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New water sports alliance demands pollution action

by Karma Loveday

Prominent UK water-based sports groups which collectively represent 450,000 members, athletes and participants have joined forces to protest about water pollution.


The new body – the Clean Water Alliance – consists of The Angling Trust, British Rowing, British Triathlon, GB Outrigger, Paddle UK, Royal Yachting Association and Swim England. It has set out three priorities that will inform its actions:

• further and faster action on pollution to improve the health of UK waters by 2030;

• enable people to make real-time informed choices about where and when to participate in water-based sports and activities; and

• recognition of all recreational water users across decision making and policy.


Aligned to these priorities, the alliance has three asks of regulators and decision makers:

• for regulators to be adequately funded to monitor, investigate and hold polluters to account, harnessing nature-based solutions;

• access to accurate, real-time water quality information all year round including the compulsory monitoring of all sewage outlets, recognition of open-source science relating to water quality and the creation of a centralised information hub for all water sports users; and

• a change from "bathing waters" to "recreation waters" within government policy to recognise the wide range of activities that depend on clean water.

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