Bristol's rivers occupy a curious place in the topography of the city, having been diverted, culverted and built over since the Frome was diverted to form St Augustine's Reach in the middle ages. A central mission of the council's Bristol Living Rivers project is to raise public awareness of the Frome, the Avon and their many tributaries.

An annual programme of walks is complemented by a range of initiatives designed to help people take care of their local river or stream. In recent years a concerted effort has been made to deal with abandoned supermarket trolleys, while the Get on Board campaign has enlisted the help of businesses, boat owners, water companies and government agencies in a campaign to improve water quality in the Floating Harbour.

One ingenious development, involving collaboration between Get on Board and Rolls Royce, is The Green Machine, an experimental device that uses reed beds to treat water pumped from the bottom of the harbour.
Collaboration is key here, and Bristol's rivers and streams benefit not only from the efforts of the Avon Wildlife Trust but also from the volunteer groups looking after them. To the south the Malago is monitored by the Malago Valley Conservation Group and the Kingfisher Group, while to the north the Friends of Badock's Wood take care of stretches of the River Trym and Hazel Brook