“The Evenlode waters used to be crystal clear, then, one summer it seemed, they turned to look like oxtail soup. It is still obvious something is very wrong.” John Pratt – Catchment Champion for the ECP
I’m sure that many of you will have watched the very disturbing series 'Dirty Business’ on channel 4 recently. If you haven’t, please do find the time to do so. It tells the true story of Ashley Smith and Peter Hammond (Windrush Against Sewage Pollution WASP) gradually unearthing the appalling state of Thames Water’s sewage treatment works and the gradual poisoning of our cherished watercourses and beaches. It is an upsetting watch, but we all need to open our eyes, see what is happening and do something about it.
%20March%202021%20(1).JPG)
Water Quality
The Evenlode Catchment Partnership (ECP) vision is to return the Evenlode catchment to ‘good ecological status’. Our focus is on addressing key environmental challenges like raw sewage spills and pollution, which severely impact local biodiversity and human health.
Our volunteer citizen scientists test nutrients, Nitrogen and Phosphorous, through the Fresh Water Watch programme, and river health through riverfly surveying. Around 270 sites are sampled monthly for water quality. The picture for water quality hasn’t changed since starting to monitor in 2016, but we have refined our understanding of the main sources of pollution. Although the public outcry is over the discharging of raw sewage – and who can blame anyone thinking it is unbelievable that this disgusting practice is allowed to happen in high rainfall events – we have discovered that it is the chronic pollution from treated effluent that is causing the most damage.
The nineteen sewage treatment works pumping out treated effluent are a far worse pollution threat. The effluent from most of the catchment’s sewage treatment works does not have phosphate removed, and these works pump out high levels of phosphate and nitrate twice a day. We have shown from our sampling that this has its most damaging impact in times of low flow during the summer months, when the receiving streams have little dilution effect. It is no wonder that the rivers remain the colour of oxtail soup for so much of the warmer months.
Our positive message is that the local communities are realising the reasons for poor water quality and are volunteering to help monitor this and to lobby the government for change. We have also extended our monitoring to testing for e coli.
There is a chink of good news, we have been told that Milton under Wychwood sewage treatment works capacity is being increased and will be getting the facility to strip phosphate installed, we do not know when this will be completed, but it is a step in the right direction.
Environmental and Natural Flood Management Projects
Our wide-ranging projects have been dedicated to enhancing water quality, improving flood management, enriching biodiversity, and fostering greater community engagement in the Evenlode catchment.
We have been very fortunate and have received funding from the Water Restoration Fund and we are using this to deliver projects across the catchment. This does not cover all our costs so we are having to raise further funds ourselves in order to carry out the much needed improvements.
Next Steps
With this in mind, we are launching the Earth Raise Fund through the Big Give which will run from 22nd-29thApril 2026. Your donations will make all the difference and enable us to carry on this amazing work. Look on the ECP website during that week when the appealgoes live to donate, and Big Give will match any donations. That's why we've set ourselves the ambitous target of £20,000.
How You Can Help
· Donate to support the ECP and restore the Evenlode: Rescuing the River Evenlode – Big Give
· Become a citizen scientist
· Help from home
· Visit our website to learn more at www.evenlodecatchment.org.uk
.jpg){kind=small}