The Impact of Sewage Contamination on British Waterways

Beneath the gloomy seas off southern England, 400 million mussels encrust ropes hanging from buoys dotted over an area the size of the country’s biggest airport. Almost 5 km (3 miles) from shore at its nearest point, Europe’s largest offshore mussel farm was built by the Holmyard family in Lyme Bay, where they believed it would be free of the millions of gallons of sewage pumped into UK waters each year.

But even this far offshore, harmful bacteria such as E.coli can pollute the water, blocking exports to continental Europe for weeks and damaging the prospects of a business producing sustainable food. “It’s criminal that they’re allowed to dump what they dump in the seas and get away with it,” sales manager Sarah Holmyard said during a visit to the farm. “It’s affecting all sorts of businesses, including us.”

Challenges Faced by the Shellfish Industry

While Britain’s shellfish industry is small, the problems faced by the Holmyards underscore how failings with the most basic services in British society such as water and sewage can harm the broader economy. Clean water campaigners have started to marshal opposition against planning applications, believing that’s more likely to pressure the government into fixing the sewage system than current efforts focusing on the harm caused to biodiversity.

The pumping of sewage into rivers and seas has become a major scandal in Britain. Privatised water companies have been accused of prioritising dividends over investment and dumping sewage in waterways when its ailing infrastructure cannot cope. The pollution has deterred wild water swimmers, angered surfers, prompted warnings about toxic blue-green algal blooms in lakes and created an army of people who have become experts on water quality after they noticed changes in waterways.

The Environmental Impact

British sewers mostly combine rainwater with wastewater. During exceptional rainfalls, water companies can make “spills” into waterways to prevent sewers from becoming overwhelmed. South West Water, which provides water and sewerage services in the county of Devon by the Holmyard’s farm, discharged sewage for 530,737 hours in 2023 – an 83% jump on 2022 making it one of the worst performers in England, Environment Agency data show.

The sight of sewage and litter on beaches and in rivers has driven thousands of people to protest. Sally Burtt-Jones was one of the founders of SOS Whitstable, part of a network of groups that stage protests, test local water and campaign for legislative change. John Reeve, a Surfers Against Sewage representative in the northeastern seaside town of Saltburn, has worked with local officials and studied the geology to understand how to control rainwater as storms become heavier due to climate change.

Conclusion

The pollution of waterways in Britain due to sewage contamination has far-reaching consequences, impacting industries such as shellfish farming, tourism, and construction. It is imperative for the government and water companies to address these issues to protect public health, the environment, and the economy. By investing in infrastructure upgrades and implementing stricter regulations, the UK can work towards cleaner waterways and a more sustainable future for all.