Chester MP Samantha Dixon has brought local organisation together to help tackle the issue of sewage being dumped the River Dee and The Groves.
The recently elected MP brought together representatives from local businesses, river users, environmental organisations and resident groups.
She also invited staff from Cheshire West and Chester Council, Chester Zoo, University of Chester and Welsh Water to the event which took place on Friday (3rd March).
The meeting included a presentation from Welsh Water on the current state of the River Dee and their plans to reduce the amount of untreated sewage being dumped into the water.
Welsh Water has committed to investing £1.5bn between 2015 and 2025 to improve and maintain the wastewater network.
The Rivers Trust, who also sent representatives to the meeting, have produced a sewage map which shows that in 2021 almost 2,000 hours’ worth of untreated sewage and storm water was discharged into the Chester stretch of the River Dee.
Within this, more than 100 hours’ worth was discharged at The Groves – with a further 300 hours (about 2 weeks) of discharge along Dee Lane.
Mrs Dixon said: “We are fortunate to have a large and beautiful stretch of river running through Chester that’s used for leisure and recreational purposes.
“The river is home to a plethora of river users who take advantage of river-based sports and activities.
“Not only that, the River Dee is also on the doorstep of many businesses that are set up along The Groves.
“The levels of pollution that we’ve been seeing are unacceptable.
“Not only is polluted water an eyesore for the residents and visitors who visit businesses on The Groves, but it also poses a significant risk to public health for those who use the river.”
Stopping sewage being dumped in the River Dee was one of Mrs Dixon’s election pledges during her campaign in December 2022.
Speaking about the event, she said: “One of the big takeaways away from the event is about what we can all do to stop sewage discharge.
“Welsh Water has a useful webpage called Stop the Block, that includes actions we can take to reduce surface water run-off into the sewers when it rains, such as using small gardens and green space, and not putting items like wet wipes down the toilet.
“The river is our greatest asset and we need to show more ambition towards cleaning it up.
“I hope that this assembly of local groups is the start of a prosperous partnership for fully realising the potential of the River Dee.”
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