Watershed Investigations

26/10/2024

Lead, benzenes, PAHs and PFAS - a rare old toxic cocktail we allow our children to be exposed to whenever they play on an artificial pitch.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/15/athletes-higher-pfas-levels-artificial-turf

02/10/2024

02/10/2024

Summary: In an ambitious effort to assess water quality across the River Mole catchment, teams from River Mole River Watch, the Wey Rangers, and the South East Rivers Trust collaborated on a comprehensive E. coli sampling day. Samples were collected from various locations, with the results later ana...

02/10/2024

02/10/2024

Finally… not only is it an unreasonable risk to our health, it’s sick that those in power are using our community drinking water to administer a substance to achieve a medical result!

This is a great victory for humanity!

Community Water System Managers… turn it OFF now!

25/09/2024

We've expose that over 100 tonnes of a banned carcinogenic 'forever chemical' has been emitted into the environment around the AGC factory in the NW of England. If you live around the area it would be good to be in touch. The Environment Agency and UKHSA are now investigating, most likely because of our testing exposing these emissions. Please see below our TV piece on ITV News and the article in the Guardian.

https://www.itv.com/news/2024-09-24/residents-near-chemical-factory-told-to-wash-and-peel-homegrown-vegetables

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/24/residents-near-lancashire-chemicals-plant-told-to-wash-homegrown-produce

Exclusive: council issues advisory as investigation begins and documents reveal estimates of PFOA emissions

04/09/2024

Watershed Investigations compiled a top 100 of methane releasing sites in the UK & loaded data onto the map below, the bigger the dot, the higher the emissions.

The huge disc across South corresponds to Aberpergwm colliery, near Glynneath.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/sep/03/uk-methane-hotspots-landfills-last-coalmine

"Methane is a powerful and short-lived greenhouse gas, with a lifetime of about a decade and Global Warming Potential about 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere."

https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/energy/facts-about-methane #:~:text=Methane%20is%20a%20powerful%20and%20short-lived%20greenhouse%20gas,%20with%20a

27/08/2024

Are you a living in the UK? 🏊‍♂️🇬🇧

Have you experienced any health issues after a river (or lake) swim in the past 2 weeks? Or not?

Either way, tell us about it and help inform public health research. It takes 10 minutes, or less.

Take part now: https://bit.ly/freshwater-swim-survey

To find out more: https://www.ecehh.org/news/health-freshwater-bathing/

Wild Swimming

Friends of the Dart Surfers Against Sewage Watershed Investigations Wild Swimming Club Northern Ireland Open Water Swimming Swim walks

26/08/2024

"Turn outrage into action" ~ Feargal Sharkey tells Rachel Salvidge why he's calling on people to in our latest Watershed Investigations podcast.

The inimitable Mr Sharkey talks dithering, delay, double speak and deception in our new episode - out now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.



WildFish River Action UK Take Back Water

24/08/2024

The climate crisis is here, and more shareholder payouts from water companies won't save us.

70% of Sicily is at risk of desertification and most of the island's lakes are almost dry.

This is a warning to invest in a climate-resilient water system before it's too late.

06/08/2024

Which chemical nasties are poisoning our rivers and groundwater? In our article in today's The Guardian we talk chemical cocktails with Dave Goulson Nick Measham WildFish South East Rivers Trust



CHEM Trust Nicola Cutcher ChemSec Royal Society of Chemistry River Action UK

01/08/2024

The E.coli test results are in for the 18th July 2024 and mark a year of us carrying our monthly e. coli tests in the stretch of the River Great Ouse.

E. coli levels spiked following heavy rain in the 5 days prior to testing at 21mm (highest level in the lead up to a test since December, according to recordings by one of our volunteers, a retired meteorology technician for the army).

We also know (see below post) that storm overflows were triggered in the days leading up to the test, including Bedford's CSO which had been spilling for at least 17 hours and 43 minutes as at 21.26 on the 16th July.

In the absence of any heavy rain, we had expected the levels of E. coli to remain within safety limits at most sites except for downstream of 's main storm overflow at Bedford Allen Bridge so this month's test highlights how quickly the water quality can change and the importance of real-time monitors.

15/07/2024

Who is playing the fiddle while North Carolina burns? That would be North Carolina’s Environmental Management Commission (EMC). Why do we care about the EMC right now? This 15-member commission is responsible for approving state-level PFAS surface water and groundwater quality standards. Having health-protective standards ensures the lakes, rivers, and groundwater we use for fishing, farming, and drinking water are protected from dangerous levels of PFAS contamination. It would rightfully place the burden on polluters who profit from PFAS to control their toxic releases–instead of forcing communities to unfairly pay the clean-up costs.

Members of the EMC are appointed by the Governor, the Senate Pro Tempore, the Speaker of the House, and the Commissioner of Agriculture. Historically, the Governor controlled the majority of appointments to the EMC because the state constitution requires the executive branch to oversee implementing laws passed by the legislature. However, last year the Republican-controlled state legislature stripped two appointments from Gov. Cooper (D) and gave this authority to the Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxler (R).

Gov. Cooper has been fighting this power grab within the courts since last year. While this plays out through the legal system, Troxler’s new appointments immediately sided with the state legislature appointments, shifting the power of the EMC away from Gov. Cooper.

Read our latest blog post about how this new EMC could increase your water bills and appears to be protecting companies like Chemours at the expense of small business owners. Click here: https://www.cleancapefear.org/dailyfilter/5g7szdec2sjc6l22amelgwpssy3kks