Growing Collective Action for Creation

Clare Fussell, Operation Noah

operationnoah.org/living-water

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Ezekiel 47:9 -

“Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows.

There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh;

so where the river flows everything will live.”

This is worlds apart from the Biblical image from Ezekial that formed the basis of this year’s Season of Creation. What a stark contrast with the reality around us.

Sadly we know that our actions - both in terms of pollution and climate change - are defiling God’s vision of a life-filled and living water. We know that we are far from that vision of a river that brings life wherever it flows.

Environment Agency's latest assessment found that just 14% of English water bodies are not polluted with toxic chemicals. Including ‘forever chemicals’ - PFAs that don’t break down in the environment or the human body - and microplastics.

This is absolutely shocking, for the health of both humans and wildlife.

2027 is the legal deadline for the Government to meet its water quality targets under the Water Framework Directive Regulations - and it will fail abjectly because of years of inaction.

The Environment Agency estimates that our waterways won’t reach good chemical status until 2063 - another 37 years away - by which point the pollutants should have degraded sufficiently.

And of course, climate change is also a factor in worsening our water health. Hotter summers and longer droughts make pollution problems worse by concentrating contaminants in drying up rivers, AND more intense rainfall causes more overflow events when heavy rainfalls do come.

We need to take urgent action to stem the flow of pollutants, and restore clean water.

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Practical actions for local churches

So, what can we do about it?

Operation Noah's Living Water campaign invites churches to see rivers as symbols of our interconnectedness and our shared calling to seek justice for creation. Just as Hazelnut network unites local land projects so that they can learn from each other and become a strong web of communities taking action across the country, so we can become part of something much bigger in seeking wider change - to help amplify each others voices and help shape the systems that affect climate, nature and people.

Over to you…. Think about some practical ideas for how your group can help. That might be cleaning up waterways, conserving water, campaigning for change. And what we might be able to achieve if we bring these actions together.

Add your ideas to the tributaries - then add them to the wider river of change.

What you’re already doing?
What you might be aware of locally that you could get involved with?

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Could you visit a local river or waterway?

Use some prayers and readings from Season for Creation

Invite your MP or local councillor

Include some citizen science activity

hold a river pilgrimage - get to know your local waterway, pray for it - both in lament at the ways we’ve polluted God’s world, and in commitment to do all we can to restore it.

Invite the great and good and ask them what’s happening locally to protect our shared waters. Ask a bishop to bless the water - like here where Bishop of Ramsbury, Dr Andrew Rumsey, blesses the river Marden, in Calne, Wiltshire.
Earlier this month, our church Eco Committee held a river pilgrimage, and met with a group that monitors the health of our local river in Bristol - a glorified stream running through public woodland and a nature reserve - that tiny stretch of a few kilometres had 26 polluting discharge points for sewage overflow into the water. And that’s just one tiny tributary. Imagine that multiplied across all our waterways. Raw sewage was discharged into England’s rivers for over 1.8 million hours(1,873,751), a total of 291,492 times in 2025. Together we learnt about how to report pollution, and progress made with the council locally.

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Big River Watch each April/September. Download the app from Rivers Trust.

Find out what local groups are doing to keep your local river clean and healthy. Join in litter picks.

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Could you or your church install a water butt to use rainwater?

What water-saving settings could you use?

Encourage local schools and businesses to reduce their water use.

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Clean Water Now is a national campaign by a coalition of UK NGOs

Write to your MP, MSP or local paper asking them to support the campaign

There will be a new Water Act in 2026/7

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This global campaign seeks to recognise the rights of rivers as a way to protect them.

Is there a local group near you?

Consider signing the Rights of Rivers declaration as a church

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Thank you!