I’m not waving, I’m drowning (in sewage)

In which Hari talks about gastrointestinal illness, water politics, and other things she knows very little about

When I was in university (I went to drama school), we had an assignment where we had to make our own short films and perform in them. This was to help make us self-sufficient when we went into the industry. I have a good feeling, though I haven’t seen them for almost ten years, that they were all terrible and we were all terrible in them. This is not to say we were terrible actors, just that we were woefully underprepared for the task at hand. Their quality, however, is not the most important thing about this story. This is a substack about nature, after all.

The short film I performed in was a post-apocalyptic drama set in and around Chilworth Gunpowder Mill, near Guildford. I think it may have been a murder mystery. Again, that is not important. What is important is that, in one of the scenes, my character had to wash her face in a small stream. That means I had to wash my face in a small stream. Some of the water from said stream got into my mouth during one of the takes. I will give you three guesses what happened next. Yes, reader, on day one of the shoot, I got e-coli.

I coped with it as well as I could, eating and drinking as little as I could to get through it. I managed to avoid needing to void my bowels in front of my peers. But, I was white as a sheet. I’m astounded they managed to catch my face on film, as the rays reflecting off me were bright enough to light the rest of the cast and the set they were standing on.

Why am I telling you about this? Because, dear reader, it is election time in the UK, and I think water pollution should be on your voting agenda. Not simply to prevent another unfortunate student at the Guildford School of Acting from contracting an embarrassing ailment, but because this is an increasingly concerning issue of safety for all of us.

England and Wales are two of only four countries that have privatised water, the other two being the United States and Chile. De-nationalised in 1989, the argument for it was that it was too expensive, that the cost to fix the pre-existing problems caused by inefficient systems and old Victorian drainage systems was simply too great to put on the public purse. Some agree that this was the case and is still the case. These privatised companies can use their profit, after all, to raise the funds needed to fix all these problems.

Except it’s not been working out that way. Private companies have an incentive to make profits, so that they can give those profits to their shareholders. In England, those who have invested in ensuring you have clean(ish) water coming into your taps are fairly considerable in number. In Wales, Dŵr Cymru (or Welsh Water) are not-for-profit, so they should in theory have fewer places to put the money. Except, both English and Welsh Water companies are subject to corporate interest rates when borrowing money – to put investment into regeneration, they have to pay a substantial amount back.

‘Hari, this is not very nature-y of you’, I hear you say, ‘this is a nature substack, Hari’. Yes, I know, reader, I apologise. Boring politics-y bit over, I promise. What does this mean for me, and you, reader, as we strive for our hour a day in nature? Well, as I’ve already pointed out, there is a good chance you will get sick by doing so. The Guildford Dragon recently reported that the River Wey – the river that runs through the area – has some of the ‘worst’ phosphate pollution in the country. Mount Sinai suggest that:

Too much phosphate can be toxic. It can cause diarrhea and calcification (hardening) of organs and soft tissue, and can interfere with the body's ability to use iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

Rowing clubs have recently been told to take safety precautions and avoid jumping into certain UK rivers after races due to high levels of E-Coli, an indication of increasing organic water pollution. Visitors to the River Wam have been told not to paddle or wade in the water because the presence of the bacteria is reportedly six times higher than approved levels. The Environment Agency calls the situation ‘unacceptable’.

Increasingly, we are making our waters – both fresh and salt – unsafe to swim in, play in, and be near. A case covered fairly widely towards the beginning of the year was that of Jo Bateman, who sued South West Water for spilling sewage into the sea near her home, frequently making it unsafe to swim for days at a time. Bateman was reportedly told by the company that swimming in nature every day was not a right. It is not surprising to me that swimming in nature is not a legal right, because many individuals take it for granted that they will be able to do so. Bateman recently told The New Statesman Podcast that the claim was not simply for her, but for those going to swim who may not be aware of the risks and who may become sick because of it.

Bateman is by no means the only person in the UK who finds pleasure and even solace in sea-swimming. Dawn Stalkers, a natural swimming group in Penarth, have crafted a community around swimming as the sun comes up. The group has many regular and infrequent members – on a slow, chilly morning, you might find a dozen people going for a dip at dawn. On warm, summer mornings, you may find more than 50.

(Photo Credit: James Richardson, @halfwit0.5 on instagram)

I cannot imagine anything more horrendous than getting up that early, and anyway I don’t live near enough to Penarth for getting there to be possible for me ahead of sunrise (I will not get up at 2am for anything, even for a refreshing dip in the sea), but I have been to and facilitated some events with their sister group Moon Mermaids. They take an evening dip on the full moon, and host regular ‘shell breakers’ to help encourage new-comers, particularly women, into the water.

Getting up in the middle of the night to hop in the sea and see the sun rise may seem like madness to you (it certainly seems like madness to me), but for many Dawn Stalkers, it gives them purpose, focus and meaning. It gives them a community that they know will be there every day, come rain or shine. It allows them to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. Nature has that power, and the risk to our natural waterways puts communities like Dawn Stalkers at risk. Alright, some may say, without it, they just become like the rest of us. They wake up, have breakfast and go about their mornings as anyone else would. They could get their daily exercise or taste of fresh air by walking or cycling to or from the station, or from where they parked the car, or whatever. Most of us don’t have that every morning and we function perfectly well. Don’t we?

Do we, though? I couldn’t say, I don’t know what it would be like to have that. Do we know what we are missing? They certainly would.

I recently went to Llandaf Weir (pictured at the top of this article). It was beautiful and peaceful and I managed to avoid both sunstroke and bug bites. The River Taf, connected to the weir, also has high levels of phosphorus pollution. I am not an environmental expert, but the area I was sitting by had quite high levels of algae, suggesting low levels of in-water oxygen, that potentially put into question the viability of the area as healthy habitat for a variety of wildlife. There was also a huge amount of obvious human pollution in the area. A clean-up effort last year removed over 60 bags of sewage-related pollutants. I have already made it clear that I can’t get out all that often, reader, this is not what I want from my idyllic trip to the weir.

Reader, I have kept you for a long time, and I appreciate your attention. What can be done about it? Well, right now, you can get ready to vote. I am writing this (because I am terrible at planning) ahead of all the party manifestos being announced. If this is an issue that would be important to you (and as a nature dabbler, I hope I have convinced you that it could be), here is a basic overview of each major political party’s stances on water pollution:

-       Labour – Will not nationalise wate,r but do propose to end private water companies self-monitoring (ie. saying whether they did a good enough job or not) and to put levies on misdemeanours and criminal charges on repeated offences.

-       Conservatives – I could not find anything about their immediate stance. The current government recently voted down a proposed bill from Labour to significantly reduce the amount of sewage allowed to be pumped into rivers. Certain Conservative MPs have also voted to weaken the power of water regulators to hold companies accountable – the least cynical reason why is to presumably put money back in the companies’ hands, which they can spend on improving the systems in place.

-       Liberal Democrats – Also call for stronger regulatory measures, though stop short of nationalisation. They, like Labour, support the notion of banning bonuses for executives of companies found to be misbehaving.

-       Green Party: Wish to nationalise water. In the short term, they propose to enforce much more control over what private water companies can spend their money on, particularly money coming from dividends (which amount to billions, in the case of water companies across England).

If I have not put your party of choice on this list, I apologise and encourage you to reach out to your local candidate to see what they have to offer. I know Plaid Cymru is very keen for things to change here in Wales. Voting is a small action, but may go a long way to solving this problem, which has been going on for decades (well before water’s privatisation in 1989). It is perhaps the least that we, as considerate nature dabblers, can do.

Thank you so much for reading. I wish you safe travels in nature this week. I hope you don’t get e-coli from washing your face in a stream.