Henley regatta organisers complain of sewage
pollution from Thames Water
Concerns raised after tests found stretch of river
used for world-famous event had dangerous bacteria
Helena
Horton Environment reporter
Tue 4 Jul
2023 01.00 EDT
The Henley
Royal Regatta was marred by sewage pollution from Thames Water, organisers have
said, as they call for urgent action on our rivers.
The
prestigious event, a rowing competition on the Thames that has been going since
1839, was held last week. Chairman of the event’s organisers, Sir Steve
Redgrave said: “At Henley Royal Regatta, we are deeply concerned about the
impact that sewage pollution is having on our beautiful river. Sewage pollution
is harming the environment that we enjoy and respect so much.” The organisers’
concerns come after two local campaign groups – River Action and Henley Locals
– carried out their own tests on the Thames at Henley every weekday over a
four-week period and found the stretch of river used for the world famous
regatta had dangerous bacteria.
The testing
revealed, say the groups, that levels of E coli and intestinal enterococci
increased significantly after a rainfall event on 20 June, with levels
increasing fourfold, equivalent to an official bathing water status of “poor”.
They argue this means that water posed a serious risk to human health during
these times.
The tests
carried out by the local groups also found that phosphate levels and nitrates
along the Henley Mile throughout the four weeks were consistently double the
levels considered ecologically damaging for rivers, which indicate, the group
argues, that the River Thames at Henley is excessively nutrient enriched and in
a very poor condition.
Organisers
at the regatta, held last week, have spoken out about their concerns about the
polluted state of the Thames and have called on the beleaguered company, Thames
Water, to stop discharging sewage into the river.
Redgrave
said: “I canoe from my home town of Marlow at Longridge. There’s a water
treatment plant there and sometimes you can see from the colour of the water
that there has been a discharge – it’s not somewhere I would ever want to fall
in. We have to improve this situation so that we can preserve wildlife and make
our rivers safe for everyone who uses them. That’s why I, and Henley Royal
Regatta, are backing River Actions’ Charter for Rivers and throwing all our
weight behind the campaign to end sewage pollution in the River Thames at
Henley.”
The local
population are now calling for Thames Water to engage responsibly with the
community, undertake more regular and transparent testing of water at Henley,
invest in the Henley sewage treatment works and install a number of
mitigations, including UV treatment.
James
Wallace, CEO of River Action said: “The results of this citizen science prove
the dire state of England’s capital river. Wildlife along the Thames is
collapsing and river users are at serious risk. The government and industry are
treating our national life support system like a diseased open sewer while
staring down the barrel of a freshwater emergency.”
Local
swimmer Joanna Robb from the Henley Mermaids said: “We know the Thames
intimately – we swim in it year round, in winter and summer and have swum its
length from Castle Eaton to Marlow. But over the past five years we have been
horrified by the scandal of sewage dumping into our precious river and its
tributaries, caused by the water industry’s lack of investment in sewage
infrastructure.
“We have
witnessed the impacts of sewage pollution with our own eyes: sanitary products,
sewage foam, sewage tide lines on swans and dead fish. We are contacted
regularly by parents asking us if the river is clean enough for their children
to swim in. It disgusts us that in one of the world’s richest countries in
2023, our children can’t even swim in our rivers without falling unwell.”
A Thames
Water spokesperson said: “Taking action to improve the health of rivers is a
key focus for us and we have an upgrade planned for Henley sewage treatment
works which will provide a major increase in the site’s treatment capacity and
is expected to complete in 2025. We’re also currently supporting the local community’s
application for a designated bathing water site in Henley.
“We regard
all discharges of untreated sewage as unacceptable, and it’s understandable why
the public are demanding more from water companies to do better. We recently
announced our plans to invest £1.6bn on our sewage treatment works and networks
over the next two years and are striving every day to reduce the discharge of
untreated sewage into our rivers.”
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