jon atkinson
Well-known member
Due to start on Beeb 2 in 5 minutes - I'll be giving it a watch. Anything that increases awareness of the state / health of our rivers can only be a good thing surely?
Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled Rivers
- Thread starter jon atkinson
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Wakou
Well-known member
Please fire off a day's worth of bait/tackle/average visit to a tackle-shop to the Good Law Project, who are in court tomorrow.
goodlawproject.org
Support us - Good Law Project
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Alan Whitty
Well-known member
I watched it this afternoon,the sad thing is,we can get this data and be very annoyed,but unless the House of Commons gets their teeth into it nothing will happen,massive money is being made by the water companies and their excuse is they are spending X number of pounds to correct it,instead of spending the money to stop it happening in the first place,somebody,in each of the water companies gave the nod for the sh1te to be allowed into our rivers and they also knew it was a crime,as was said on the programme,if you or I had a septic tank and it released pollutants into the river we would be prosecuted,so why weren't they,I believe they were given the nod that they wouldn't be prosecuted,by whom,I don't know,but a government official sounds likely...
The bad one
Well-known member
I watched it and thought Paul didn't do a bad good job of exposing the sharp practices the water companies get up to. Fergal was his usual self, outraged and slamming them with facts and figures. We, all of us, who have an interest in clean fresh water need to get behind the Good Law Project, if they don't win the cases they've got in court about the environmental regulations, then we can kiss goodbye to rivers and any life in them, as they will be open sewers AGAIN! As they were in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
The Sogster
Well-known member
I too watched this and thought it pretty informative. Although I found the statistics meaningless, e.g it was reported that one company had discharged for 540,000 hours in one year, but I don't recall the average amount per hour being mentioned.
This element would've been better included, to put it in some perspective by my rough calculations you would have to be 62/ 63 years old to have lived around 540,500/ 550,000 hours.
But without the discharge rates per hour it makes it hard to quantify.
The microplastic data seemed much more informative and damning to the efficiency of the privatised companies in my opinion.
Looking forward to the next episode.
This element would've been better included, to put it in some perspective by my rough calculations you would have to be 62/ 63 years old to have lived around 540,500/ 550,000 hours.
But without the discharge rates per hour it makes it hard to quantify.
The microplastic data seemed much more informative and damning to the efficiency of the privatised companies in my opinion.
Looking forward to the next episode.
John Aston
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As a TV programme it was a bit flawed I thought , sometimes not knowing when to be serious and when to be flippant ,but the sentiment and theme are both admirable . There is a real impetus building, and I hope anglers really get behind this ,along with the many others who are concerned about our rivers and streams .
I have just got involved with the Water Quality Monitoring Network - which basically involves regular testing of river sites to test for nasties - and would strongly urge others to do so. Like every other environmental problem , we can , and should moan as much as we like but it is hard evidence and data which helps to win battles . Many anglers prefer anecdote, conspiracy and rumour , but none of these will butter any parsnips.
I have just got involved with the Water Quality Monitoring Network - which basically involves regular testing of river sites to test for nasties - and would strongly urge others to do so. Like every other environmental problem , we can , and should moan as much as we like but it is hard evidence and data which helps to win battles . Many anglers prefer anecdote, conspiracy and rumour , but none of these will butter any parsnips.
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Aknib
Well-known member
Thanks Jon, just caught up with both episodes and what a commendably passionate man Paul Whitehouse is when it comes to our rivers.
I enjoyed the forensic like drilling into the water utilities continuous failures to maintain our rivers in a sustainable and healthy manner, along with their flimsy replies in an even flimsier defence of under investment in favour of private dividends whilst all and sundry suffer as a consequence, and don't get me started with the Environment Agency.
Again for me it all comes down to money and although the issue is principally and morally wrong, who's gonna take a utility company grossing half a billion pounds plus to the brink in the courts and where's the funding coming from?
It's not and so tens of thousands of hours of illegal discharge will continue to pollute our rivers and waterways unenforced whilst the fat cats grin at us and ask what ya gonna do about it then?
Environment Agency wake up, volunteers are exposing this whilst you, our paid servants, seemingly sit back and take no action?
All in my humble opinion of course.
I enjoyed the forensic like drilling into the water utilities continuous failures to maintain our rivers in a sustainable and healthy manner, along with their flimsy replies in an even flimsier defence of under investment in favour of private dividends whilst all and sundry suffer as a consequence, and don't get me started with the Environment Agency.
Again for me it all comes down to money and although the issue is principally and morally wrong, who's gonna take a utility company grossing half a billion pounds plus to the brink in the courts and where's the funding coming from?
It's not and so tens of thousands of hours of illegal discharge will continue to pollute our rivers and waterways unenforced whilst the fat cats grin at us and ask what ya gonna do about it then?
Environment Agency wake up, volunteers are exposing this whilst you, our paid servants, seemingly sit back and take no action?
All in my humble opinion of course.
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Aknib
Well-known member
And, whilst on the subject, news just in...
Enter DEFRA stage left, nothing like inter-government departmental muddy waters.... Pardon the pun!!!
All I can conclude is if this is still happening then none of them are worth their salt, leave it to them to fight it out who's to blame, not us.
Failure, Failure, Failure.
Campaigners slam government river bathing decision
Just one river included in government's proposal for new designated swimming sites
www.bbc.co.uk
Enter DEFRA stage left, nothing like inter-government departmental muddy waters.... Pardon the pun!!!
All I can conclude is if this is still happening then none of them are worth their salt, leave it to them to fight it out who's to blame, not us.
Failure, Failure, Failure.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
I thought and had thought it when John Bailey was on FM that harping on about the Wye when lots of other rivers were actually getting more of a hammering a bit much,yes,no rivers should be getting the pollution from farmers,sewage farms or anyone else,but it is a fact that every river in the country is being affected and at the moment the river Wye has loads of fish in it,many others do not...
You're right there - all rivers are threatened and lots are degraded.
There's a logic though in campaigning around a river that is so iconic and scenic, has "national treasure" status etc. I often noticed if I was on the Wye in summer how popular it is as holiday base for the kind of educated middle class families whose support will make a big difference where we anglers have often had little clout. You can see this in the recent step-change in clean water campaigning and so on.
There's a logic though in campaigning around a river that is so iconic and scenic, has "national treasure" status etc. I often noticed if I was on the Wye in summer how popular it is as holiday base for the kind of educated middle class families whose support will make a big difference where we anglers have often had little clout. You can see this in the recent step-change in clean water campaigning and so on.