We, the undersigned, would ask for Thames Water Utilities Ltd to produce a public timescale for upgrades to their Witney, Cassington and Oxford STWs to increase capacity and ensure operation is within their permits, alleviating the need for discharges.

Oxford University and its societies have a long history of interacting with the rivers of Oxfordshire. Oxford students, as well as the local community, have a close relationship with the Thames, the river flowing through the heart of the city. 

For many students, the rivers play an important part of their daily lives. In 2022, around 1,600 undergraduate students were swim tested for rowing, which represents just a small section of students who use the rivers. Across all seasons Oxford students continue to interact with the rivers, from novice rowers in autumn, seasoned wild swimmers in winter, kayakers playing polo in spring to punting and swimming in the summer.

However, the river is not always a safe space for students to enjoy. Thames Water is responsible for frequent and damaging sewage releases that make the river unsafe for use and as a habitat for other species.

In 2021 alone there were 607.01 hours of raw, untreated, sewage spills from the Whitney processing plant alone which is upstream from the Port Meadow stretch of the Thames [1]. There were also 891.52 hours of sewage being released by Oxford STW processing plant in 2021, where the contents of every toilet in Oxford comes to be processed. 

In 2022, the Wolvercote Mill Stream received Designated Bathing Water Status however this title has not had the impact on the safety of the river that it should have. The frequency of releases has been maintained and between the 28th of December 2022 and the 20th of January 2023 the Witney plant was discharging continuously resulting in over 552 hours of spills. The impact of this pollution is clear with the water quality being classified as 'poor' by the EA and the spot failing bacteria tests for E coli in late 2022. [2]

Therefore, we are demanding that:

Thames Water develops a detailed public timeline for upgrading the capacities of Oxford, Cassington and Whitney STWs by 2025. 
We need regular bacteria testing funded by Thames Water at Donnington Bridge or Folly Bridge, and the results to be easily accessible to users of the rivers

Thames Water must take stronger action against river pollution, their current plans to reduce releases by 50% by 2030 are not enough when the Thames is such an important part of the city. Overall, we are calling for a cleaner Thames, where users of the river can feel safe. 

References   

[1]https://www.thameswater.co.uk/about-us/performance/river-health/storm-discharge-data

[2]https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/profile.html?bw=ukj1402-11946&site=ukj1402-11946