Source of the Problem: how demand is draining our rivers of life
Wildfish Deputy CEO, Janina Gray
“”Rivers and the species which depend upon them are severely stressed and not resilient to change. This means low flows and drought, worsened by abstraction during these naturally vulnerable times, will have even greater impact on wild fish….
Water supply in England is fully dependent on naturally occurring supplies of water from lakes, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater sources. Water is abstracted from these sites and pumped into our homes and businesses through a network of pipes….
The problem is that these natural sources cannot supply enough water to meet the growing demand and provide enough left over for our rivers and lakes to thrive. This is true in normal conditions. In drought, natural sources of water face ecological disaster, unable to sustain life.
Less water in rivers means:
Fish are less able to migrate up and down rivers to complete their life cycles.
Pollutants in the water become more concentrated because of the lack of dilution.
Increased sedimentation clogs up rivers because they do not have the energy to remove them.
Reduced shelter and food availability.
Water temperatures increase and oxygen levels decrease.
Our failure to invest sufficiently in water storage, desalination (the process by which dissolved mineral salts in water are removed) or water recycling plants coupled with insufficient efforts to reduce demand, is the root cause of the problem. As a result, our water supply will struggle to meet demand in drought. The numbers are deeply concerning.”
