There have been concerns around the country regarding water quality in our rivers. How safe is the River Stour?
Many people in Sudbury and district enjoy playing in the River Stour. Canoeists, wild swimmers, paddle boarders, rowers, fishermen, and not least the River Stour Trust with its small flotilla of passenger boats. But it is clear from recent reports from Government committees and the media that no-one in Britain can be entirely sure that the water they are playing in is safe. The combined effects of agricultural run-off and untreated sewage releases by water companies clearly can have a deleterious effect on the water.
The trouble is that no-one, at the moment, appears to be making regular checks on the quality of the water so that it can be declared either safe, or unsafe, to bathe in. Our inquiries to the Environment Agency recently produced the following response: