Water sports bodies call for further government action in race against climate change

Sewage spills into England’s lakes, rivers and seas from water companies more than doubled last year.

Furthermore, there were 3.6 million hours of spills, compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022 according to the Environment Agency.

This is already taking its toll on paddling sports, sailing, and rowing, with the impact on the latter made clear in last year’s Boat Race.

The historic event between crews from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge was marred by high levels of E. coli being found in the River Thames.

Three members of the Oxford men’s boat were said to have fallen ill just before the race.

However, since taking power in the UK earlier this year, the Labour Government has renewed hope that the country’s waters can be restored.

The party has announced a series of proposed reforms which include the power to hold executives of companies that dump sewage accountable.

Government discussions are currently underway with water companies in the country and the industry body Water UK in a bid to make increased improvements.

British Rowing Sustainability Lead Rachel Dulai feels this is a step in the right direction but also wants to see further measures taken.

“At the moment, the government has got the consultation out for bathing water status so we have asked for that to be recreational water status which would open up many more places for year-round E. coli testing,” Dulai tells Global Sustainable Sport.

“That consultation closes in December and then there is a big government review of the water industry that runs until April.

“It’s positive that these consultations are taking place, but it depends on what happens after that.

“It’s great having these talks but we need action and legislation.

“We need the Environment Agency and regulators to be given more teeth.

“We need more accountability, more action and more investment because it’s not just poor quality water.

“Flooding is one of the biggest risks to rowing as a sport and also water scarcity.”

An adequate response needed

In 2009, a quarter of English rivers were judged as being of good ecological standard but by 2022 the Rivers Trust stated that not one was in a healthy state.

The new Labour Government puts this down to “14 years of neglect under the Conservatives”.

Since taking office, Labour has launched a new Independent Water Commission to review the water industry and bring in regulations necessary to cleaning up waterways.

The Commission will report back next year with recommendations to the government on how to restore rivers, lakes, and seas to good health.

For many this is a welcome step in the right direction, but ultimately the measures taken as a result will serve as the true marker of progress.

“How the government responds to recommendations from the consultations, and whether subsequent actions are equal to the challenge that we face [will be key],” Environment and Sustainability Manager at the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Phil Horton tells Global Sustainable Sport.

“That challenge is, essentially, whether sufficient investment will be made over a short period of time to address sewage overflows both direct and via combined sewage outfalls.

“Sewage pollution is only one aspect of the poor water quality that we are seeing.

“Agricultural runoff and, to a lesser extent, industrial pollution, also impact on water quality.

“A holistic approach to addressing all these issues is required.

“That approach will need to look at land use, stormwater runoff and on-going developments that reduce permeability of surfaces and increase loads on the public water networks alongside the work on sewage outfalls.”

The RYA, which is a UK governing body for a variety of disciplines including sailing and windsurfing, is also looking to do its bit and as such is a member of the Clean Water Sports Alliance (CWSA).

It stands alongside other sporting organisations such as Paddle UK and British Rowing which aims to act on pollution to improve the health of UK waters by 2030. Other members of the alliance include British Triathlon, Swim England and the Angling Trust.

If this is not addressed, the CWSA fears that there could be severe consequences not just environmentally but also in terms of performances.

Nearly half of Britain’s 189 medals won at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games came from water-based sports.

Therefore, the alliance is campaigning and collaborating to help clean up waterways.

“We have engaged with water companies and their trade body Water UK, sharing collective data and expertise on issues including water testing,” says Ben Seal, Head of Access and Environment at Paddle UK, which is the national governing body for canoeing, kayaking, and other paddle sports, to Global Sustainable Sport.

“We are in on-going discussions with ministers and officials to ensure that plans for the industry meet the demands of their members for safe, clean environments where they can enjoy being on, in or under the water.

“In November, following pressure from the CWSA, Water UK – the water sector umbrella body – launched a new National Storm Overflow Map.

“It meant paddlers, swimmers, surfers, will be able to view real-time sewage spills in rivers and seas for the first time.

“Paddle UK and our partners have been campaigning for real-time monitoring of sewage overflows.

“It increases transparency and gives a fuller picture of the scale of pollution caused by the water sector. There’s lots to do but at least there’s a commitment to change and public support for it.”

For Horton, he especially wants to see regulators adequately funded to enforce the law so that there is a rapid reduction in sewage-related pollution.

Furthermore, he and the CWSA want to see improved data on pollution incidents, an expansion of water quality monitoring, and aims to clean up water quality for all recreational waters year-round as opposed to just summer bathing.

British Rowing is also playing its part in cleaning up rivers, shown by its win at the British Association of Sustainable Sport’s awards.

The governing body won the leadership prize for its environmental sustainability strategy launched this year.

The first step of the strategy, named Helping Our Waters Thrive, involves collaborations with clean water partners The Rivers Trust, River Action, and Aquascope.

This focuses on testing water to ensure safety and identifying the source of the pollution with a goal of ensuring that rowers have healthy competition spaces by 2030.

As well as looking for external collaboration, the strategy also details the importance of taking accountability for what can be controlled.

As a result, three of the six objectives are based on how British Rowing can better itself in terms of sustainability.

These aim to reduce the body’s carbon footprint, embed sustainable practices into its operations, and motivate staff and members to think more sustainably.

In order to achieve these aims, British Rowing is hoping to attract sponsors and secure funding which would lead to even more success.

“We have been applying for a few grants here and there to go into our Thriving Waters scheme,” Dulai says.

“We are hatching a plan with our clean water partners that I can’t say too much about, but it’s a medium to long-term plan that we hope will attract some interest and that’s with potentially quite a big partner as well.

“We also had a sustainability corner at some of our events, the club championships and masters championships for example, so we hope through some of that work that that will encourage sponsors.”

For the immediate future, the organisation is working on enabling its members to be able to calculate their own carbon footprint.

It has recently sent off its emissions data for the last two years, with a new inclusion of scope three emissions, and now wants clubs to be able to identify where they can improve environmentally.

“We want to enable clubs to do an easy-to-measure carbon footprint of their own so that they can look at what their footprint is and how to reduce it,” says Dulai.

“That often comes with money saving tips so that is one of our next focuses.

“We will have something out for tender in January to get a partner which can help our clubs.”

Next year’s Boat Race is set to take place on April 13 and will mark 195 years since the first edition.

Last year’s event was a stark warning of the reality of the climate crisis on rowing, but the upcoming races could offer a sign of hope for not just rowing but all other water sports too.

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