Sewage in our Rivers

Last year, we asked you to tell us how you use rivers recreationally - and how this might change if rivers were cleaner. 1,267 of you responded, helping us to generate data which will prove an invaluable tool in demonstrating the need and demand for cleaner, healthier rivers. So, without further ado, we'll let the stats do the talking.

More than half of the survey respondents did not realise that there are no strict regulations preventing untreated sewage being released into rivers. As a result, it's entirely possible that these people are unknowingly putting themselves at risk every time they spend time in and around rivers.

It's also worth noting that this survey was distributed through both our own network, and through specific freshwater recreation networks. You would assume that the respondents, therefore, have a greater level of knowledge surrounding rivers than the average person - and yet there are still so many people who don't realise that our rivers are effectively being used as open sewers.

It's no surprise that 85% of people surveyed would feel safer taking the plunge if they could verify a river's cleanliness using designated bathing water status. Spending time in and around rivers always carries a risk, and rivers will never be as clean as the water you use to fill up your bath, but minimising that risk is incredibly important.

Spending time in blue spaces—rivers, canals, lakes and beaches, for example—has been shown to benefit mental health even more greatly than spending time in green spaces. Giving rivers bathing water status would encourage more people to use them, acting as a type of nature-based prescription. The impacts of this could be huge!

At present, there is no sure-fire way for river users to find out if their local river is polluted with sewage or not. We don't think this is right! We believe everybody should be able to make safe, informed choices about whether or not they should enter a river.

We asked survey respondents to tell us how they check that their river is safe to enter. Over 56% of people rely on sight or smell to check river cleanliness. While these methods can help you to make a decision about how polluted a waterway is, they should not be a replacement for accurate, real-time monitoring of sewage outfalls. A river can appear or smell clean, despite the fact that sickness-inducing sewage pollution lurks just beneath the surface.

A whopping 89% of people believe that water companies should be stopped from discharging sewage into popular recreational rivers, and a further 7% believe that discharges should only be allowed under specific circumstances.

Clearly, there is a real desire for cleaner, healthier rivers - but just how many people want bathing water status given to well-used rivers?

90% OF PEOPLE!

We asked people if they would support the introduction of bathing water standards for rivers, regardless of their personal interest in using them. 90% of people said yes. Just 3% of people said no, and a further 7% said it would depend on other factors.

Clearly, when it comes to the opinion of the general public, there is no reason to hold back on giving bathing water status to more rivers across the nation... but what about Parliament?

Okay, so it's clear that people want cleaner rivers, and lots of MPs are willing to support this - but just how likely is that? Let's take a look at some other countries in Europe to see how they're faring.

The graph below shows the 32 designated bathing waters in German rivers; 76 in Polish rivers; and a whopping 420 in French rivers.

Struggling to spot England on the chart? That's because we only have one designated bathing water in a river. Even this is a total victory; if we had produced this graph at the same time in 2020, there would have been nothing to show.  Campaigners at Ilkley  fought long and hard to secure bathing water status in part of the River Wharfe—and we hope this metaphorical snowflake will lead to an avalanche of newly designated bathing waters in rivers across the UK.

Our vision is wild, healthy, natural rivers, valued by all. With your help, we can make this a reality. Together, for rivers.

We have been campaigning for cleaner rivers since our creation in 2004. Until cleaner rivers become a reality, we will continue to fight to ensure that people can make informed decisions about where they swim, paddle, catch and play. Our fantastic data team are constantly striving to make this data accessible to the public. Keep scrolling to find out more about sewage releases in your area.

Alongside our local Trusts, we are pushing for a more holistic approach to water management—involving a wide range of organisations in order to manage storm water and waste more intelligently. As part of this, we are pursuing the widespread deployment of Nature Based Solutions with multiple benefits for the environment and society as a whole.

To continue fighting for rivers, we need your help.

•  DONATE   TODAY  if you are able to. Donations ensure that we are able to keep fighting to make data on river pollution available to the public. Monthly donations help us to plan ahead and proactively seek out action needed to protect and enhance our rivers, and one-off donations are always hugely appreciated.
•  SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER  if you want to stay up to date on our campaigns.
•  SIGN THE PETITION  to enshrine nature's recovery in law.
• FOLLOW US ON  TWITTER ,  FACEBOOK  and  INSTAGRAM  to help us spread the word about the importance of rivers - and the severity of the threats facing them.

To help people make informed decisions about where they swim, our data and evidence team have fought to make statistics on sewage discharges accessible to the public. Since then, our Sewage Map has been featured in print, press and broadcast. Check your local river on the map below - but be warned, you might not like what you find out...