Wild swimming? Think again

Urmstongran

I wouldn’t want to dive in an break my neck on one Kali2. A trolley.
Not an otter (natch).

me neither, but we are talking about swimming here, not diving from cliffs (although, come to think of it ... metaphors and all that ....)

Whitewavemark2

I have someone coming to dinner in a minute who is quite high up in the EA. If I get a chance I will pick some brains.

I'd wait until after the chocolate desert to talk about sewage WWM2! Sorry!
My eldest son is environmental geologist and his company is very particular about returning the environment to how it was or an even better state after all projects have been undertaken.

I have someone coming to dinner in a minute who is quite high up in the EA. If I get a chance I will pick some brains.

I wouldn’t want to dive in an break my neck on one Kali2. A trolley.
Not an otter (natch).

Provision of water should NOT be profit making

It does seem to be a multifaceted problem.

And it si not just about 'wild swimming' but about clean drinking water next!

Shopping trollies actually do not 'pollute' the water much! A few years ago we had wild otters in our town, and they spent hours playing in and out of a discarded shopping trolley in the river.

Urmstongran

The UK has a lot of coastline. Over 8,000 miles of it and stretching 22miles out to sea. For one country to manage, is that more than the 27 EU countries sharing what’s around their jurisdiction? Genuine question.

If it is, maybe it’s too expensive to upkeep to the same standard. I’ve no idea.

Sorry, but 'you have no idea' is correct. It is about raw sewage being deliberately allowed to enter the water- because of water treatment chemicals, imported from EU, being in very short supply, and possibly very expensive for those PRIVATE water companies and their shareholders.

I think pollution of the waters has been exacerbated by climate change too Urmstongran. It is coming from all angles.

Callistemon

I think that article was published in 2013, Urmstongran.

Our local river has become green since then.

Yes, it is happening with amazing speed now due to the
increasing population which puts extra pressure on to the water supply and sewage treatment infrastructure. Devon is a prime example where housing development is booming, made greater by city escapees during covid, but little consideration is being given to the toll on natural environments. And yes, I believe the water rates are amongst the highest in the country.

Oh yes! Oh well, I’ve never gone wild swimming in my life so I dare say I won’t be bothering now anyway.

Hasn’t pollution always been a problem. ... supermarket trolleys submerged for example? I’d be too scared.

I think that article was published in 2013, Urmstongran.

Our local river has become green since then.

We pays loads of money to these water companies

www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/may/10/wild-swimming-uk-10-top-rivers-pools

So chemicals are still available if asked for then - running low?

So are you now 'convinced'?

This is a useful link with information for wild swimmers: www.wildswimming.co.uk/quick-guide-water-quality/

The UK has a lot of coastline. Over 8,000 miles of it and stretching 22miles out to sea. For one country to manage, is that more than the 27 EU countries sharing what’s around their jurisdiction? Genuine question.

If it is, maybe it’s too expensive to upkeep to the same standard. I’ve no idea.

Just when I think the tories cannot make my jaw drop any more, they manage to do just that. Disgusting and unbelievable.

Also linked of course to the shortage of HGV drivers, also directly linked to Brexit and the UK 'getting rid' of said drivers from Eastern Europe and who are now refusing to return on short contracts!

This was on 9th of September, and the article mentions running out of the necessary chemicals in 2 weeks from then! Situation is now critical.

''The Environment Agency has said firms must prioritise using the chemicals they have to treat effluent that will have the greatest potential to cause environmental harm. It has issued conditions that treatment works must comply with, and said companies must contact the agency if they think they will have to break compliance rules and if they expect to run out of chemicals within two weeks.''

Baggs

growstuff

Baggs

Kali2

And yes, it is directly related to Brexit - and the fact that Johnson and co are prepared to protect the big businesses that now run those essential Water Companies.

Southern Water has been rubbish for at least a couple of decades.

Rape and murder (and other horrendous crimes) have been going on for longer than a couple of decades. Is that any reason to accept them and not try to do anything about them?

Who said anything about accepting? My point is that saying it's the fault of Brexit in this instance is not something I find convincing.

The direct link is the impending shortage of chemicals for water treatment which are imported from Europe. How is that 'not convincing'?

We now know that the government is not worried about the populations health, biodiversity or animal welfare.

It’s response is to say let the market find the level, the state should interfere as little as possible.

Well as far as I’m concerned the market should not have free reign over our rivers or seas or nature.

We know that without regulation we end up with dead waterways and polluted seas.

We already have some rivers that are effectively dead because of uncontrolled run off from farms which eventually finds itself in the sea.

The green slime which many people take to be a form of seaweed is in fact an algae blooming as a result of nitrate run off.

The list of illnesses we can catch from sewerage is as long as your arm ranging from ear and skin infections to E. coli or typhoid.

The current government is forever telling us what a marvellous world beating nation we are - the envy of the world, while at the same time they are doing their best to destroy everything that made it so enviable.

Baggs

growstuff

Baggs

Kali2

And yes, it is directly related to Brexit - and the fact that Johnson and co are prepared to protect the big businesses that now run those essential Water Companies.

Southern Water has been rubbish for at least a couple of decades.

Rape and murder (and other horrendous crimes) have been going on for longer than a couple of decades. Is that any reason to accept them and not try to do anything about them?

Who said anything about accepting? My point is that saying it's the fault of Brexit in this instance is not something I find convincing.

Brexit has allowed the UK to reject EU attempts to improve water quality. The UK doesn't even have to pretend any more.

Callistemon

ITV has made a series about this:

www.itv.com/news/central/2021-10-19/itvnews-investigation-environment-river-pollution-whats-killing-the-wye

I saw some of that the other day. Very worrying.