Jo Bradley, Market Development Manager at SDS, proposes that the Environment Agency Report “The State of the Environment: Water Quality” fails to tackle pollution from urban and highway runoff.
In the article, published in April’s issue of “DrainTRADER” magazine and reproduced here, Jo writes that: “Whilst the Report acknowledges that harmful pollution from urban and transport runoff is a major contributor to water quality failures, no action is demanded to tackle the threat from toxic metals, hydrocarbons and microplastics that are washed into the aquatic environment during heavy storms.”
“The report is weak, disappointing and sidesteps the need for action to prevent pollution from urban and highway runoff,” continues Jo.
“It estimates that the urban and transport sector accounts for 13% of all activities preventing water bodies from achieving ‘good status’, compared to 28% from water industry activities and 31% from agriculture.
“Yet it singles out farmers and Water Companies for action to reduce polluting discharges into rivers, without naming a single measure to tackle diffuse and point-source discharges from urban and transport runoff.”
