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UK River Report #1: new beginnings and outdated systems

  • Writer: Federico White
    Federico White
  • Oct 19, 2024
  • 6 min read

Introduction:


Welcome dear reader to the first of what I hope will be many issues of the UK River Report. In this month's post, we shall be hearing from Geoff in Milton Ernest to discuss the state of the River Great Ouse and how the ever-worsening issue of river pollution should be addressed, as well as Janet and Ray from Llanbister who feel that the agricultural and water industries need more regulation to tackle pollution along the River Ithon. I'll give a brief overview of the project I undertook this summer to investigate river pollution and conclude by outlining some of the things you, as an individual, can do to help our rivers.


News from the Great Ouse:


Having lived on the banks of the River Great Ouse for about 20 years, Geoff told me of the frequent sewage overflows that originate from the inspection chamber adjacent to the pumping station owned by Anglian Water, which in part borders his property. Evidence of this remains as a greasy white slick on the grass for several days and the occasional presence of sanitary items left as untreated sewage flows down into the river, after periods of heavy or prolonged moderate rainfall. 


According to Geoff, the solution to this problem is simple and in many ways it is. The majority of the UK continues to rely on a combined sewerage system developed in the 19th century. [1] These sewers carry both surface water (e.g. rainfall) and wastewater in the same pipes to treatment plants and so as a result, these are almost always overwhelmed during periods of heavy rain. [1] To avoid flooding homes, businesses and infrastructure, water companies are permitted to discharge raw sewage into rivers and the sea, however there is increasing evidence that, to cut costs, these companies discharge during dry conditions when the systems shouldn't be under stress. [1, 2] This is illegal. [2] The issue clearly stems from the privatisation of water companies in this country, something Janet and Ray spoke to me about that we'll discuss later. 


While combined sewers would have been adequate at the time of their creation, with exponential population growth and increased water consumption per capita since WW2, Geoff argues that a lot more is needed to reduce our reliance on this system. Most homes built after 1970 will have separate drainage for surface and wastewater, but there remain millions of homes still connected to combined sewers. [3] This will continue to exacerbate the issue of water pollution in this country, especially in the context of climate change, leading to intense rainfall becoming a more common event. [4] 


Furthermore, Geoff told me this shift away from combined sewers ought to be supported by the construction of more dams and reservoirs. Not only would these help limit flooding during periods of heavy rainfall, but the surplus collected may be used to regulate optimum river levels via controlled release, especially during heatwaves. This strategy would provide various human and environmental benefits and furthermore could mitigate the higher concentration of pollutants in our waterways that arise as water levels drop in periods of drought. These periods of increased pollutant concentrations often lead to a great loss in biodiversity.

Will tackling river pollution this way be incredibly expensive? Absolutely. However, given the circumstances we find ourselves in and the lack of current meaningful action, from the government or water companies, investing in the nationwide shift away from combined sewage systems appears to be one of the few logical, albeit long-term, solutions to the river pollution crisis. 


Fowl play and associated malpractices along the River Ithon:


Sadly, the situation along the River Ithon for Janet and Ray is not dissimilar to Geoff's experience of the River Great Ouse. They told me of the floating discharge they often see, including foam and slicks on the surface of the water. Interestingly, while both parties agree that more should be done to fine polluters, they share a consensus that fining and prosecuting water companies for their illegal activities or mismanagement of our waterways is not the way forward. Their reasoning lies in the financial instability of several water companies, including Thames Water and the inevitability of renationalisation, as suggested by Geoff, and that fines are meaningless to water companies who will simply pass costs onto consumers, as mentioned by Janet and Ray. [5] 


The renationalisation of water companies is clearly an important step to take against river pollution as the focus of the country's infrastructure shouldn't be profit. However, action mustn't end there, as Janet and Ray also told me of the importance of regulating farming practices, especially for upland farms, where the issue of runoff into waterways is most severe. It is to be hoped that under the guidance of the government and with real action from organisations such as the Environment Agency, more will be done to manage the water and agricultural industries and promote the health of our rivers. 


Testing the limits. Can nitrate levels be used to safeguard the health of UK rivers?


For those that have visited the UK River Report website, you'll already be aware of the work I undertook over the summer, investigating river health with respect to the relative importance of the different sources and the consequences of nitrate pollution, and the need to impose limits to safeguard water quality and environmental health.


If you do wish to find out more, please don't hesitate to check out my final results linked on the website, or if you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email, again linked on the website. 


One small step...


Some people argue that the rise of intensive farming, including that of US-style 'megafarms', is necessary and inevitable, in order to feed our rapidly growing population. [6] This simply isn't the case. Instead, there should be a drive to limit food waste, as touched upon by Geoff in our discussion. The fact that a third of all food produced globally is wasted is staggering, given the worsening issue of climate change and the need to promote sustainable living. [7] With 70% of wasted food in the UK originating from households, combined with the fact that of this waste, 70% was estimated to be edible, the rapid growth of intensive farming could be reduced if we were able to cut down on the food we waste. [7] This would in turn alleviate some of the pressure on our rivers. 


There is an argument for promoting veganism, which would certainly reduce the need for intensive animal farming and help tackle the resulting stresses felt by our rivers. However, there remains the difficulty of maintaining a vegan diet, which can be expensive and not always sustainable, due to reasons such as the food miles and deforestation associated with soya products. [8] For those wishing to give vegan food a try but don't know how, Geoff recommended the Green Earth Café in Bedford, that specialises in home-made, locally sourced, vegan cuisine. 


Thank you for taking the time to read this month's issue of the UK River Report. I hope you found it informative. If you'd like to get involved and raise awareness of river pollution in your area, please head over to the UK River Report website and check under the 'Get Involved' page to complete our survey, or feel free to get in touch via the 'Contact' page, if you feel you have more to discuss than the survey can offer. 


With hope for the future,

Federico 


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1 kommentar

wilcojames
22. okt. 2024

Interesting read. The system we have in this country where water companies are privately owned and beholden to their shareholders is fundamentally flawed. CEOs are overpaid and not held responsible and shareholders receive huge dividends regardless of the performance of the companies with regard to illegal sewage releases or leaks that remain unmended. In my own area, Southern Water just pushed up payments by 44% and are about to pay their sharehders £275 million!! That's my money! Their performance is laughable, verging on criminal and there are numerous incidents of illegal releases into local waterways. I can't move to a more responsible company even if there was one.

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