Press Release
Issued by: Salmon & Trout Conservation

Study shows sewage treatment plants are deadly for world-famous river.

Wild fish charity, Salmon & Trout Conservation (S&TC) and Salisbury & District Angling Club have recently submitted a scientifically-backed formal warning ( Request for Action) to the Environment Agency about the rapid destruction of one of our most highly protected chalkstreams – the Upper Avon in Wiltshire.

Scientific monitoring by Salmon & Trout Conservation has highlighted that this once bursting with life chalkstream has suffered a dramatic decline in water quality with a consequential loss of water insect life – the base of the aquatic food chain. The Riverfly Census covered reaches on the river Avon from Stonehenge and Amesbury to Stratford sub Castle in Salisbury, to provide a 3-year data baseline of life in the river.

A major source of this pollution is caused by phosphates. Effluent discharges from three sewage treatment works in the catchment are recognised as a major source of these damaging phosphates into the river. Phosphates are widely acknowledged as a major cause of water quality deterioration in the River Avon.

Significantly, these discharges have been increasing at an alarming rate since 2015. Population forecasts show that this situation will deteriorate even further because of increased housing developments and the re-basing of many thousands of servicemen and their families.

Jan Szakowski from the Salisbury and District Angling Club said, “We have issued a formal notification to the Environment Agency of the severe environmental damage that has been caused and continues to be caused by phosphate effluent from sewage treatment works operated by Wessex Water. Unless something […]