Every three years, the Rivers Trust, release a report of the state of our rivers in the UK, and unfortunately it doesn't make for good reading.
The Rivers Trust are the umbrella organisation for our 65 member Rivers Trusts across Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland, compiling information about our rivers and conversation efforts.
The latest report, published earlier this year details some worrying facts.
Water Pollution Crisis
The data provides clear evidence that a water pollution crisis in the UK and we need to make changes fast to protect our water for future generations.
- No single stretch of river in England or Northern Ireland is in good overall health.
- Just 15% of English, 31% of Northern Irish and 50% of Irish river stretches reach good ecological health standards.
- Toxic chemicals that remain in ecosystems for decades pollute every stretch of English rivers.
Pollution Sources
We firstly need to look at the various sources of pollution including sewage, urban, agricultural and industrial.
In the chart below we can see both agriculture and the water industry are large contributors to water water pollution, but a significant number of failures are unattributed.
What can you do to help?
In the report the Rivers Trust have suggested a wide variety of solutions to the crisis, however much of this is at governance level however as individuals and businesses we can make an impact by doing our bit to protect the environment from pollution incidents.
How can we help you?
We encourage our customers to consider the impact they may have on the environment should a spill occur on site. Having a robust spill response procedure and regular risk assessments for fluids used on site will help prevent pollution incidents.
If you would like help understanding your spill risks on site, please get in touch with the Spillcraft team on 01606 352 679. Our free spill survey helps customers understand your hazard potential, and the solutions available. Read more about our free spill survey here
For more information about the Rivers Trust report, you can read the full details here