Simply Overwhelmed

My few words in this week's print Herald Express - Sludge, sludge, glorious sludge; there is nothing quite like it for storing the crud. Sadly, I have started to believe that containing sewage is an almost hopeless cause. Our water companies appear to have lost control and the future, it seems to me, is rather bleak.

It is hard to understand that in 2024 we are still dumping raw sewage into our rivers and the open sea. Some weeks ago, a Surfers Against Sewage web-based map had the South Devon coast dotted with little markers telling water users that it was unsafe to swim.

The rainwater simply overwhelmed the sewage system, and rather than have untreated sewage backing up and spilling into neighbourhoods, the mucky flood was dumped into designated river and coastal outflows.

When my own daily contribution is flushed into the system, I sincerely hope that is not part of a sewage downpour overload. The thought of my contribution floating back to the ‘mothership’ as I swim off Paignton beach is a horrid thought!?

People have become very concerned about the discharge of raw sewage and the number of deliberate releases by water companies is certainly alarming.

Some years ago, South West Water completed its ‘clean sweep’ project in Torbay. This scheme constructed a network of updated sewers connecting to a processing plant in Churston. Treated water is then pumped out into the English Channel west of Brixham.

Given the expanding population and extreme weather events, are we simply asking too much of the water companies? Taking a quick glance of an Ordnance Survey map sixty years ago and comparing it with a map today helps demonstrate the problem.

The urban spread is quite shocking, and certainly made me raise an eyebrow.

Reading a few published documents about surface water control and sewage management, made me realise how complicated the whole issue is.

I do not have any stunning suggestions but do suspect that there must be a better way, because the dumping of raw sewage into rivers and the open sea is almost sinful.

Forty or so years ago I made a living teaching windsurfing on the sparkling waters of Torbay. I was aware of occasional sewage slicks and that made me uncomfortable. Treatment plants seemed to help, but what is happening now really is unacceptable.

Large areas in and around Brixham recently suffered another water issue. This time it was from contaminated drinking water. A damaged supply pipe had resulted in an outbreak of cryptosporidium.

This nasty little parasite causes diarrhoea and vomiting. I was outside of the area of contamination at the time, but still found myself is isolation for three or so days with unpleasant and almost unpredictable diarrhoea!

Bottled and boiling water became the order of the day, and when the attack passed, I was a very happy bunny.

My own suffering and the knowledge that many people not so far away were also using bottled water and boiling tap water, made me appreciate how fragile our drinking water supply is.

We take so much for granted and it does not take very much to suddenly find the edge of chaos a little too close.

I worry that ultimately, like the proverbial cornered cat, all we can do is keep the smile.