The Thames

The Problem

Thousands of people use the River Thames each year for recreational watersports. While much of the river has benefited from anti-pollution measures that have made some stretches of the river much cleaner and more attractive to wildlife, other parts are getting worse.

The Tideway section in particular is suffering from huge discharges of raw sewage into the River as sewage treatment works fail to cope with flows of wastewater going into the works, particularly at times when rainfall is intense. This has led to frequent use of storm sewer overflows. Large fish kills have resulted in the Tideway section and rowers in particular have been concerned about their health when using the Thames at these times.

The Solution

SAS would like to see more consideration giving to the health of those using the river for recreation through improvements to sewage treatment works in the problem areas. The over reliance of storm sewer overflows is unacceptable and they should be the exception rather than the rule. Capacity at treatment works need improving and projects where wastewater and sewage are separated to encourage sustainability and water should be developed. More information should be provided to water users so they can get more up to date information on water quality in the river.

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