Water Pollution: A Hidden Disaster Devastating Our Harbours

 by Ruthie Gawley

The sun is out, and twinkling like a myriad of stars across the gentle waves. The boats tied up along the jetty rock lazily, as children laugh and shout, racing each other through the crystalline water on paddle boards and kayaks. Little fish dart among the oyster beds, shying away from a group of open water swimmers in their vibrant swim caps. Strolling across the shingle beach, a family on their Sunday walk marvels at a perfect ‘V’ of swans. Pristine and flawless, it’s a scene typical of the beautiful harbours lining our coastline. But it’s under threat. There’s a secret that threatens to destroy this whole beautiful ecosystem, a secret that is already beginning to pull at the seams of the harbours. That secret is the water quality.

It’s a problem that has been brewing for a long time. However, between sewage discharges by water companies, microplastic build ups, and the presence of worrying pharmaceuticals, the effects are more and more visible. Just a small sample of the vast pool of evidence for the pollution problem is gravely concerning. In 2021, Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was classed as ‘Unfavourable - Declining’ by Natural England. The year before that, over 200 sewage discharges were permitted by Southern Water. Things don’t seem to be getting better, with over 1,000 hours of discharge recorded last year, in the first 9 months alone. Meanwhile, sampling has exposed high levels of bacteria indicating that the water could cause sickness for humans, such as Enterococcus and E Coli. The presence of other chemicals, and their possible implications, is only just being discovered.

As a result, communities are becoming more isolated from what used to be an invaluable natural resource. They are understandably afraid of what lurks in the waves; stories circulate about people getting ill after contact with the harbours. There are worries about whether the wildlife will be able to survive in the polluted waters; and as locals demand change, there is an air of panic and misinformation. No-one really knows the complete extent of what is going on, nor its implications. 

Despite all this, I’m not here to scare you, or tell you that you can’t go anywhere near the water. That isn’t the point; what matters is that we work together to fix water pollution, instead of running for the hills, or ignoring it all together. That’s where the positive aspect of this story comes in: there are people fighting on behalf of the harbours, and for everyone who depends on their quality.

Since the harsh reality has started to emerge, some groups have taken matters into their own hands. I’m lucky enough to be a youth ambassador of one of the most professional and driven groups moving the conversation forwards. In their meetings, they discuss education of locals, extensive testing schemes, and pressure on politicians. They’ve already secured a first round of funding. Now, they are taking samples, testing eDNA, and researching impacts on harbour life. Christened Clean Harbours Partnership, their goal is to “add to the body of evidence”, because “local communities and water users want to know what pollution is in our harbour water”. Spurred on by people who have personal connections to the waters, their three pronged plan is to investigate, inform, and improve. 

Clean Harbours Partnership is the reason why I’m writing this article; It’s people like them who give me hope that the harbours can be clean again, flawless havens once more. If we don’t initiate change, no boats will be tied up to our jetties, because no one will want to risk illness in the water. No kayak races will give children endless mirth, because the ‘crystalline’ water will be dirty and dangerous. No fish will populate the blue depths, because microplastics and pharmaceuticals will have diminished their population. Certainly no swimmers will brave what could be concealed under the waves, and it won’t be a beauty spot that attracts people to ramble from miles around. 

However, alongside organisations like CHP, we can be the difference for our harbours, and act now while we still can. What they are doing is really promising, but the public as a whole needs to back them if they are to achieve real change. We can only reverse the damage already done if we all get involved. Public pressure is essential in pushing for clean harbours. Institutions and politicians will listen if enough people rally, and there is only so much groups like CHP can do on their own. For that reason, I’d like to encourage anyone reading this to get involved and help fight back against the pollution of our harbours. It’s easier than you might think; get involved by following Clean Harbours Partnership (on Twitter at Clean Harbours Partnership or Instagram at cleanharbours_partnership), finding out more on their website, https://cleanharbourspartnership.co.uk, or even writing a letter to Southern Water or your local council about the issue. Together, we can combat water pollution.