What’s underneath: London Regatta damaged by sewage

LONDON – The warning was severe: do not enter the water. Not because of the tide. Not because of sharks. Because of wastewater.

For almost two centuries, the oarsmen of the University of Oxford they competed with their rivals cambridge in a competition that usually ends with the jubilant members of the victorious crew diving into the Thames to celebrate.

This year they will remain as dry as possible.

After the discovery of elevated levels of E. coli in the river, paddlers were asked to stay out of the water, cover any open wounds and wash up at the end at a dedicated cleaning station.

The warning from the organizers of the annual competition called Boat race It is the most striking symbol of the terrible and deteriorating state of Britain’s rivers and coasts.

THE. coli, which can be contracted from inadequately treated water sources, can cause a variety of symptoms including diarrhea, stomach cramps and occasionally fever.

According to the UK Health Service, even a small number of people can develop the disease hemolytic-uremic syndromewhich can sometimes cause kidney failure and death.

No treatment

In recent years, private water companies in England have faced fierce criticism for dumping raw sewage and stormwater into waterways and beaches. when it rains a lota tactic they use to keep the system from rolling back.

Water companies in England were privatized in 1989 and critics accuse them of paying large sums in dividends to their shareholders. without making investments vital in infrastructure.

While campaigners have long highlighted the issue of water quality, few Britons would have expected that pollution would affect the regatta, a fixture of the sporting calendar which attracts up to 250,000 spectators and a television audience of millions. say the organizers.

Rowers from the two former universities will compete on the 6.9 kilometer course on the banks of the Thames on Saturday afternoon, in the 169th men’s race and the 78th women’s race.

The first regatta took place on June 10th 1829 at Henley-on-Thames, west London, and was won by Oxford.

However, for the next 25 years, the competitions were held irregularly and, starting in 1836, in the national capital.

They became annual events in 1856.

In 1927 a women’s boat race was introduced, but was only held intermittently until the mid-1960s.

The new guidance follows testing of the Thames carried out by River Action, a charity which campaigns for cleaner waterways.

He said his tests revealed E. coli levels up to 10 times higher to the minimum accepted standards for bathing water.

The test sites suggested that the source of the pollution came from Thames Water, the local water company, which was “discharging wastewater directly into the river and its tributaries”, River Action said in a statement.

“We find ourselves in a tragic situation when elite athletes receive health guidance before a historic race on the capital’s river,” said James Wallace, CEO of River Action.

“Our water quality findings show what happens after decades of neglect by an unregulated water company, Thames Water.”

The Boat Race, a company that organizes the regatta and was created by Oxford and Cambridge Rowing Foundationshe said that “she and the universities involved love rowing on the Thames”, but that “water quality is an ongoing concern”.

In a statement he added: “This year we have implemented a number of precautionary measures to protect the health of our athletes, including guidelines on covering open wounds, regular hand washing, a cleaning station in the finish area and highlighting the risks of entering the water.”

System

Most of Britain relies on a combined sewer system that pushes both rainwater and human waste down the same series of pipes.

When rain is heavy, water companies are sometimes allowed to discharge some of it into rivers or the sea to prevent pipes from overflowing, causing sewage to build up and flood streets and homes.

Critics accuse water companies of dumping wastewater there too dry weather and, according to data published on Wednesday, there were an average of 1,271 spills per day across England last year, compared to 825 in 2022.

In a statement, Thames Water, the company responsible, attributed the situation to “above-average long-term rainfall in London and the Thames Valley”.

He said the overflows were designed to operate automatically when the sewer system was about to be overwhelmed, so that diluted wastewater was discharged into rivers instead of flowing back “into people’s homes”.

The company added that it is “working hard to make these discharges unnecessary” and announced plans to modernize a wastewater treatment plant, in south-west London, “to treat high volumes of incoming wastewater and reduce the need for overflows during rainy periods. ” “.

That may be of little comfort to this year’s rowers, who know that even if they take all the recommended precautions, history suggests there is no guarantee they can stay out of the Thames.

In 1912 both crews were submerged due to bad weather.

The most recent sinking took place in 1984, when the Cambridge men’s boat collided with a barge before starting the race.

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