Pollution entering rivers and streams in the Kennet catchment reduces water quality and impacts the whole ecology
Typically, urban pollution increases ammonium concentrations and decreases dissolved oxygen. Major urban pollution events can cause fish kills and have an instant consequence, but often the pollution is low-level and ongoing and comes from lots of small sources. Understanding where this diffuse pollution comes from is critical to ensure that efforts to reduce it are effective.
Newbury Diffuse Pollution Study
Between 2009 and 2010, the Environment Agency in partnership with Thames Water carried out an urban diffuse pollution study in Newbury. The results from this study showed that the study area suffered from ‘non-surface water’ discharges into the river, due to either sewage inputs or other unidentified pollutants. The study recommended that pollution prevention work needed to be undertaken in Newbury to stop pollutants getting into the river.
The whole Newbury Diffuse Pollution Report can be downloaded here.