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New information from HS2/Align indicates a much greater risk of aquifer contamination than previously admitted.
Daily sewage releases into the river could continue into May, but work is underway to tackle groundwater infiltration into Chesham's sewers which is big contributor to this problem.
In March, Thames Water is beginning work to fix groundwater infiltration hotspots in Chesham's sewers.
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Storm Water Discharges Kill Fish
Jun 22, 2011
Discharging "storm water" into rivers, which includes untreated sewage, kills thousands of fish, as has been seen with recent pollution incidents on the rivers Thames and Arun:
Thousands of River Thames Fish Killed by Storm Sewage - BBC News, 8 June 2011
Fish Die in River Arun 'Sewage Spill' in West Sussex - BBC News, 16 June 2011
These incidents occur when sewage and storm water drains are combined and the flow becomes so great that sewage treatment plants exceed their storage and processing capacity. With the existing infrastructure, there is no alternative but to discharge the excess storm water and sewage into rivers and coastal areas. This action is legal and is covered by consents from Government. In recent years, the River Chess has experienced a number of these discharges from the Chesham Sewage Treatment Works, operated by Thames Water, putting the river ecosystem at risk. The latest incidents on the Thames and Arun are a graphic reminder of what could happen on the Chess.
We do appreciate that Thames Water are working to alleviate this problem on the high profile River Thames with their Super Sewer and we support their overall objectives. However, we feel that smaller rivers like the Chess are being overlooked.
The practice of discharging "storm water" must be stopped on all rivers and coastal outlets or we will see many more of these incidents. The River Chess is extremely vulnerable this year because of very low flow rates. We will remain vigilant and continue to pressure Thames Water to upgrade the Chesham Sewage Treatment Works. We need Government to assist by addressing the general issue of storm water discharges in the Water White Paper.
In recent months Thames Water has volunteered to provide the River Chess Association with immediate notification of storm water discharges, which will allow our trained Riverfly Monitors to attend the scene and measure the effect on the environment. Since this system has been in place we have not had a notification from Thames Water.
We do have sympathy with Thames Water, as they are working within the legal consents established by the Government. So, as these incidents increase and more fish are killed, the blame can be laid squarely at Government's door. We are continually surprised by Government's lack of willingness to address this glaringly obvious problem; this should be a key point in the Water White Paper. Government should be proactive not reactive. We need to see intent from Government to phase out this practice with a clear, manageable timeframe for it being stopped. We need zero tolerance and a much tougher stance from the Environment Agency.
We continue to lobby Government along with other organizations to get this stopped:
World Wildlife Fund (Rivers on the Edge campaign)
Paul Jennings, RCA Chairman, commented, "These recent incidents on the Rivers Thames and Arun are a graphic example of what we are guarding against on the River Chess. We hope that Government will address this in the Water White Paper and establish a timetable to phase out this odious practice of Storm Water Discharge consents."
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