The Oxford Rivers Portal, a web site and map that goals to assist folks perceive the well being of the Thames and its tributaries in Oxfordshire and make knowledgeable selections about safer river situations, has been launched right this moment (9 September) by environmental charities the Rivers Belief and Thames21 and analysis institute the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).
The launch of the Oxford Rivers Portal follows growing public concern over the state of England’s rivers, in addition to a development in curiosity in wild swimming and watersports.
On a single map, it brings collectively dwell uncooked sewage spill alerts, water high quality measurements taken by the Surroundings Company and citizen scientists, water ranges, flood warnings, micro organism measurements at bathing water websites and sewage remedy charges* at each Oxfordshire’s designated bathing waters, Port Meadow in Oxford and Wallingford Seaside. Customers can zoom in and click on on any of greater than 2,000 areas to search out out real-time info or knowledge from the previous three years.
Beforehand, these diversified knowledge sources have been accessible on totally different web sites and have been tough to entry.
Claire Robertson, Oxford Rivers Mission Officer at Thames21, stated: “Water high quality and the well being of rivers should enhance. The principle sources of air pollution are agriculture and the water trade, plus a rising menace from plastics and eternally chemical compounds. As extra folks look to England’s rivers for recreation, all of us must up our sport.
“We hope this portal makes it simpler for folks to determine whether or not they wish to swim, or take out their canoe or paddleboard, on a sure day or not.
“River swimming is so good for you if you happen to do it safely: don’t go into water you may’t swim towards, don’t leap into water the place you don’t know what’s beneath, and wash your palms after swimming.”
Dr Virginie Keller, an environmental modeler at UKCEH, added: “River air pollution is now a significant problem of concern for many individuals nevertheless it’s tough to get clear, up-to-date details about water high quality and situations domestically. Our portal is a ‘one-stop store’, bringing collectively quite a lot of knowledge in an accessible means.”
The event of the Oxford Rivers Portal is a part of the European GOVAQUA mission which goals to speed up a transition in the direction of sustainable and equitable water use by higher water governance. It’s funded by the European Union and UK Analysis and Innovation.
The workforce behind the portal says the info and knowledge will allow customers to collect proof to know the state of their native water programs and thus stimulate discussions between the general public, regulators and water corporations about insurance policies and administration referring to rivers and streams.
As designated bathing websites, Port Meadow in Oxford and Wallingford Seaside are examined weekly for doubtlessly dangerous micro organism by the Surroundings Company between mid-Might and the top of September. Aside from at some point at Wallingford, all of the micro organism readings at these two websites have been under the extent of concern this season.
Evaluation of information from 2023 has discovered that 5 out of the seven native sewage remedy works for which knowledge has been supplied, present indications of unlawful “early” spills of uncooked sewage.
Sewage remedy works should attain a minimal circulate stage (referred to as “circulate to full remedy”, or FFT) earlier than they will legally discharge uncooked sewage to rivers and streams through storm overflows, to forestall it backing up within the system. The works are supposed to be working at this minimal stage for between one and 4 hours earlier than a uncooked sewage launch is permitted.
Nevertheless, on 183 events, remedy works had not met this minimal circulate fee previously 24 hours earlier than a uncooked sewage discharge occurred. Oxford sewage remedy works had 77 separate “early spills” totalling 1,839 hours, Appleford works had 89 spills totalling 1,692 hours, and Stanton Harcourt works had seven early spills totalling 1,322 hours.
*Sewage remedy charges present the speed of sewage remedy at a sewage remedy plant in litres per second. Customers of the portal can use this knowledge to search out out if a sewage remedy plant is working at full capability or working at low capability.
