A detailed analysis of the water quality of the River Colne has found evidence of 267 different micro pollutants. This report reflects two years of work on the part of the Colne Valley Fisheries Consultative sampling water and sediment taken from the River Colne in Watford and upstream to the headwaters.
The water quality in our rivers is very much in the news at the moment and we share the widespread concern being expressed across the country.
While much of the focus is on the discharge of untreated sewage and lack of long term investment in infrastructure, micro-pollutants are featuring more prominently in the wider debate.
This is an area requiring considerably more research, but it is already clear that the levels of contamination are alarmingly high and their range very broad indeed.
The Colne Valley Fisheries Consultative, which represents the interests of angling clubs and the environment in the Colne Valley, has just published a report, Micropollutants in the River Colne 2023. It was well placed to do this as it brings together water companies, local authorities, charities, anglers, conservationists, local residents and other stakeholders.
This is the first detailed look at the problem locally. The report sets out detailed analysis of samples of water and sediment taken from the River Colne in Watford, and upstream towards the headwaters. The samples were gathered over the last two years and analysed with the help of Affinity Water and Thames Water.
The headline is that traces of more than 267 different substances were detected in the sample zone, some of which are hazardous to the environment and to humans.
The zone is to the north of the Colne Valley Regional Park, but since it is immediately upstream there can be little doubt that the situation is likely to be similar here.
The research is an important first step towards getting a better understanding of how things stand at the moment and it remains a highly complex issue. Tony Booker, chairman of the Colne Valley Fisheries Consultative (CVFC) has been closely involved with the project and you can read his assessment of the situation and his explanation of what prompted the report here: The River Colne – A Toxic Soup of Chemicals?
We hope that funding can be found for further analysis across the Colne catchment, including the rivers, streams and waterways in the Colne Valley Regional Park itself.
Tony Booker beside a polluting outfall in West Drayton located where he fished as a boy and swam in the River Colne. The site is currently in a neglected condition and that outfall smells really bad.
