Recommending water filters helps people drink better water. But the real problem — degraded rivers, failing ecosystems, polluted watersheds — requires more than a filter. That is why we put our money toward fixing the root cause.
20%
of all affiliate and referral fees go to Living Rivers Foundation
AquaReach donates 20% of all affiliate and referral fees to the Living Rivers Foundation — a European environmental organisation dedicated to protecting wild rivers, removing harmful dams, and restoring freshwater ecosystems across the continent.
How It Works
Every time you buy a water filter through an AquaReach link, we earn a small referral fee. One fifth of that goes directly to Living Rivers Foundation — no conditions, no minimums, no delays. This is a standing commitment, not a one-time campaign.
20%
of every referral fee donated to Living Rivers Foundation
Who Is Living Rivers Foundation?
Living Rivers Foundation
living-rivers.eu ↗ — Berlin-based European environmental organisation. Founded to fight for the rivers that Europe is quietly losing.
Living Rivers Foundation works across Europe to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems — specifically the wild, free-flowing rivers that have been dammed, diverted, and degraded over the last century.
Their work spans three areas: advocating for stronger EU water policy, supporting the removal of obsolete dams that block fish migration and fragment river habitats, and pushing for the restoration of floodplains and riverine landscapes that act as natural water filters. They are a member of the European Environmental Bureau, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizen's organisations.
They are not a large charity with a slick fundraising machine. They are a focused organisation doing the technical and political work needed to keep Europe's last wild rivers from disappearing.
What They Fight For
Free-flowing rivers — advocating for a European network of strictly protected rivers where no new dams or diversions are permitted, so wild rivers remain wild.
Dam removal — supporting the physical removal of obsolete barriers that block fish migration, trap sediment, and prevent rivers from functioning naturally. Europe has over one million river barriers; most serve no useful purpose anymore.
EU Water Policy — engaging with the EU Water Framework Directive and related legislation to prevent it being weakened, and pushing for real enforcement of clean water standards across member states.
River landscape restoration — revitalising wetlands, floodplains, and river corridors that provide natural water filtration, flood protection, and biodiversity habitat across Europe.
Why We Chose Living Rivers Foundation
AquaReach exists because water quality in Europe is patchy, and people often don't know what they're dealing with when they turn on the tap. A filter is a practical, immediate solution to that problem. But clean tap water downstream depends on healthy rivers upstream.
The same rivers we write about — the Tagus running through Lisbon, the Ebro through Zaragoza, the Rhône feeding Provence — are under pressure from agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and a century of mismanagement. Making tap water drinkable with a filter is a sticking plaster. Supporting Living Rivers Foundation addresses the actual wound.
We chose them specifically because their scope is European, their approach is technical rather than campaigning-for-the-sake-of-it, and their focus on river hydrology and EU water policy matches the geography and context of the communities we write for. If you live in Mediterranean Europe, the rivers they are fighting to protect are your rivers.
This is not a partnership. They didn't ask us. We just think it's the right thing to do.
Learn More About Living Rivers Foundation
Visit their website to see the specific rivers and projects they are protecting, and to support their work directly if you want to go beyond what AquaReach contributes.
Positive stories about rivers, restoration, and clean water across the Mediterranean and beyond.
Last Updated: May 7, 2026
Cyprus & GreeceJun 20, 2025
Cyprus Leads Europe with 99.2% Clean Beaches — Greece Close Behind at 97%
Cyprus ranked first in the entire EU for bathing water quality in 2024, with 99.2% of its monitored coastal sites rated "excellent" by the European Environment Agency — a standard it has held for three consecutive years. Greece ranked third at 97%, with 623 beaches earning the prestigious Blue Flag designation in 2025. Across 22,000+ monitored sites in 29 countries, 85% of Europe's bathing waters now meet "excellent" standards — a direct result of decades of EU wastewater legislation and national investment.
EU Launches €15 Billion Water Strategy with Mediterranean at the Centre
The European Commission adopted its landmark European Water Resilience Strategy in June 2025, committing €15 billion in EIB financing over 2025–2027. The strategy explicitly identifies Mediterranean countries — Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, France, and Malta — as climate hotspots requiring dedicated water resilience measures: nature-based solutions, drought preparedness, expanded water reuse, and tackling PFAS and pharmaceutical contamination. A first EU Water Resilience Forum convened in December 2025 to accelerate implementation.
Salmon Return to Spain's Basque Rivers as Historic Dam Removal Opens 8km of Habitat
The 120-year-old Galtzaraberri dam on the Karrika River in Spain's Basque Country was fully demolished, reopening 8 kilometres of river for fish migration for the first time in more than a century. Atlantic salmon were spotted upstream within months of removal — the result of careful community engagement, including 670 local schoolchildren. Spain removed a record 96 river barriers in 2025 alone, cementing its status as a European leader in river restoration.
European Parliament Approves Historic Law to Slash Water Pollution — Including "Forever Chemicals"
MEPs voted in March 2026 to greenlight sweeping new rules reducing groundwater and surface water pollution across all EU states. The legislation adds PFAS, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and microplastics to mandatory monitoring — raising drinking water standards for millions across Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, and Cyprus.
Spain Secures €29.7 Million to Restore 26,200 Hectares of Wetlands Across 107 Nature Sites
The EU awarded Spain the largest single grant in LIFE programme history — €29.7 million for LIFE HumedalES — to restore 26,200 hectares of wetlands across 107 Natura 2000 sites, improving water quality, flood protection, and biodiversity.
Portugal Launches €187 Million River Restoration Plan to Protect 100,000 Residents
Portugal unveiled Pró-Rios, its most ambitious river restoration programme ever — committing €187 million to recover over 1,000 kilometres of riverbeds by 2029. The plan targets high-risk flood areas in Lisbon, Faro, and the Algarve, renaturalising riverbeds and eradicating invasive species.
Portugal's Water Innovation Wins European Award for Protecting Rivers from Pharmaceuticals
The LIFE Fitting project won the PT Global Water Awards after testing 60 types of micropollutants at three major treatment plants — reducing chemical use by 19.4 tonnes/year and setting a new EU standard for pharmaceutical removal.
Europe's "Amazon of Europe" River Wins Double Award After Massive Restoration Success
The DRAVA LIFE project — Croatia's largest river restoration — restored 9 km of side channels and 320 hectares of floodplain habitat, bringing back rare species and winning two EU LIFE Awards for nature and biodiversity.
EU Water Project Cleans Up 1,000+ Waterways and Brings Fish Back to Swedish Rivers
The LIFE Rich Waters project delivered measurable results across 1,000+ water bodies in Sweden, opening 28.5 hectares of new spawning habitat for fish and restoring connectivity to dozens of river systems.