If intending to use the river for recreational purposes, please be aware that the sewerage network discharges treated sewage and overflows of untreated sewage into the River Avon at Saltford. If entering the river avoid swallowing or splashing water into your mouth. If you become unwell after entering the water at Saltford, call 111 or visit www.nhs.uk to seek medical help.
The River Avon in Saltford has ‘storm overflows’ where untreated raw sewage enters the river directly. Storm overflows are safety valves built into the combined sewer system to discharge excess sewage to rivers. The quality of river water in Saltford is not tested by the Environment Agency (as it is not a designated bathing area). In 2023 Wessex Water released a Storm Overflow Improvement Map, showing planned improvements to be made between 2020 and 2025. Two locations for Saltford are listed for improvement works.
Two storm overflows where sewage enters the River Avon in Saltford are by the weirs. The Rivers Trust map gives further information about storm drain locations. It is advised to avoid entering the water immediately downstream of these discharges.
Records show that in 2020 the storm overflow near Kelston Weir (near the marinas / boat clubs) in Saltford spilled 94 times into the River Avon in Saltford for a total of 150hrs. A second storm overflow on The Shallows near under the cycle path bridge spilled 62 times for a total of 68hrs into the River Avon at Saltford. There are two further storm overflows spilling into the river at Saltford.
Saltford Parish Council is not responsible for the quality of water at the River Avon in Saltford. For user awareness, there have been several reports of children and young people becoming ill following swimming in the River Avon in Saltford. In 2018, a 12 year old child was placed in isolation for three nights at Bristol Children’s Hospital after swimming in the River Avon at Saltford. Symptoms reported include vomiting, diarrhoea, and severe dehydration.
A sewage water treatment plant for the Bath and wider area is located in Mead Lane, Saltford.
To find out about river water quality in Saltford residents and visitors may be interested in the BART interactive map (more information below), or The Rivers Trust ‘Is my river fit to play in’ map. The Rivers Trust advise as follows: Avoid entering the water immediately downstream of these discharges and avoid the overflows (brown circles), especially after it has been raining.
Environment Agency
Due to concerns about the impact of water quality on public health, when approached by Saltford Parish Council about storm overflows in 2020, the Environment Agency stated that it does not test water quality at Saltford Weir as it is not a designated bathing area.
The sewage treatment works (Wessex Water’s Saltford Water Recycling Centre) is located close to Saltford Weir. A spokesman for the Environment Agency said in 2018 that discharge from the sewage treatment works run downstream away from its location.
Wessex Water & storm overflows in Saltford
In May 2023, SPC was made aware of Combined Storm Flows Information on the Wessex Water website that may be of interest to residents and visitors. For context and background about Wessex Water Storm Overflows (links to relevant pages throughout) please visit Storm overflows (wessexwater.co.uk)
For where improvements are being/planned to be made up to 2030 for storm overflows by Wessex Water, please visit Storm Overflow Improvement Dashboard (arcgis.com). This website shows that for ‘SALTFORD MEAD LANE WRC – SSO’ The treatment capacity of the WRC at Saltford (which serves the city of Bath) will be increased from 580l/s to 802l/s by constructing two new primary settlement tanks, a new activated sludge plant to provide biological treatment capacity and two new final settlement tanks. For ‘SALTFORD SALTFORD HILL CSO’ A 50m3 storm storage tank will be constructed.
SPC has also been informed that later in the year it is hoped that Wessex Water will have an interactive web map that shows where storm overflows have occurred and the duration they were overflowing, so they can provide extra context around each spill. SPC will share this once available.
Residents and visitors to Saltford can report a suspected pollution incident to Wessex Water. Information and number to call can be found at Reporting pollutions | Wessex Water
In May 2022, Wessex Water shared the link to their ‘Storm Overflows’ webpage which details their Storm Overflows Improvement Plan which will see every overflow in the region monitored by 2023, and by 2025, the number of hours storm overflows discharge reduced by 25%. In a message accompanying the link, Wessex Water stated ‘We understand the concerns about storm overflows and agree they should have no place in a 21st century sewerage system. This major investment is the start of decisive action to tackle storm overflows, and our longer term improvement plan sets out the further progress we will make over the coming years. We have 1,300 overflows across the Wessex Water region, so it will take time and significant resources to eliminate them. By committing to spend £3 million every month on overflows, starting with those that discharge most frequently and those that have any environmental impact, we will make a good start.’
Wessex Water shared in December 2021 their ‘Storm Overflows: Why they exist and what impact they have‘ publication. For more information from Wessex Water about storm overflows please contact: Wessex Water Claverton Down, Bath BA27WW; operational.enquiries@wessexwater.co.uk; 0345 600 4 600
When approached for comment in autumn 2020, B&NES Council informed Saltford Parish Council that combined sewer overflows – better known as storm overflows – protect properties from flooding by acting as relief valves for a mix of rainwater and foul sewage water. It also provided SPC with a copy of a document produced by Wessex Water named ‘Our sewer system and storm overflows‘.
BART’s annual river water testing in Saltford
The Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART) runs an annual WaterBlitz event each summer where volunteers on behalf of BART aim to collect as many samples from the rivers, streams and lakes of the Bristol Avon catchment. This helps to gain a snapshot of water quality. Saltford Parish Council helps to publicise this initiative. BART supplies free water testing kits to volunteers which will measure nutrient levels in a water sample taken from a chosen waterbody. In high concentrations nutrients can impact the local wildlife which depends on a healthy river. The presence of these nutrients may indicate a pollution event nearby or ongoing issues from land management, sewage outfalls or urban pressures. The results help BART target their ongoing conservation work. To see results from WaterBlitz events please visit BART’s interactive WaterBlitz map.
B&NES Council resolution: ‘Cleaning up our rivers’
At their March 25 2022 meeting, B&NES Council’s Cabinet unanimously resolved under item 134 ‘Cleaning up our rivers’ the following:
Council notes:
- The recent report of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee
(Jan 2022) which found that rivers in England are in a mess: “a ‘chemical
cocktail’ of sewage, agricultural waste, and plastic is polluting the waters of
many of the country’s rivers”. - That only 12% of the Bristol Avon catchment is classified as having ‘good
ecological status’ with the main sources of pollution being treated sewage
discharges and diffuse pollution from farming and land management. - That rivers in B&NES are an irreplaceable asset for both people and nature,
enjoyed by many for recreation and leisure, and part of the rich landscape
character and natural capital of our area. - That Bath and North East Somerset Council is a member of the Bristol Avon
Catchment Partnership which includes Wessex Water, the Environment
Agency and Wiltshire Council and is working closely with partners to identify
and deliver collaborative solutions to improve water quality and improve the
water environment for people and wildlife. - That not all properties in B&NES are connected to the public sewage system
or to private sewers and that some continue to discharge wastewater straight
into the river or into non-compliant, polluting soakaways. - That Government funding to the Environment Agency to monitor river quality
and regulate sources of pollution has dropped by 75% in the last decade.
Council believes:
- That cleaning up our rivers is important for public health and to protect and
enhance wildlife, and that this requires the involvement of a wide range of
stakeholders including water companies, farmers, land-owners, developers
and businesses. - That investment in our sewerage system must be accelerated so that
discharges of untreated sewage, including from storm overflows, cease. - That farmers and land managers have a responsibility to monitor and reduce
the flow of pollutants (including nutrients and pesticides) from their land into
rivers. - That government must provide the funding and powers to enable more
effective monitoring and enforcement by water regulators; OFWAT and the
Environment Agency. - That water companies must continue to improve the public information they
provide on sewage discharges to ensure that it is accessible and as close to
real time as possible. - That developers and property owners have a role to play in reducing surface
water from entering the combined sewer system. Installing sustainable urban
drainage systems (SUDS), both in new buildings and through retrofitting, and
reducing ‘urban creep’ can help to reduce the load on our sewerage system. - That government must legislate to ban the sale of non-degradable and plastic
containing wet wipes which are a major cause of blockages and capacity
issues in the sewer network. The incorrect disposal of fats, oils and greases is
also a cause of blockages. - That the capacity of environmental infrastructure (including sewerage
systems) must be sufficient to support new housing development and that
water companies must engage with local authorities in the preparation of new
drainage and sewerage plans. - That the Council has a role to play in educating and raising awareness of the
many individual behavioural changes that citizens can make to lessen their
impact on water pollution and harm to the water environment.
Council therefore resolves:
- To write to Government Ministers to ask that they:
a. Restore funding to the Environment Agency to ensure a stronger
regulatory regime for river water quality that delivers year on year
improvements.
b. Increase funding for Catchment Partnerships so that they can do more
to engage all partners in the actions needed to improve river water
quality.
c. Strengthen the legal obligations and powers available to water
companies to contribute to improving river water quality.
d. Ban the sale of non-degradable and plastic containing wet wipes as a
major cause of blockages in the sewage system.
e. Introduce incentives for the introduction of SUDS through new build
development and retrofitting. - Work with our partners Wessex Water to:
a. Accelerate their plan to reduce the environmental and health impacts of
discharges from the sewage system, including improving monitoring
and information available to the public;
b. Ensure that all properties in B&NES are connected to the mains
sewage system, have a compliant treatment system or a septic tank,
and that all developers are aware of their obligations;
c. Identify opportunities for the installation of community-level SUDS that
can help to reduce the load on the combined sewer network;
d. Engage residents to avoid the use of disposable wet wipes and
communicate wider messages about only flushing the three P’s (pee,
poo and paper) down the toilet. - To continue to support the work of the Bristol Avon Catchment Partnership to
engage all riparian landowners, including farmers, and local communities in
an action plan to tackle pollution and improve river water quality. - To refer the topic of cleaning up our rivers to the Climate Emergency and
Sustainability Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel for their further
consideration and monitoring. - Through the planning system:
a. encourage the use of SUDS to deal with surface water and reduce the
amount of water going into combined sewers;
b. explore opportunities through the new Local Plan to reduce ‘urban
creep’ and to avoid or mitigate pollution from intensive farming within
catchment areas.
SPC requests B&NES Council takes the lead for responsibility for a safer cleaner river and river side
Saltford Parish Council resolved at its Full Council meeting in February 2023 to request B&NES Council to take responsibility for a safer, cleaner river for users and wildlife. B&NES Council is the riparian owner of the river bank in Saltford, and as such SPC views the litter on the river bank and pollution caused by sunken boats attached to B&NES Council owned land as B&NES Council’s responsibility to address. A copy of SPC’s request to B&NES Council can be found here and below.
Please also see SPC’s news article ‘SPC requests B&NES Council takes responsibility for a safer cleaner river (inc river bank)’ published in February 2023.
At SPC’s May 2023 meeting, outcomes from a meeting with the B&NES representative on the WaterSpace Project, also attended by the Catchment Partnership Officer, were shared. This included updated information from Wessex Water about storm overflows (increase in capacity at one Saltford storm drain, plans for an interactive map – see above under ‘Wessex Water’) and information on how residents can report pollution (also as above and at www.wessexwater.co.uk/your-wastewater/reporting). SPC also asked for information about how residents can best report abandoned or sunken boats. SPC is awaiting a response, and will share any information with residents once this has been received from B&NES Council’s discussions with the Canal River Trust. Information was also provided to SPC about the Catchment Partnership Fund. The Catchment Partnership Officer also said they would follow up on engaging with relevant Police around appropriate and safe use of the water environment and how/where it would be best to work with them, following SPC’s concerns about anti-social and unsafe behaviour on the river.
At the same meeting, SPC resolved its response to the river extract in the Liberal Democrat’s 2023 Full Manifesto for B&NES Council Election (https://www.bathneslibdems.org.uk/assets/2023-04-11/full-manifesto-2023.pdf p.10) following the outcome of the May 2023 local elections. It was agreed that SPC would contact B&NES Council to state that SPC welcomed the information included in the manifesto and also to ask for a progress update on SPC’s requests (as resolved under Item 12 at the February 2023 meeting and as detailed in SPC’s letter to B&NES Council) asking that B&NES Council take the lead on responsibility for a ‘safer, cleaner river’.