{"id":334518,"date":"2025-08-11T01:17:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T01:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/334518\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T01:17:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T01:17:24","slug":"life-is-creeping-back-into-this-river-but-so-is-the-pollution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/334518\/","title":{"rendered":"Life is creeping back into this river, but so is the pollution"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘It suffered a lot during the industrial revolution, 200 years of damage from factories and urbanisation’\"FoamFoam flowing down the River Tame in Dukinfield(Image: Manchester Evening News )<\/p>\n

The River Tame is one of the dirtiest waterways in Greater Manchester and spent decades with very little sign of life as a result, but now wildlife is returning.<\/p>\n

The huge river flows from the Pennines, through the bulk of its namesake borough Tameside<\/a> and into Stockport<\/a>. It was once so polluted that no fish actually inhabited it 50 years ago, according to Mersey Rivers Trust.<\/p>\n

The industrial revolution and sewage being pumped into the water are seen as the main contributors to wildlife in the river dying out – but now things are starting to change.<\/p>\n

United Utilities are investing \u00a3215m to improve water quality by increasing storage capacity and bettering infrastructure at their sewage facilities. This cash injection will be rolled out over the next five years in Tameside at their four sites at Ashton<\/a>, Dukinfield, Hyde<\/a> and Mossley – all of which pump treated wastewater back into the river.<\/p>\n

To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The pollution problems arise when untreated sewage from the sites comes through the overflows and into the water. United Utilities hopes the upgrades will reduce the number of times the storm overflows are used to do this.<\/p>\n

This investment has been a long time coming for John Sanders, who is director of strategy and project development at Mersey Rivers Trust.<\/p>\n

\"SkylineSkyline view of Dukinfield Wastewater Treatment Works, operated by United Utilities(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

John told the Manchester Evening News<\/a>: \u201cThe River Tame is one of our priority rivers we\u2019re working on because it\u2019s one of the main arteries for the River Mersey. It\u2019s one of the poorest quality rivers in the whole Mersey system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt suffered a lot during the industrial revolution, 200 years of damage from factories and urbanisation. Years ago this would\u2019ve all been rural areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the worst quality rivers in Greater Manchester, so the River Tame and the River Irk are our main priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve put some trees in the river to make some habitats for fish, in a hope to get the population back to what it was 200 years ago. We\u2019re starting to see the species coming back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo 50 years ago there were no fish in this river at all, they were wiped out. Slowly they\u2019ve been returning, but still small in numbers.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnited Utilities is by far the largest investor in the river, compared to the local authority or environment agency. We hope we can run activities that work on the back of what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe rivers Tame and Irwell are among the worst in Greater Manchester for sewage spills(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re starting to see improvement in water quality over the last five years. We still suffer quite a few pollution incidents on this river, for example there was a chemical leak at Greenfield the other weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like United Utilities to go faster and further but we appreciate this work can\u2019t always be done at the drop of a hat. The recent investment was welcomed, we\u2019ve got to work with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is doing work that will make a real difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the back of investments from United Utilities, the Mersey Rivers Trust is working with local schools, community groups and volunteers to do what they can to educate and help improve water quality both for the short-term and long-term.<\/p>\n

\"PollutionPollution on the River Tame(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

In collaboration with the water company, they have set up a working group made up of a number of volunteers and local authorities to help identify issues with the waterways in the area. John also welcomed the investment from United Utilities into the River Rangers, who proactively patrol the banks of rivers to check assets, organise maintenance, and clean litter and debris.<\/p>\n

This collaboration in the area comes at a time when, across the country, water companies are increasingly coming under fire for spilling sewage into rivers when they reach capacity. Politicians have even called to nationalise water companies in the House of Commons, however that was in response to the Thames Water \u00a33bn bailout in March.<\/p>\n

Mark Sewell, wastewater catchment manager for Greater Manchester at United Utilities, said: \u201cSome of the rivers getting focus in the south are not necessarily post-industrial northern rivers, which are a different set of challenges to what they\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark Sewell, wastewater catchment manager for Greater Manchester at United Utilities(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cComing from a very low baseline we\u2019ve seen lots of improvement. Since the 1990s, treatment processes have improved significantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a sewage perspective, it\u2019s down to United Utilities to be mainly responsible. We work within that regulatory framework to prioritise identification and investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Environment Act has come in, which has been driving some of the work as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

United Utilities are now looking to try and get rainwater that comes off the road out of their process, as that takes up the majority of their storage capacity.<\/p>\n

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Mark explained that you can only build so much storage, so when there are floods and huge deluges of rain – their system will inevitably overflow. An overflow means untreated sewage gets into the waterways.<\/p>\n

This is what United Utilities are trying to avoid as it means more polluted rivers, for which they receive heavy criticism. The M.E.N<\/a> even got a tour of the Dukinfield waste water treatment works to learn about what not to flush<\/a> – to avoid clogging up the system.<\/p>\n

\"AA picture of a combined sewer overflow on the River Tame near Dukinfield wastewater treatment works taken in December 2019<\/p>\n

According to Mark, the solution to helping reduce the amount of water they take on is to increase greenery and vegetation in areas of high water levels and to divert water away from the drains through water management plans.<\/p>\n

During that tour, Mark said: \u201cAfter it goes through the treatment process, the wastewater is discharged into the River Tame. It\u2019s part of the water cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen fatbergs that develop when people pour cooking oils and fats down the drains and they merge with wet wipes. They can damage pumps and the treatment process as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the key messages we want to share with communities is what not to flush. Pee, poo and paper are the only things that should be going down the toilet – the three Ps.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to data from The River Trust from 2024:<\/p>\n