0% of English rivers are considered in “good” chemical status
86% of English rivers fail to reach “good” ecological status
The Environment Agency
A talk hosted by Green Fifield in March’24, from Jennifer Lanham from Cotswolds National Landscape and the Evenlode Catchment Partnership highlighted the some key facts to keep in mind when thinking about water quality:
- FACT: the biggest contributor to water pollution in the Evenlode is sewage and domestic waste water NOT farming
- FACT: water treatment in the Thames area does not remove any chemical elements of waste e.g. cleaning products or pharmaceuticals.
- FACT: beyond natural human waste products, domestic cleaning products are the biggest contributors of phosphates in our water ways (e.g. dishwasher tablets, clothes washing liquid, cleaning products etc.)
- FACT: Thames Water are regularly spilling raw sewage (alongside storm water) directly into our rivers and streams, www.sewagemap.co.uk records all current and past spills, and it is advised you check this map before allowing animals or people to enter a local waterway.
WHAT WE CAN ALL DO: Check the labels of your household products, do they contain chemicals which pollute our rivers and streams? If so, could you consider a more river-friendly alternative? We have listed some reputed, environmentally friendly brands below, all of which can be bought online or from retailers in the local area:
- Faith in Nature
- Sesi (an Oxfordshire based firm)
- Ecover
- TruEarth
- Smol
- Method
- Ocean Saver
- BioD
- ecozone
- there are more…..
In addition, great results for regular cleaning tasks e.g. cleaning the loo or sink can be achieved using natural alternatives e.g. white vinegar or citric acid.
We can all make a difference by adjusting what we put down our drains. We should all remember the 3Ps (Pee, Poo & Paper) as the only things that should go down the loo. Other ways we can benefit water quality are to raise this issue with our political representatives and consider it when voting. In addition, there are an army of citizen scientists contributing to the invaluable data being used to evidence the issues. Green Fifield have been providing water quality readings from Littlestock Brook since 2022. If you are interested to become a regular citizen scientist please get in touch with [email protected].
