The Faversham and Villages Water Quality Testing Group, FAVWAT, has been testing water quality in and around Faversham; including The White Drain that comes out at Seasalter, The Westbrook, Thorne Creek, The Cooksditch and Faversham Creek itself. Our aim, to ensure Faversham Creek and surrounding waters are clean and healthy, for people, for fisheries and for wildlife.
One of our core testing sites has been on the creek water opposite the main outflow of Faversham Waste Water Treatment Works. Here we are testing for nitrate, phosphate and ammonia. We have chosen these tests as an excess can cause eutrophication, that is a lack of oxygen in the water, leading to algal blooms which in turn leads to the suffocation of aquatic life.
Our results to date, taken as an average over a 12 month period, show that the creek water contains phosphate levels roughly between 2-3mg PO4-P/litre and nitrate levels 10-21mg NO3-N/litre. If the creek was categorised as a ‘sensitive environment’, which unfortunately it appears it is not, despite being within a Ramsar Site of International Importance, a Marine Conservation Zone and a Shellfish Water Protected Area, then these levels would exceed annual limits.
We have also now begun testing for E-Coli, specifically the waters around the head of the creek near the swing bridge and the TS Hazard building. Our results here are also worrying. Some of the recent results show levels above the maximum the tests can calculate, that is over 10,000 coliform forming units (cfu’s). To put this in context, there was concern recently at the Paris Olympics swimming event when tests from the River Seine returned E-Coli results of 1,000cfu. Tests from the River Thames caused uproar at the Boat Race this year, where a reading of 2,869cfu was obtained. Both below the 10,000cfu readings obtained from Faversham Creek.
However without enforceable standards there is a limit to what we can do. Our work therefore is now moving towards combining testing with campaigning for the creek to be designated a sensitive area, that is an area with clear limits to the amount of pollution being discharged into local waters, from whatever source.
Thinking of helping out? New members are very welcome, join us, help us ensure clean waters for Faversham; protecting people, protecting fisheries, and protecting wildlife too!
