Why clean water is an important part of the climate discussion

We need more accountability and bigger fines

Sewage discharges surged by over a third in 2020 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Water quality has been a major topic this summer, hitting the national headlines multiple times, and for good reason - which I’ll come on to - but let’s be clear about why campaigning for clean water is an important part of the climate discussion.

Clean freshwater is essential for human life, but 1.1 billion people lack access to water and it’s been predicted that by 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population may be facing water shortages. This snapshot is through a global lens but what we’re witnessing across the UK is a microcosm of the wider issue. We are, after all, connected by the same water.

As a paddleboarder I’ve witnessed first hand the shocking state of our waterways and the impact it’s having on the ecosystems that rely on them to survive. This is what prompted me to set up Planet Patrol in 2016, an environmental non-profit designed to address pressing issues like water health using citizen science.

Major investigations

Nothing says ‘sewage scandal’ like water companies, regulators and governments all placed under investigation by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP). It was announced in June that the roles of Ofwat, Environment Agency (EA) and Defra Secretary of State will be reviewed to determine whether these authorities failed to comply with their respective duties relating to the regulation of combined sewage overflows. If failings are identified, it will likely prompt a review of existing legislation in order to improve water quality long term.

Presence of poliovirus

Then there was the presence of poliovirus detected in water at a sewage treatment plant in London. The virus can be transmitted by ingesting water and exposure to faecal matter, so the media had a feeding frenzy and the public has hit panic stations - but who can blame them?

In 2021 alone, 10 water companies covering England discharged raw sewage into rivers 372,544 times totalling more than 2.6 million hours (or 297 calendar years). Of these untreated discharges, 25,000 were directly into designated coastal bathing waters (i.e. the places we are led to believe are safe to swim). And, in that same year, those same 10 companies collectively made £2.8 billion in operating profits and paid £27 million in bonuses to senior execs.

But, chances are, we’re all potentially swimming, paddling and letting our kids dip their toes in water that could be contaminated with a deadly virus.

Corporate prosecution for river pollution

And finally, we saw what looked like good news. A £1.52 million fine was given to Dairy Crest - the parent company of brands like Davidstow Cheddar and Cathedral City and the official cheese supplier to the Queen - for 21 offences of river pollution spanning five years from 2016 to 2021.

In that time, Dairy Crest released harmful biocides into Cornwall’s River Inny. killing thousands of fish, coated it with noxious black sludge for 5km and consistently exceeded limits on substances like phosphorus and suspended solids.

An environmental victory, you might say? The fine, which was the largest ever awarded for an EA conviction in the South West, isn’t quite the coup you might first assume.

A bit of quick maths and some closer inspection reveals that the fine equates to just £71,428 per offence or £300,000 a year. It’s not much, especially when you look at Dairy Crest’s finances. Gross profits for 2021 showed revenues were $14,240 million Canadian dollars (£9,139 million).

That fine is nothing more than a slap on the wrist; the cost of business. If you compare it with corporate offending, such as data protection, financial conduct, competition law or consumer protection, fine levels are routinely in the tens or even hundreds of millions.

Isn’t damage to the environment as important (if not more so) than these other industries? Then, why aren’t the companies responsible for deliberately polluting our rivers paying out at a similar (or higher) price.

More accountability and bigger fines

All three of these incidents boil down to the same required outcome: better monitoring, more accountability and increased fine guidelines. Ultimately this comes down to the value government and society places on the environment - which has been shifting in a positive direction - and therefore the fine levels should reflect this.

My hope is that the EOP investigation will reveal the woeful inadequacies of environmental penalisations and this is addressed with more ambitious legislation.

We need to see more examples of #polluterpays for environmental offending but these fines need to hit where it hurts to be a real deterrent, and truly reflect the extent of the damage they cause. And, only then might we start to see real impact on corporate behaviour and a noticeable reduction in water pollution.

Despite the progressively worsening state of our waterways, the UK government has reduced funding to the Environment Agency, the regulatory body, by two thirds in the last ten years - from £120 million in 2009 to just £40 million in 2020.

This has triggered a reduction in water monitoring and sampling. Between 2013 and 2019 the number of water quality samples taken by the EA fell by 45 per cent from 160,000 to 87,000. In the same time period the number of sampling points reduced by nearly 40 per cent, from 10,797 to 5,696 sites.

Planet Patrol’s water quality testing

At Planet Patrol we’ve been working hard to develop a scientifically robust programme to address the lack of data available on water quality across the UK, with a view to setting ambitious standards based on near real-time insight.

Earlier this year, we launched a citizen science water quality testing pilot enabling the general public from a non-scientific background to volunteer and play their part in groundbreaking research.

Volunteers spread geographically across the UK tested water health by collecting water samples from their local waterways and recording their findings in the Planet Patrol app, helping us to create an initial baseline of key pollutants.

What happens next?

Once the pilot phase is completed in the coming months, Planet Patrol will launch its national water quality testing programme: ‘What Lies Beneath’.

It will be the largest, most comprehensive people-powered data collection survey of its kind, capturing data on five key pollutants affecting the health of our waterways.

The goal?

To build a rigorous dataset on a national scale that can help fill data gaps, provide real-time insights on water quality to water users and set more ambitious standards for water quality across the UK .

How to get involved? Sign up here and we’ll keep you updated with developments.

This article was originally published in The Independent’s Climate Warrior newsletter. To sign up to the free weekly newsletter, written every Wednesday in turn by Lizzie Carr MBE, Dale Vince, Mitzi Jonelle and Mikaela Loach, visit our newsletters page or add your email to the box at the top of this article.