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In the third episode, Ellen visits a scenic rural area along the River Exe, surrounded by farmland, where the water looks beautifully clean and clear – and looks into the issue of agricultural pollution and its often-hidden impact on our waterways. As the Rivers Trust pointed out in a report on the health of rivers, the majority failed the test because of agricultural and land management activity, which caused roughly 70% of pollution, followed by water industry activity including sewage discharges, followed by urban and transport activity such as chemical residue from car tyres. Even the clearest water may be laced with chemicals. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple ways in which farms can reduce their pollution of rivers, even without necessarily changing the chemicals they use – simple nature-based solutions and interventions, mostly to store more water in the ground, can make a huge difference.
You can find more information about Ellen Wiles and the Storying Water artist residency here.
Voices in order of appearance: Laurence Couldrick, CEO of the West Country Rivers Trust; Cameron Clark, Senior Field Technician at the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste; Matthew Sparks, sheep farmer who has introduced nature-based solutions; Dr Robert Bradburne, Chief Scientist at the Environment Agency.
