Nearly two-thirds support bill increases to clean up rivers
Despite the looming drought, far more people ranked pollution of rivers and seas as having the most negative impact on the environment (from a list of threats) than water scarcity and drought in a new Ofwat survey.
As part of its strategic commitment to listen to customers more directly, Ofwat has published the findings of its research into customer expectations of river water quality. The responses of 2,329 people polled in England and Wales included:
• asked to rank, from a list of options, pollutants with the most negative impact on the environment, 29% chose water pollution, compared to just 4% for drought and water scarcity with litter/fly-tipping ranked highest (57%) followed by single-use plastics (42%) and air pollution (33%);
• 59% supported improving the quality and cleanliness of rivers even if this increased bills, with 29% favouring lower bills even if this were to have a negative impact on the quality and cleanliness of rivers;
• 60% in England and 65% in Wales said it should be safe to swim in a river, but only 16% and 24% respectively thought it was currently;
• asked to rank, from a range of options, what has the most negative impact on the water quality of rivers in England and Wales, 57% put untreated sewage from water companies in their top three – more than any other contaminant (next were unflushables at 48% and litter at 39%) and only 27% put farm waste in their top three, despite the actual significance of this pollutant;
• 75% were aware that sewage is sometimes released into rivers and seas – but very few reported a good understanding of storm overflows; and
• many respondents reported concern about the release of sewage into rivers and seas, with the most common emotions relating to this being anger and upset.
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