Notice

Eton Wick: Slough sewage treatment works and flooding

Published 17 October 2014

Over recent months there have been issues affecting watercourses in and around Eton Wick, near Slough in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. These include the Boveney and Roundmoor ditches.

The Environment Agency is committed to working with the local community and professional partners to understand the issues and find solutions.

Water quality

The winter of 2013 to 2014 was the wettest since records began, with severe and prolonged flooding. During this flooding there were several instances where increased flows to Slough sewage treatment works caused sewage to be discharged into the Roundmoor and Boveney ditches. This is something that is permitted because it would normally only happen occasionally as a result of environmental and weather conditions.

The flooding meant that discharges from Slough sewage treatment works were affected more than normal during this winter period. The Environment Agency has been monitoring water quality in the Roundmoor and Boveney Ditches, as they are the most heavily affected by these discharges. Trends in water quality are monitored by the Environment Agency and the data is used to inform their regulation of the sewage treatment works.

The Environment Agency served an enforcement notice on Thames Water in summer 2014, telling them to install new flow meters by the end of August. This has now been completed and the Environment Agency is reviewing the information to ensure the site is compliant with the conditions of its environmental permit.

There has been an improvement in the discharges from the sewage treatment works, with reduced ammonia output. This has seen water quality returning to normal levels.

Human health and safety

There is some concern about the impact of the water quality on people’s health and safety. The Environment Agency is committed to improving the quality of rivers for wildlife and people, but it does not mean that rivers and other water-bodies are a risk-free environment. The Environment Agency monitors designated bathing waters for bacteria and other things detrimental to human health, but is not required by law to collect it for other water bodies.

The watercourses in and around Eton Wick are not designated bathing waters, so the Environment Agency doesn’t have this information and can’t report on the presence or absence of pathogens.

The Environment Agency’s advice to anyone entering the water would be to carry out your own risk assessment and always take reasonable precautions to protect yourself. People should never enter flood waters, and even at times of low flow there is the potential for watercourses to contain un-seen hazards, such as pollutants.

If you have concerns relating to human health please contact your local council’s environmental protection department.

Flood forum

There has been some concern about the maintenance of watercourses, and in particular the removal of vegetation that is perceived to be having an effect on flood risk.

While the Environment Agency has an overview of flood risk management, there are a number of other organisations and individuals involved. It is important that everyone works together to understand the risks, roles and responsibilities. So the Environment Agency has started to set up a flood forum for Eton Wick. It’s hoped that the forum will be established by the time there is a wider public meeting in November (the first forum meeting would follow that).

Contact

If you have any questions please contact: WTEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.