Surfers develop clean water initiative to combat sewage strewn beaches

With raw sewage polluting 40 British beaches following heavy downpours recently, the charity Surfers Against Sewage's launch of a new Cleaner Coastal Catchment initiative for two areas in the worst hit areas of south west England is timely.

Developed in conjunction with the Environment Agency, the initiative will help deliver improved water quality at bathing waters predicted to fail by rolling out solutions across communities, businesses and organisations.

The solutions specifically target protecting the sewerage network from fats, oils, grease and sanitary products, maximising sewerage capacity, protecting waterways from misconnections, reducing urban pollution, reducing farming pollution and ultimately improving bathing water quality. The SAS says the scheme will directly engage with thousands of people including decision makers in local authorities, business leaders and the local community via stakeholder meetings, education events, promotional materials, campaign materials and press releases.

The Cleaner Coastal Catchment website will collect individuals, business and organisation’s pledges as communities commit to changing behaviour and implementing the necessary campaign solutions. The pledges, says SAS, will help measure how effective the project has been, and identify any areas that need additional attention.
 

Picture credit: © Dbjohnston | Dreamstime.com - Sewage Outlet Pipe Photo