Water quality news round-up

• Pollution mapped: Watershed Investigations has published a comprehensive map of different types of water pollution affecting the waterways across the country. The Watershed Pollution Map (https://watershedinvestigations.com/home/find-out-whats-polluting-your-local-rivers-lakes-and-coast/?utm_source=X&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rachel_map_launch_june) shows river, lake and groundwater health; bathing water health; damaged and protected waters; sewage spills; chemical pollution; urban and road pollution; substances being discharged into waters; years of Environment Agency sampling results; intensive pig and chicken farms; intensity of cattle farming; landfills, waste sites and contaminated land; big industrial sites; political constituencies for 2024 and 2019; flood risk; and economic deprivation.

• Henley row: River Action said it had found “alarmingly high” levels of E.coli bacteria along the stretch of the River Thames to be used for next week’s rowing meet, the Henley Royal Regatta. The Henley and Marlow River Action group is sampling a site near Fawley Meadows between 23 May and 7 July. It said the tests revealed levels of E.coli up to 25,000 colony forming units per 100ml, commenting: “This is more than 27 times higher than what the Environment Agency grades designated bathing waters as poor, the bottom of four categories.” River Action said Thames Water discharges were the most likely cause; Thames Water reportedly challenged this and said its own testing showed E.coli levels consistent with ‘good’ bathing water status for all but a couple of dates in May and June and that issues on these dates were not linked to its activities.

• Great UK Water Blitz: NGO Earthwatch Europe coordinated a mass citizen science water quality sampling exercise over the weekend of 7-10 June. 2,600 people across the UK measured the water quality of their local rivers, streams and lakes, under the biannual Great UK Water Blitz campaign.

75% of data points showed poor ecological health. There was significant regional variation, with the 89% of data points showing poor ecological health in the Anglian and Thames regions, compared to 50% in parts of the north west.

Earthwatch Europe said: “Our rivers and freshwater habitats are at crisis point and we need urgent action. With this data we can fight for real change.” https://earthwatch.org.uk/greatukwaterblitz/

• Statutory nuisance: The Save Windermere campaign group has written to Westmorland and Furness Council calling for it to launch a statutory nuisance investigation over sewage discharges into Lake Windermere. The group said this was the first time section 79 (1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 has been used to challenge sewage discharges. The legislation sets out categories of statutory nuisance; Save Windermere argued spills constitute a nuisance in two of the categories. The group said: “If the council finds that a nuisance has occurred arising from sewage discharges by the water company, an abatement notice will be served requiring sewage discharges from Ambleside Wastewater Treatment Works and other locations around Ambleside to be limited or halted all together. If United Utilities fail to do so, they will risk being prosecuted and fined until the nuisance ceases.”

United Utilities continues to invest in its assets and the wider catchment around the lake to improve water quality.  

• Lough Neagh ownership: A member of the Northern Ireland Assembly has called for Lough Neagh to be brought into public ownership. Gerry Carroll, of the People Before Profit Alliance, said: “It is totally unacceptable that the Earl of Shaftesbury has rights to and gets financial benefit from the lough because his ancestors stole it. There is consensus across most of society that it is totally archaic and unfair that that has been the case.”

Lough Neagh is once again struggling with algal blooms. Carroll added: “I urge speedy action to take away the earl's access and rights to Lough Neagh…It is time to hand it back to those who need, use and love it. It is time for public ownership of Lough Neagh.”