‘The river smelled so bad we didn’t get in’ – locals demand politicians clamp down on Calder sewage

Members of a local canoe group say it has become a “running joke” that dirty water in nearby rivers will make them sick and joined national calls for the next government get much tougher on polluters.

The comments come after local councillors agreed a major review into the Calder Valley watercourses, which by some measures are the second most polluted in England.

Rosie Lonnon from the Halifax Canoe Club, whose clubhouse and white-water course is at Sowerby Bridge, says the smell from sewage in the River Calder has on several occasions been so bad that members decided not to get in.

“Until recently it was something we laughed about,” Rosie says. “Most of our members have suffered a stomach bug at some point.

“Now we’ve seen the national campaigns and learned more about what causes the sickness there is a feeling of frustration because we know who is at fault and that there is a solution.”

The group, which has around 100 members, are working with the Calder Rivers Trust to monitor water quality in the areas in which they paddle.

In the past year 1,827 hours – 76 days – of sewage has been spilled into the Ryburn at West Street, which joins the Calder just upstream from the Sowerby Bridge slalom course.

Data compiled by Watershed Investigations and revealed on their first-of-its-kind Pollution Map also showed that all the rivers in Calder assessed by the Environment Agency failed to meet standard of good ecological and chemical health when last tested. The groundwater is also classified as ‘poor’ by the agency

“It’s important to take part in citizen science and raise awareness of the seriousness of this problem rather than continuing to laugh it off in the pub,” Rosie says.

“There are so many different river users – you have people like us doing paddle sports but you also have anglers, walkers along the riverside and even their dogs jumping in at certain points who might get sick. Not to mention the wildlife.

“Rivers are for everyone to enjoy. I feel very strongly that something must change to clamp down on sewage discharge. The current situation is shameful.”

The Calder Rivers Trust hosts the Calder Catchment Partnership which brings together different organisations, including Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency, farmers, landowners and river users, to coordinate activity and deliver improvements across the Calder Valley catchment area.

General Manager Dr Andy Bray says the Calder is in a better state than it was in the 1970s – when the water would run a different colour on different days depending on the dyes used by the textile mills – but it is still suffering from multiple pressures, with many of the best solutions being nature-based.

“We know the water quality isn’t good,” Andy says. “We know the river habitat isn’t good. But what it’s less easy to do is attribute that to any one activity. There are multiple pressures on our rivers from a range of industries, including water, agriculture, and transport.

“At Calder Rivers trust, we are working to address these pressures at the catchment scale by collaborating with landowners, businesses, and regulators through nature-based solutions.”

The UK has some of the worst water quality in Europe but water companies in England and Wales have accrued £64 billion in debt since privatisation and have paid shareholders £2.5bn in dividends since 2021.

Under the current system, fines from water companies that are put back into protecting the environment equate to approximately 1% of funds distributed to shareholders.

National campaign group River Action have published five asks for candidates at the forthcoming General Election, including reform of Ofwat’s regulation of the water industry and properly funding environmental protection agencies to take firmer action against polluters.

James Wallace, CEO of River Action, said: “It is completely unacceptable and outrageous that people can’t use their local river without getting ill. For far too long our waters have suffered under a system that prioritises profit over planet and people. The upcoming election is a chance for the next Government to rebuild trust and transform the system that allows our rivers to be polluted everyday”.