UK River Report #21: Some News to Peruse Vol. 4

Welcome back dear reader to the twenty-first installment of the UK River Report. Earlier this month I submitted my dissertation and have now finished my degree! Unfortunately, this has not left me with quite as much time as I would have liked for a full-length post. As such, this installment will comprise a condensed summary of the month's news.

Total testing of the Test:

If this endeavour proves successful, it ought to be replicated on a wider scale in the UK.

www.bbc.co.uk

Pollution monitoring first for River Test chalk stream

Real-time pollution levels tracked along length of Hampshire's rare chalk stream.

Hydroclimatic whiplash — climate change and flood risk fears:

www.bbc.co.uk

Wildlife fears over 'exceptionally low' Norfolk river flows

Only two rivers in East Anglia are rated as having "normal" flows.

www.theguardian.com

Rising temperatures may increase flood risk through river ‘whiplash’, study finds

Sudden shifts from wet to dry weather, or vice versa, may foil typical drought- and flood-prevention measures

Cornwall's Blue Flag bliss:

www.bbc.co.uk

Ten Cornish beaches awarded Blue Flags status

The flag is a sign of excellence across categories including safety and cleanliness.

Inconceivable Environment Agency investigation:

Going after the good guys while water companies get off scot-free.

www.theguardian.com

Campaigner threatened with prosecution by Environment Agency after waterway cleanup

Paul Powlesland told he acted illegally after organising volunteers to remove litter, weed and silt from River Roding

Water companies — slackness or sleaze?

www.theguardian.com

South West Water fined £1.85m over parasite outbreak in Devon

Utility company pleaded guilty to criminal offence of supplying water unfit for humans

www.theguardian.com

‘My son is still suffering’: the ill effects of water contamination in ‘Brixham incident’

Physical and psychological impacts of a tap water parasite outbreak continue to be felt in south Devon

www.theguardian.com

South East Water’s greatest failure was not contacting customers during winter outages, report finds

Fewer than one in 10 SEW customers satisfied with firm’s handling of supply crisis, which left tens of thousands without water

www.bbc.co.uk

Devon council leader says water bosses should be 'locked up'

County council leader Julian Brazil says executives could face jail time over sewage discharges.

www.bbc.co.uk

Daventry MP quizzes water boss over loss of supplies in heatwave

Stuart Andrew met with Anglian Water chief executive to seek an explanation for regular water outages.

Water shortages and sustainable use:

www.theguardian.com

New campaign urges public to reduce water use as UK emerges from heatwave

Exclusive: £75m publicity drive will ask people to treat water as precious resource and cut daily use by 28 litres

www.theguardian.com

Use water sparingly, urges South East Water, as demand surges in heatwave

Company asks customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire to use water only for essential purposes as temperatures soar

Hope remains for re-nationalisation:

www.theguardian.com

Thames Water should be nationalised, says Andy Burnham

Exclusive: Labour’s Makerfield byelection candidate advocates public ownership of water companies as he prepares for potential leadership bid

United Utilities — a rare moment of decency or turning the page?

www.savewindermere.com

A Turning Point: Significant Public Commitments from United Utilities · Save Windermere

On Friday, I sat on stage with the Chief Executive of United Utilities, Louise Beardmore at the Lake District Book Festival. A few key public commitments: United Utilities committed to ending sewage pollution in Windermere. United Utilities acknowledged that sewage is the primary driver of the

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 would 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