Water Quality, The Environment Agencies and YOU!

Just how often have you paddled an otherwise fine bit of water and then found something like this:
- a sudden strong organic smell and a realisation that you are probably - or are very obviously! - paddling through something horrible;
- a pipe discharging volumes of a grey sewage effluent;
- fish floating belly-up, either in distress or dead;
- oil, or some other unexplained discolouration of the water;
- a suspicious tummy bug, mild or awful, the next day!

Many of us have have experienced each of these, and many of us are even used to it and think that because this is a rather crowded little island we have to put up with it. Just sit there and pretend you are on one of these fabulous rivers out in that wilderness canoes were designed for, and filter out the sight, smell and even taste of the mess around you!

We don’t have to put up with this, and in fact there are government funded organisations in the UK who are charged with protecting and improving water quality, dealing with polluters, and responding to our expectations as canoeists. Indeed they want to hear from us personally both about what we see, so that they can act upon that knowledge, and what we want them to do in the longer term.

The two organisations are the Environment Agency, covering England and Wales, and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. Of the two the Environment Agency has much wider responsibilities than water quality, such as over flood defence and as a navigation authority - but on water quality issues both organisations have the same interest.

Think of this - there were around six hundred members of the OCA by the end of last year. Think of the number of river miles we accumulated between us. Think of the variety of places we’ve been: from the muddy little Leadon through the white waters of the Dee and Usk, to the sluggish canals and rivers of the Midlands, the estuary of the Exe and the sea lochs of the West Highlands. The two Environment Agencies are responsible for water quality in all of these, and you are amongst the most immediate observers, and even the most intimate customers! We certainly have expectations, so lets voice them.

There are two ways to do this. The first is, immediately or as quickly as possible thereafter, to notify the Agency of anything obnoxious and potentially illegal we spot or experience, from the obvious spillage of farm slurry or oil, to the suspicious tummy bug or something worse. The interesting thing is that the Agencies oblige themselves to respond to such reports - it is one of the more basic statutory duties on them, to the point that they sometimes cannot act on something they otherwise know about until they get such a complaint! The Agencies make this very easy for us with a national free hot line which operates all hours on 0800 80 70 60. You can call this line about something you see anywhere in the UK and, if using a local land line it’ll be referred directly through to the local office concerned; if you are using a mobile or you’re calling from home after returning from a trip the message will be passed on. Obviously it helps to be able to give a precise location, such as an OS map reference, together with the name of the river. And it helps to report it quickly and give any other information which may allow the source to be found and dealt with. If you see something and you don’t know whether or not it’s legal, call up anyway - any message counts in getting our expectations across.

The second way is through a LEAP. ‘Local Environment Agency Plans’ are just that - plans which set out local priorities for the Agency concerned. Each LEAP (and there are 131 of them covering England and Wales) sets out targets and objectives for each separate watershed of rivers, canals, streams and lakes. The LEAPs evolve through consultation with members of the public. Its actually easy to get hold of the LEAP for any particular area - either call the Agency and ask for a copy or hunt it down at the local library. Its the same telephone number for the Environment Agency wherever you call from - 0645 333 111, and for the Scottish agency call 01786 457700. The internet web sites of the two Agencies are both very good ones and packed with a wealth of helpful information.

Currently the formal guidance to us from the Environment Agency, in a pamphlet apparently agreed with the BCU, is ‘avoid capsizing or swallowing water’ (oops! - I seriously failed on this last weekend and I wasn’t the only one - we were having fun!). Is this really good enough? Of course it isn’t! So look for the LEAP for your local area or favourite stretch of river and keep that hot line number handy.

So, remember, the HOT LINE number from anywhere within Scotland, England or Wales is:

0800 80 70 60

The Environment Agency’s web sites are: www.environment-agency.gov.uk
and for Wales: www.environment-agency.wales.gov.uk
and for telephone enquiries: 0645 333 111

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency’s site is: www.sepa.org.uk
and for telephone enquiries: 01786 457700