Dedham Pupils Raise Alarm Over Pollution Threatening River Stour

Dedham pupils, with a local charity, tested River Stour water and found pollution threatening this beauty spot. They aim to raise awareness and seek action to protect the river's future.

Local Pupils Concerned Over River Stour Pollution

Children from Dedham Church of England Primary School in Essex have expressed concern that the River Stour, which flows through their village, is "dying". They conducted water quality sampling in partnership with a local climate action charity to investigate pollution levels in this popular river stretch, frequented by swimmers, paddleboarders, and tourists.

Year Four teacher Emily Keeley noted the pupils were "really quite disheartened to find it was so polluted" but remain passionate about raising awareness of the environmental issues affecting the river.

"If we don't look after our world, there's no planet B and if we don't fix it, then there will not be the river and no animals in here,"

said nine-year-old Florence.

"We should tell people that the river is dying and we need to help it."

Noah, also nine, added: "If no one does anything about it, then the river will just go and no one will be able to go in,"

noting that the river would no longer remain a nationally-important landscape.

The pupils plan to write to Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative MP for the area, requesting the installation of a storm drain on the nearby A12 road to prevent chemicals from draining into the river.

Dedham, immortalised by painter John Constable, is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on the Essex-Suffolk border. The village has reportedly experienced a recent rise in issues such as littering and poor parking.

A young girl and boy smile at the camera. They are both wearing school uniform and sun hats and are standing against a backdrop of grass and a riverbed. — Image caption, Pupils Florence and Noah said they wanted more people to realise how important it was to look after rivers such as the one that runs through Dedham

Pupils Florence and Noah emphasized their desire for more people to understand the importance of protecting rivers like the one running through Dedham.

Collaboration with Local Climate Charity

The children have been conducting water tests with assistance from PACE (Practical Actions for Climate and the Environment), a charity founded in nearby Manningtree in 2019.

John Hall, one of PACE's founders and trustees, explained that the group has been sampling water in the River Stour for three years and adapted their methods to suit the children.

"I've been in biology all my life so I understand a lot about the different insects and other animals that live in rivers, plants in rivers and so on,"

he said.

"If they [the school pupils] have got that understanding then they'll want to do something about it, they'll want to make sure the water quality of their river is as good as possible."

The sampling uses a technique called riverfly monitoring, which assesses levels of invertebrate life in the water. This method allows for rapid detection of pollution or deterioration in water quality.

Official Response and Broader Context

The Environment Agency acknowledged the "citizen science" efforts of PACE Manningtree and welcomed the new Water (Special Measures) Act, which aims to enhance regulation of water companies in England and Wales.

"The Act will give us, as regulator, more power to protect our precious water quality and resources, hold water companies and others to account and ensure the polluter pays,"

the agency stated.

"A number of factors can affect water quality. It is certainly not just about water companies. Weather, animal poo, road-runoff and littering are all to blame."

A man stands in a river with the water up to his thighs. He is wearing wellington boots. The water stretches out from the camera and a bridge is in the background. — Image caption, Local climate action charity PACE (Practical Actions for Climate and the Environment) has been conducting the tests with the school children

Educational Impact and Community Engagement

Miss Keeley highlighted that while the Year Four pupils had been studying environmental issues in a global context, the water sampling project made the problem tangible and local.

"It's a beautiful place and just from visiting on a day trip, you might not necessarily know that there are all these underlying issues,"

she said.

"I think these guys are so passionate and enthusiastic about everything we've learned this half term, and they're so keen to do things even beyond the classroom, so it's been fantastic to see them get so engaged with it."

Community Interaction

Residents and visitors to Dedham are encouraged to consider the environmental challenges facing the River Stour and to support efforts to improve and maintain its water quality.

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