Our new Trust Manager Aimee had her first walk along the Lavant last week and was appalled by something the team encountered:
‘I was shocked and saddened to see Southern Water pumping diluted but untreated sewage into the village pond at East Dean and the River Lavant at Charlton.
Here groundwater seeps into the sewer pipes under enormous pressure underground, for example through tiny hairline fractures. The sewer cannot cope with this volume of water, so Southern Water pump it into the pond and river to prevent it backing up through the system, possibly flooding into homes and streets.
We understand why they do this, and that there may be a need for this in some circumstances. But this should always be a short-term emergency measure, not standard practice utilised for a decade.
We’ll be increasing our water quality testing programme on the Lavant, gathering more evidence to show the impact of this practice. We’re in dialogue with the Environment Agency and Southern Water and are urging them to prioritise an effective long-term solution. We will be continuing to closely monitor this situation’.
Read the full article on our LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/arun-&-rother-rivers-trust-arrt-/
