Latest news with #waterpollution
The National
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Are Britain's clean seas a thing of the past?
A few miles along the coast from Dover's white chalk cliffs the English seaside town of Folkestone is holding an art festival, but with a difference. Every three years the 'Folkestone Triennial' commissions art works in which the town is the 'gallery'. As you walk around you will come across 20 or so artworks of different kinds responding to Folkestone's landscape and history. I've been visiting the "Minister of Sewers'. The Triennial guide says it's 'a creative project by the Turner Prize-nominated artists Cooking Sections' created as 'a platform for the public to voice concerns about coastal water pollution and share their experiences with sewage spills and related issues'. The project, in the harbour's old Customs House, begins with a friendly welcome and a display about water pollution and sewage, but behind it is a serious purpose. Folkestone, like much of the English coast, is delightful to live in and visit, but bathing in the sea is nowadays not always a pleasure. It can be a risk, especially after heavy rain. Too many of the beaches in prime swimming areas of England – including lakes and rivers as well as the sea – have seen bathing water quality dip from 'excellent' to 'good' or worse. Heavy rainfall can lead to overflows in the often antiquated sewage systems. When that happens the water quality drops to 'poor'. There is no official 'Minister of Sewers' in England, but the Folkestone arts project encourages visitors to make an appointment for a chat with one of the volunteers. The 'Minister' dressed in an official-looking 'Minister of Sewers' costume sat with me for a chat. She took notes about my own experiences as a sea swimmer on this lovely coast to gather evidence and create a "Log of Grievances" to support collective action and push for better water quality. Too many of the beaches in prime swimming areas of England – including lakes and rivers as well as the sea – have seen bathing water quality dip from 'excellent' to 'good' or worse Art in Action strikes a chord with the British public because sewage, water quality and the cost of drinking water are big news right now across the UK. We think of ourselves as a wet little island, but we have serious water problems and possible future shortages. We have a growing population in the south east, an area which has much lower annual rainfall than rural areas like the Scottish Highlands, and despite significantly increased demand for water we have failed to build any new major reservoirs since 1992. The Starmer government is promising action. They commissioned a review of the water industry in England and Wales by a respected former civil servant, Sir Jon Cunliffe. It was published last week and calls for once in a generation fundamental reforms to address what is being called Britain's 'Great Stink moment'. The Great Stink is a reference to the shocking state of the River Thames at Westminster in Victorian times. In 1858, the river was so polluted with sewage and the smell so bad that Members of Parliament refused to meet. A massive public works programme followed and a world-leading sewage system for London was built. A similar kind of energy and investment is now being promised although the details are as yet unclear. What is clear is that the privatisation of the water industry in England and Wales by Margaret Thatcher in 1989 has been a profound failure. Privatisation extracted private profits for shareholders and paid huge bonuses to some employees while failing to invest in reservoirs, better sewerage and fixing broken pipes and waste. The 464-page Cunliffe review has provided 88 recommendations for change, but re-nationalisation is not being contemplated largely because it would demand a vast amount of public money, which is not available. The Water Services Regulation Authority, or Ofwat, will be scrapped and what follows is billed as 'the biggest overhaul of water since privatisation'. Well, we shall see. But it's worth pointing out that Britain is not alone in having a water problem. Rising demand, growing populations, changes in our climate, and arguments about water quality are nothing new. The South African city of Cape Town came close to running out of water entirely a few years ago with 'Day Zero' – no tap water – a real possibility. The Afghan capital Kabul right now has severe water shortages. India and Pakistan's recent short-lived conflict over the terrorist attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to threats that India would abrogate the Indus Waters treaty that has shared waters between these two nuclear armed powers since 1960. In France, pollution of the River Seine caused the French government considerable embarrassment during the 2024 Olympics. They have cleaned things up since then at great cost. And in the first days of the Trump administration in January this year the new President and California Governor Gavin Newsom argued not just about California wildfires but about lack of water to fight them. It's predicted that the world in the 21st century will see water conflicts even water wars over this most precious resource. We can hope not. As for me, I just want my children and other families to be able to swim in our beautiful clean seas without worrying about the possibility that we really need a Ministry of Sewers.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Anglian Water to pay out £63m after 'excessive' sewage spills
Anglian Water has become the latest water company to face enforcement action after failing to deal with sewage leaks, resulting in 'excessive' spills. Water regulator Ofwat said on Tuesday Anglian Water has proposed a £62.8million penalty and remedial action following an investigation. The watchdog said the east of England water company, which serves nearly seven million customers, had 'breached its legal obligations' in operating its wastewater treatment network. The water industry has come under fire for discharging sewage into rivers and seas, with outflows at record levels. Yorkshire Water, South West Water, Thames Water and Northumbrian Water are among the firms that have faced similar enforcement action so far in 2025, collectively facing penalities over £160million. At the same time, domestic bills have increased by an average £10 a month as the sector embarks on a multi-billion pound infrastructure upgrade package. Anglian Water said in a statement the proposed redress package will be 'entirely funded' by shareholders, rather than customers. Ofwat's investigation into Anglian Water found it had failed to operate, maintain and upgrade its wastewater assets to ensure they could 'cope with the flows of sewage and wastewater coming to them'. As part of the package of measures, Ofwat said £5.8million of the penalty would go towards a community fund to support environmental and social projects. 'Our investigation has found failures in how Anglian Water has operated and maintained its sewage works and networks, which has resulted in excessive spills from storm overflows,' Lynn Parker, Ofwat's senior director of enforcement said. 'This is a serious breach and is unacceptable.' Anglian Water said it planned to accelerate investment to reduce spills at high-risk sites and implement a longer term plan to ensure spills from storm overflows are minimised. Mark Thurston, chief executive of Anglian Water said: 'We understand the need to rebuild trust with customers and that aspects of our performance need to improve to do that. 'Reducing pollutions and spills is our number one operational focus, and we have both the investment and the partners in place to deliver on those promises as part of our £11billion business plan over the next five years.' The independent Water Commission, led by Sir John Cunliffe, was set up in response to outrage over sewage spills and rising bills. The review, published last week, concluded that Ofwat would need to be scrapped in favour of a new regulator.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Water firm stops 'illegal spill' into sewage facility
A water firm has said it has identified and stopped an "illegal discharge" into one of its sewage networks. Thames Water said a third party had caused the incident at Wheatley Sewage Treatment Works at the River Thame, Oxfordshire, which caused the treatment process to be "knocked out". An Environment Agency spokesman said about "30 fish in a stream called Wheatley Ditch were killed as a result". The water firm said it would "pursue investigations into the source of the substance and ensure appropriate action is taken". In a statement, Thames Water said it was carrying out "a full clean of the surrounding sewers and pumping station to ensure they are clean, clear, and free flowing". "We have identified the source of the substance as a third-party disposal into the wastewater network, which we have now stopped," the statement reads. "We have deployed tankers, to divert the wastewater flows to an alternative site in order to minimise the impact to the watercourse and we are working closely with the Environment Agency and local stakeholders during this time to ensure full recovery," the statement adds. Earlier, Jake Morley, the firm's government engagement lead for North Thames Valley, said the works were "not designed to take this type of waste and treat it". "We need to allow sites biological process time to recover," he said. "Once the site has recovered, we can slowly remove the tankers and treat as normal at the site." He said there was an indication that wildlife had been impacted. The EA said specialist officers were investigating the pollution incident which happened on Sunday. "Around 30 fish in a stream called Wheatley Ditch were killed as a result," the spokesperson said. "We are working with Thames Water to confirm the source and understand what happened." They appealed for anyone with information on that or any other suspected pollution in the waterways to contact the agency. Lib Dem Henley and Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo said he was "extremely concerned" by the incident reports. "We don't yet know the full extent, but it's clear that something has gone badly wrong," he said. "I've asked for urgent updates from Thames Water, and I'm grateful for the swift response from local councillors and community members. "Once the facts are established, we must ensure that those responsible are held to account and that everything possible is done to restore the health of the river." A Thames Water spokesperson said they would "pursue investigations into the source of the substance and ensure appropriate action is taken". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Similar stories Sewage in rivers 'needs a bold solution' 'Shocking' rates of sewage discharged in rivers Thousands of homes face delay over sewage works Related Links Thames Water Environment Agency
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Holes in wall designed to keep polluted water out of Lake Rotoiti alarm locals
Large holes have formed in the sides of the Ōhau channel diversion wall, which was constructed to block the flow of more polluted water into Lake Rotoiti. Photo: Supplied There is growing discontent in Rotorua about the state of the Ōhau channel diversion wall, which was meant to protect the pristine waters of Lake Rotoiti. The wall was built in 2008 to divert polluted nutrient-rich water from Lake Rotorua, which otherwise flowed into Lake Rotoiti through a small channel. But the wall is corroding, and locals RNZ spoke to said the Bay of Plenty Regional Council wasn't fixing it fast enough, something the council disputed. Lake Rotoiti is one of the larger lakes in the region, and also one of the most popular. Lakes Water Quality Society chairman John Gifford said the Ōhau diversion wall was expected to last 50 years, but only six years after it went in, corrosion was noticed. Now large holes had opened up, and instead of a diversion wall it was more like a leaky bucket. Lakes Water Quality Society chairman John Gifford, at Lake Rotoiti. Photo: RNZ/ Libby Kirkby-McLeod "With holes in the wall of course there's the opportunity for water to move straight through the wall, contaminate and increase the nutrient-load of Lake Rotoiti and that's just totally inappropriate," Gifford said. However, Bay of Plenty Regional Council lakes operations manager Andy Bruere said it wasn't as bad as it sounded. "The wall is still there. Having some holes in it doesn't mean it's not doing its function," Bruere said. "It's continuing to function, but probably not quite as efficiently as it would if it had no holes in the wall." Lake Rotoiti Photo: RNZ/ Libby Kirkby-McLeod Bruere said that when the wall went in, the water quality of Lake Rotorua was very bad, but that wasn't so much the case now. "It's important to acknowledge that we have made very significant improvements to the water quality in Lake Rotorua and so that makes a difference to the impact of the wall, compared to 2008 when it was put in." This argument isn't very convincing though to locals such as Tim Manning, who wasn't happy with the regional council. "Its job is to keep the diversion going for 50 years and its mandate is environmental. It made me think maybe [Minister for Regional Development] Shane Jones got it right that these regional councils are so far out of touch they maybe shouldn't be there," he said. Manning had lived on Lake Rotoiti for 35 years, and also owned the local hot pools. He said the lake was awful before the diversion wall went in. "There was algal blooms, there was discoloured water, there was smells, there were people being sick," he said. One of the holes in the wall, underwater. Photo: Supplied The difference after the Ōhau diversion wall went in was stunning - for a time. "The last five or six years, every year, it goes backwards. "It's discolouring more, there's more algal blooms cropping up - not quite to the extent it got to 15 years ago - but every year it's getting worse," he said. Both John Gifford and Tim Manning said the regional council was not doing enough to stop Lake Rotoiti from becoming polluted again. But Andy Bruere said that wasn't the case. "We have a strategy around managing the wall which we put in place in 2015, so we are monitoring the corrosion every three years and that is very intensive and detailed monitoring," he said. Bruere pointed out that the council put in a beam to strengthen the wall and was trailing ways to repair the holes. "And then also we are currently looking at a range of options around what could be done to repair the holes and repair the wall in a short-term way or in a long-term way." He said that it was important that any improvements had a positive effect, and the council also needed to consider the level of impact climate change might have in the future. Whether this will satisfy unhappy locals was still to be seen. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
One of the biggest microplastic pollution sources revealed – and it's not straws or bags
Every few years, the tires on your car wear thin and need to be replaced. But where does that lost tire material go? The answer, unfortunately, is often waterways, where the tiny microplastic particles from the tires' synthetic rubber carry several chemicals that can transfer into fish, crabs and perhaps even the people who eat them. We are analytical and environmental chemists who are studying ways to remove those microplastics – and the toxic chemicals they carry – before they reach waterways and the aquatic organisms that live there. Microplastics, macro-problem Millions of metric tons of plastic waste enter the world's oceans every year. In recent times, tire wear particles have been found to account for about 45% of all microplastics in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Tires shed tiny microplastics as they move over roadways. Rain washes those tire wear particles into ditches, where they flow into streams, lakes, rivers and oceans. Along the way, fish, crabs, oysters and other aquatic life often find these tire wear particles in their food. With each bite, the fish also consume extremely toxic chemicals that can affect both the fish themselves and whatever creatures eat them. Some fish species, like rainbow trout, brook trout and coho salmon, are dying from toxic chemicals linked to tire wear particles. Researchers in 2020 found that more than half of the coho salmon returning to streams in Washington state died before spawning, largely because of 6PPD-Q, a chemical stemming from 6PPD, which is added to tires to help keep them from degrading. But the effects of tire wear particles aren't just on aquatic organisms. Humans and animals alike may be exposed to airborne tire wear particles, especially people and animals who live near major roadways. In a study in China, the same chemical, 6PPD-Q, was also found in the urine of children and adults. While the effects of this chemical on the human body are still being studied, recent research shows that exposure to this chemical could harm multiple human organs, including the liver, lungs and kidneys. In Oxford, Mississippi, we identified more than 30,000 tire wear particles in 24 liters of stormwater runoff from roads and parking lots after two rainstorms. In heavy traffic areas, we believe the concentrations could be much higher. The Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council, a states-led coalition, in 2023 recommended identifying and deploying alternatives to 6PPD in tires to reduce 6PPD-Q in the environment. But tire manufacturers say there's no suitable replacement yet. What can communities do to reduce harm? At the University of Mississippi, we are experimenting with sustainable ways of removing tire wear particles from waterways with accessible and low-cost natural materials from agricultural wastes. The idea is simple: Capture the tire wear particles before they reach the streams, rivers and oceans. In a recent study, we tested pine wood chips and biochar – a form or charcoal made from heating rice husks in a limited oxygen chamber, a process known as pyrolysis – and found they could remove approximately 90% of tire wear particles from water runoff at our test sites in Oxford. Biochar is an established material for removing contaminants from water due to its large surface area and pores, abundant chemical binding groups, high stability, strong adsorption capacity and low cost. Wood chips, because of their rich composition of natural organic compounds, have also been shown to remove contaminants. Other scientists have also used sand to filter out microplastics, but its removal rate was low compared with biochar. We designed a biofiltration system using biochar and wood chips in a filter sock and placed it at the mouth of a drainage outlet. Then we collected stormwater runoff samples and measured the tire wear particles before and after the biofilters were in place during two storms over the span of two months. The concentration of tire wear particles was found to be significantly lower after the biofilter was in place. The unique elongated and jagged features of tire wear particles make it easy for them to get trapped or entangled in the pores of these materials during a storm event. Even the smallest tire wear particles were trapped in the intricate network of these materials. Using biomass filters in the future We believe this approach holds strong potential for scalability to mitigate tire wear particle pollution and other contaminants during rainstorms. Since biochar and wood chips can be generated from agricultural waste, they are relatively inexpensive and readily available to local communities. Long-term monitoring studies will be needed, especially in heavy traffic environments, to fully determine the effectiveness and scalability of the approach. The source of the filtering material is also important. There have been some concerns about whether raw farm waste that has not undergone pyrolysis could release organic pollutants. Like most filters, the biofilters would need to be replaced over time – with used filters disposed of properly – since the contaminants build up and the filters degrade. Plastic waste is harming the environment, the food people eat and potentially human health. We believe biofilters made from plant waste could be an effective and relatively inexpensive, environmentally friendly solution. Boluwatife S. Olubusoye is a PhD Candidate in Chemistry at the University of Mississippi. James V. Cizdziel is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Mississippi.
