ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
Thames21 responds to the new bathing water reforms
The UK Government’s recent announcement on bathing water reform has been broadly welcomed as a step forward— but does it go far enough? While the stronger focus on water quality and public safety is encouraging, there's concern among environmental experts that stricter criteria for designation could inadvertently overlook rivers most in need. As Chris Coode, CEO of environmental charity Thames21, points out, setting the bar too high may channel vital resources away from the very waters communities are desperately trying to protect and enjoy.
Chris Coode, said: "This announcement from the government is welcome news and a step in the right direction. While we appreciate the government's focus on water quality and public safety in assessing bathing waters, Thames21 does not support the proposed reform requiring a new site's water quality to be at least 'sufficient' for final designation. This change would significantly reduce the chances of inland river sites achieving designation, diverting monitoring and investments to already clean sites and preventing essential improvements needed to make our rivers safe for swimming, paddling, and playing.
“Communities along the Thames and across the country have been leading the way in demanding swimmable rivers, yet we
©Thames21 - Wolvercote, Oxfordshire
still lag behind our European neighbours who have hundreds of clean, designated river bathing waters.
“The government must increase its ambition by designating more sites at once, ensuring designations lead to swift improvements, and updating regulations to protect all river users, including rowers and kayakers and those who access the water during organised events."
Thames Water extends water quality monitoring contract
Meteor Communications, industry leading provider of remote environmental monitoring technology, is delighted to announce that Thames Water Utilities Ltd has extended the term of its framework agreement for the supply of water quality monitoring equipment and services for final effluent monitoring.
The framework extension will run until September 2027 and covers the provision of ESNET monitoring systems with associated calibration, maintenance and data services via the MeteorCloud® platform.
Commenting on the contract extension, Meteor’s MD Matt Dibbs said: “These systems are primarily used to monitor final effluent water quality at wastewater treatment plants. ESNET provides instant, real time, high resolution final effluent water quality data to enable Thames Water to gain enhanced visibility of their works’ operations and effectively manage treatment processes.”
ESNET systems can be deployed in minutes and are carbon neutral in operation, with the majority solar powered. As such they represent an extremely cost-effective approach to providing high quality, real-time water quality data from any location.
In response to demand from the water industry, regulators and environmental consultants, meteor communications is investing heavily in the resources that deliver remote water quality data. Matt says: “These commitments from Thames Water and others, reflect the confidence that customers have in our ability to deliver real-time data to enhance process efficiency and environmental protection.”
42 | May 2025 |
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