The state of the River Sid is not nearly as bad as many other rivers – but, there is not a stretch of river in England which is classed as in good or high condition overall – the Rivers Trust having just issued a report showing that Britain’s rivers are in a ‘desperate state’:
Waterways are being poisoned by pollution from agriculture, the water industry and road runoff, according to a report. The Rivers Trust said there had been little change since the last report in 2019, despite several attempts to tackle the problem from government.
The Rivers Trust has created an interactive map showing the ecological health score of each stretch of UK river – as reported today by the Daily Mail:
This score looks broadly at what is living in the river and how modified the waterway has been by humans. In general, the Rivers Trust notes that the absence or abundance of species is a good indication of the overall health of the river.
These scores are graded on a scale from high, shown in dark blue, to bad, which is shown in red. As you can see by the vast amount of red over the map, the majority of the UK’s waterways are in ecological condition that is moderate or worse. Zooming in, the map reveals even more detail…
For even more detailed analysis you can follow the link to the Catchment Data Explorer to learn more about the levels of invertebrates and chemicals in the water. The Rivers Trust’s ‘State of our Rivers Report’ examined the ecological and chemical health of the UK’s waterways to give each stretch of water a combined health score. Out of England’s 3,553 stretches of river, not a single one achieved a combined score of good or high for health, neither did any river in Ireland.
There is a lot of information available, including sewage in our rivers – as the Rivers Trust notes on another of its interactive maps: Is my river fit to play in? Home in on the Sid Valley for more information:
This map shows where the sewerage network discharges treated sewage and overflows of untreated sewage and storm water into rivers in England & Wales in 2022… Click the icons below to find out more about the different types of sewage discharges and the associated risks.
Here is a screenshot of the Sid and its discharge points:
With more from the general and professional media:
British and Irish rivers in desperate state from pollution, report reveals | Rivers | The Guardian
Rivers Trust pushes for action on chemicals – Utility Week
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