Water quality still often poor

RESEARCHERS SAY STANDARDS IN MANY RIVERS ARE UNACCEPTABLE

SCIENTISTS and charities have poured cold water on recent claims water quality in British rivers is “better than at any time since the end of the Industrial Revolution”.

Although progress has been made in reducing some pollutants over the past three decades, a new study shows a mixed picture.

Available water quality data indicate that rivers downstream from major towns and cities have seen improvements in the levels of some pollutants, but local pressures remain, often from combined sewer overflows.

In addition, many new pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products, are likely to be on the rise.

A comprehensive review of the Industrial Revolution claim in the journal Science of the Total Environment, was written by researchers from the universities of Leicester, Durham, Cardiff, Bristol, York and Stirling as well as WWF-UK, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, The Rivers Trust, The Angling Trust, and the USA’s Ronin Institute.

Mick Whelan, Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Leicester, said: “Data for many pollutants show concentrations are, indeed, likely to be lower than they were in the 1960s and 70s.

“However, we have very little understanding about the impacts of many contaminants because we don’t look for them routinely.”

The authors of the study said water quality is still “unacceptably poor” in multiple areas across the UK, and there are signs that recent progress to tackle pollution has stalled.

They called for urgent improvements to water quality in many rivers and streams, as well as enhancements to monitoring.