Citizen environmentalists in Devon have developed an innovative online platform to monitor sewage spills in the River Dart in real time. The initiative, led by the independent organization Friends of the Dart (FOD), aims to highlight areas frequently affected by pollution and outline planned improvements.
Overview of River Hub
The River Hub is described as the first platform to compile detailed information about sewage spills affecting a British river. Rob Worthington, one of the platform's designers, emphasized the need for such a resource, stating, "We built River Hub to help channel that constructively: to show where the problems are and why, so communities can help decide what gets fixed first."
The launch of the platform coincides with significant events, including South West Water (SWW) being fined nearly £800 million for sewage spills, and comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the Labour conference regarding the need for public ownership of water companies.
Features of the River Hub
The River Hub provides:
- Real-time updates on current sewage spills and those that have occurred in the last 12 hours.
- Information on "dry spills"—discharges that happen with little or no rain.
- A section titled "Why it keeps happening?" that examines the capacity of sewage treatment works in relation to local population sizes.
- A detailed account of ongoing and planned remedial works, including completion dates.
- A methodology section explaining the data sources used, including public domain information and data obtained through freedom of information requests.
