DIRTY OLD RIVER – find out more

1. This picture is on the excellent Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) site. It’s well worth a read:

Sewage pollution | windrushwasp

2. The research paper that started the furore about illegal sewage discharges was written by one of their members, Prof Peter Hammond.  Be warned – it’s heavy going. Downloadable via:

(PDF) Detection of untreated sewage discharges to watercourses using machine learning (researchgate.net)

3. More accessible is his report submitted to Parliament:  https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/22501/pdf/
4. Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee reported on 13th Jan 2021:

Water quality in rivers – Environmental Audit Committee (parliament.uk).

They say that “rivers in England are in a mess. A ‘chemical cocktail’ of sewage, agricultural waste, and plastic is polluting the waters of many of the country’s rivers. Water companies appear to be dumping untreated or partially treated sewage in rivers on a regular basis, often breaching the terms of permits that on paper only allow them to do this in exceptional circumstances. Farm slurry and fertiliser run off is choking rivers with damaging algal blooms. Single use plastic sanitary products—often coated with chemicals that can harm aquatic life—are clogging up drains and sewage works and creating ‘wet wipe reefs’ in rivers. Revolting ‘fatbergs’ as big as blue whales are being removed from sewers, costing companies and their customers in the region of £100 million a year. Not a single river in England has received a clean bill of health for chemical contamination. Disturbing evidence suggests they are becoming breeding grounds for antimicrobial resistance.”

Local residents gather outside the notorious Dorking Sewage Works

5. Guardian news item which emphasises the role of the Environment Agency: Raw sewage breaches in UK rivers 10 times greater than watchdog estimates | Rivers | The Guardian
6. Find out more about Thames Water spills. And check spills on other R Mole sites:

EDM Return Thames Water Annual 2020.xlsx

7. What’s OFWAT, the Water Services Regulation Authority, doing about it? They’ve been investigating since November 2021. DCE has sent them a Freedom of information request re spill data along the length of the Mole Valley.

Investigation into sewage treatment works – Ofwat

8. Get the data: v useful site with lots of links re catchment areas of the Mole: for the area around Gatwick:

Mole Upper Trib Operational Catchment | Catchment Data Explorer

for the area around Dorking:

Mole Management Catchment | Catchment Data Explorer

Any thoughts / reactions / queries / comments? Email contact@dorking-climate-emergency.net

NB:  We haven’t read all this info yet & welcome your comments.

Come to our meeting on Feb 11th at Old School Pixham, 7.30 for 8.