3. Agricultural pollution: Harmful impacts of farming for watercourses and the benefits of working with nature
Storying WaterShow Notes
In the third episode, Ellen visits a scenic rural area along the River Exe, surrounded by farmland, where the water looks beautifully clean and clear – and looks into the issue of agricultural pollution and its often-hidden impact on our waterways. As the Rivers Trust pointed out in a report on the health of rivers, the majority failed the test because of agricultural and land management activity, which caused roughly 70% of pollution, followed by water industry activity including sewage discharges, followed by urban and transport activity such as chemical residue from car tyres. Even the clearest water may be laced with chemicals. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple ways in which farms can reduce their pollution of rivers, even without necessarily changing the chemicals they use – simple nature-based solutions and interventions, mostly to store more water in the ground, can make a huge difference.
You can find more information about Ellen Wiles and the Storying Water artist residency here.
Voices in order of appearance: Laurence Couldrick, CEO of the West Country Rivers Trust; Cameron Clark, Senior Field Technician at the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste; Matthew Sparks, sheep farmer who has introduced nature-based solutions; Dr Robert Bradburne, Chief Scientist at the Environment Agency.
More from Storying Water
Ellen visits Wimbleball, a scenic lake in North Devon that is popular for water sports and fly fishing – but it is also a vital reservoir, dug out and built in 1979, storing water for thousands of people in the region before it’s treated and ready to drink. In this episode, Ellen discovers some of the hidden complexities involved in operating and monitoring reservoirs, and making sure they don’t become reeking hotbeds for algal blooms. She also learns about the increasing pressures on water supply, the urgent need for more reservoirs to be built, and – arguably at least as important – the reservoirification of our landscapes through smaller ponds, lakes and wetlands.
The series begins with a search for a beginning as Ellen goes on a walk to find the source of the River Exe up on Exmoor – and it isn’t as easy to spot as expected. Exploring the incredible value of peatlands for water quality and drought and flood resilience as well as biodiversity, and the critical importance of wetland restoration after centuries of draining and neglect, Ellen meets experts including a leading earth scientist and hydrologist, a peatland partnership comms officer, and a water company executive who used to head up a wildlife trust.