The group fighting to end sewage pollution in beloved Bristol swimming spot

Gazing out over the calm waters from the banks of Conham River Park, Becca Blease says the spot became a lifeline for her during the pandemic.

A growing awareness of sewage pollution levels in the river – and the lack of data on this – has prompted her and others to take action and launch a campaign calling for better monitoring and improved water quality at the popular site.

Comprising of swimmers and local residents, the group is mobilising people at a grassroots level and wants to see the section of the River Avon near Beeses granted special Designated Bathing Water Status (DBWS). Only one other river in the UK has been granted the status.

The aim is to make information about sewage pollution and bacteria levels publicly available in real time so people can make an informed decision about going in the river. Ultimately, they want to see the water quality improved, an outcome that would not just benefit those who use the river, but wildlife in the area too.

“I knew not to go swimming after a lot of rain, but it had never occurred to me that the reason was that there’s lots of untreated sewage being dumped in,” says Becca. “I think there is a growing public concern about this.”

Water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers in England more than 400,000 times in 2020, according to figures published by the Environment Agency in March. More recent reports suggest these figures barely scratch the surface of the issue.

The Conham River Bathing Water group has been in touch with The Rivers Trust about their work and managed to obtain 2020 figures on the amount of raw sewage pumped into the river through combined sewer overflows (CSOs). At just one spot, Bristol Hanham Beechwood Avenue, it was 78 times for a total of 164 hours last year.

Becca says that while such retrospective data is useful, it doesn’t help keep people informed about the safety of the water before they swim.

“We are not trying to create a new bathing area here, we are trying to get it officially recognised that people love to swim here but they do not know what they are swimming in,” she explains.

Earlier this month, swimmers took to the water off Bristol’s Floating Harbour as part of a campaign calling for swimming to be permitted in the docks, where water quality is regularly monitored.

While both campaigns demonstrate the growing popularity of wild swimming, the Conham River Group say they are fighting to improve information at a site that is already an established popular spot, but where there is a dearth of data.

If DBWS is granted, it is hoped this could lead to improved safety as well as water quality, with the potential to create better accessways into the river.

Becca grew up near the Wye Valley so has always loved swimming and canoeing in rivers. When she moved to Horfield last summer, she sought out potential swimming spots and found the growing wild swimming community in the city a welcoming one.

“If you’re new to wild swimming, others are really generous about it – there’s no bravado, it’s very inclusive,” she tells Bristol24/7. “For me, and I think a lot of people, rivers have been a bit of a lifeline during the pandemic. It’s been a place I have been able to improve my physical and mental health during trying times.

“This immediately became a really special place to me,” she continues. “On the Eastwood Farm side, I was inspired to hear a group of local residents came together to try to save the land.

“They have done so much to protect the land there and continue to do so much. and I think it would be great to extend that legacy to the river that goes through the land.”

For Becca and many others, there is no comparison to swimming surrounded by nature and she says the wild swimming movement goes hand in hand with an environmentally conscious ethos, with many people picking up any litter they find.

Becca Blease is coordinating the campaign to improve water quality at Conham River Park – photo by Ellie Pipe

The group argue Conham River Park is the only free, easily accessible wild swimming spot in the city, with Henleaze a private, members-only lake and Clevedon Marine Lake a fair way out of Bristol.

Their campaign has already received a lot of local support and they have also been contacted by experts in water quality monitoring willing to help. They will launch a public consultation in the coming months and say they want to ensure any concerns are also heard and taken into account.

They have been in touch with Ilkley Clean River Group in Yorkshire, the only river site in the UK to have achieved DBWS and are currently working on gathering data to support their case before the launch of a public consultation.

Find out more via www.conhambathing.co.uk/home.

Main photo courtesy of the Conham River Bathing Water group

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