29 Mar 2023
The River Yare, a rare chalk stream, has had a range of improvements to benefit wildlife and improve water quality. Woody debris from trees was stacked along the riverbank to create ‘brash berms’. This technique will help to narrow the river and get it to a more natural state, after it was historically altered to […]
23 Feb 2023
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has demanded water companies share plans on improving Britain’s water infrastructure, a Defra press release has stated. The fresh move is part of the drive for better water quality, building on significant work with industry and regulators, allowing government to track progress of investment and new projects. The Environment Secretary has […]
23 Feb 2023
In his final speech on water, Sir James Bevan reflects on the debate around water quality over his seven years as Chief Executive. Achieving clean and plentiful water is “easy to say but hard to do”, Sir James Bevan said in a speech, entitled ‘Reflections on water: the good, the bad and the future’. He reiterated […]
15 Feb 2023
Durleigh wetlands driving water quality improvements Natural habitats helping to substantially reduce chemicals and boost water quality at Somerset reservoir As World Wetlands Day is celebrated, project continues to drive big drops in ammonia and phosphorus in nearby water courses Biodiversity increases by up to three-quarters and continues to climb as Wessex Water maintains push […]
17 Jan 2023
A popular beach has lost its coveted Blue Flag status due to a decline in bathing water quality. Saltburn was the only beach between Whitby and Sunderland to be given the internationally recognised certification in 2022, the BBC reported. However, its bathing water quality, based on Environment Agency samples, has fallen from “excellent” to “good”. […]
22 Dec 2022
New research led by the University of Stirling is to explore how pollution and climate change are impacting freshwater ecosystems for the first time. The study, which has been awarded funding of £2million from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), will investigate how pollutants interact with rivers and ecosystems, and devise a system to monitor and measure pollution. […]
22 Dec 2022
Scientists replicated a 1964 River Thames survey and found that mussel numbers have declined by almost 95%, with one species – the depressed river mussel – completely gone. The detailed study measured the change in size and number of all species of mussel in a stretch of the River Thames near Reading between 1964 and […]
15 Dec 2022
A new survey has revealed Scots’ fears over sewage pollution after untreated human waste was dumped in waterways 10,000 times in a year, a report in the Daily Record states. The research, conducted by Scottish Environment LINK, found litter pollution also high up the list of concerns. A total of 91 per cent of people polled said […]
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