Seventh Meeting in Cardigan 9-Nov-2023
At Mwldan 6 - 7.00 to 9.00pm
As people saw the report that’s hit the news on 19 Oct (See Latest News) about sewage releases in the Teifi from the Cardigan Sewage Processing facility there was and is a lot of frustration and anger. We organising this Save the River Teifi meeting to discuss the report with the Head of the Welsh Rivers charity (Afonydd Cymru) who commissioned it. We also had space to reflect and re-strengthen our actions as a campaign movement.
The agenda for the meeting was:
- Brief update on progress (see below)
- Presentation by Gail Davies-Walsh (Chief Exec of Afonydd Cymru) via zoom to outline the report they commissioned which highlighted the failures of Cardigan Sewage Works (see below)
- Small group discussions to identify what actions we should take to improve the quality of the river and estuary for society and the environment. (see below)
- How funds raised thus far are being/could be used.
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Brief update on progress
Presentation by Gail Davies-Walsh (Chief Exec of Afonydd Cymru) via zoom
Small group discussions to identify what actions we should take
Two groups were formed and the discussion were summarised on flip charts. These are shown here:
There was much discussion with expertise from several attendees evident. There was most response to 'Ask for Plant Work to be Accelerated', but with some caveats... Piers summarised some of these discusions with a Post on the STT FB page as follows:
DWR CYMRU - “WE’RE INNOCENT”
Dwr Cymru seem to be taking the position that not only have they been completely transparent about the ‘problems’ with the Cardigan Treatment works but also the spills have been of no real significance because the bathing water standard at Poppit Sands has tested as ‘excellent’.
This is a gross distortion of the truth.
- Testing at Poppit is only carried out twice a month from May to September, on a rising tide, at the western end of the beach between the Lifesavers flags (far away from the river mouth). This does not constitute a safe ‘scientific analysis’ and certainly should not be used to claim that ‘no environmental damage’ has occurred. To use the data to justify over 300 days of spills into the Teifi is outrageous.
- Bathing water quality at Poppit is only one aspect of the damage that has been done. To focus on the beach alone shows complete disregard for all of the environmental impacts on the Teifi itself, where fish stocks, plant life, waterfowl are all being effected. Furthermore, in recent years, with a huge increase in paddle boarding, kayaking and river swimming, bathing quality is now an issue for both sea and river.
- An analysis of Environment Agency data done by the Welsh Liberal Democrats revealed that last year Poppit was the most polluted of Blue Flag’ beach in the whole of the UK, with 79 sewage spill incidents. That’s 1,518 hours of spilling. We have to ask how these incidents could be missed if testing is thorough. Most likely it is because the taking of two samples a month is a net through which a host of incidents can fall. It’s simply not robust.
Dwr Cymru should be held accountable for claiming an evidence base to justify their actions which depends on such inadequate data. It is obvious to anyone who has an ounce of sense that spilling untreated sewage into the Teifi for over 300 days of the year will have an environmental impact. To claim otherwise on the basis of an inadequate testing regime at Poppit is arrogant and deceitful. We need an entirely new team to run this Company and rebuild trust with its customers..
There is a cosy idea that the river is like a toilet that flushes out to the sea on every tide. A local geologist/scientist who came to the Save the Teifi meeting last night pointed out that this isn’t the case, and that there is only sufficient water flow in the river to ‘flush’ to the sea on 90-100 days a year. This also explains why the Teifi has always been so vulnerable to silting up. The fresh water is held back by the salt water, meaning that sewage is held in the river until the salt water barrier is breached. You can often see this line where fresh water meets salt as a distinct feature in the estuary. River flow is lowest during summer months which means salt water damming is at its strongest. Any illegal ‘dry’ spills into the river during these months hang about for much longer, and can do more damage to the ecology of the river. It may also explain why the bacteria aren’t always reaching the flagged swimming end of beach (especially as the river vents out through the Gwbert end, not the western end where testing is done). Testing at Gwbert would likely bring a very different set of results. Will Dwr Cymru carry out a thorough analysis of these complicated tidal flow patterns in the estuary before they build their new plant, one wonders?
THE TEIFI - A RIVER WORTH SAVING
PISHO Project Update
Gwenda also updated us on the PISHO project (see Recycling Urine – Teifi-Forum) as she seeks to raise awareness of phosphate loss into the Teifi and to raise funds using these collection boxes, by distributing nuts, grown in her garden , in various locations in Cardigan:
