Chester MP pushes for River Dee ambition

The City of Chester MP has assembled a local coalition of organisations to set out a plan for the future of the River Dee and The Groves.

Recently-elected Member of Parliament for the City of Chester, Samantha Dixon, led an assembly of local businesses, river users, environmental organisations, resident groups, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Chester Zoo, Chester University and Welsh Water last Friday (3^rd March) to understand their ambitions for the river and its surroundings. 

The morning-long event included a presentation from Welsh Water on the current state of the River Dee and their investment plans to reduce the amount of untreated sewage being dumped into the river. This included Welsh Water’s existing £1.5bn of investment between 2015 – 2025 to improve and maintain their wastewater network. 

The Rivers Trust, who also sent representatives to the meeting, has produced a sewage map which shows that, in 2021, almost 2,000 hours' worth of untreated sewage and storm water was discharged into the City of Chester stretch of the river Dee. Of which, 106 hours' worth was discharged at The Groves with a further 307 hours (about 2 weeks) of discharge down Dee Lane.  

Samantha Dixon said: “We are fortunate to have a large and beautiful stretch of river running through the City of Chester that’s used for leisure and recreational purposes. 

“The river is home to a plethora of river users who take advantage of river-based sports and activities. Not only that, the Dee is also on the doorstep of many businesses that are set up along The Groves. 

“The levels of pollution that we’ve been seeing in the Dee is unacceptable. Not only is polluted water an eyesore for the residents and visitors who visit businesses on The Groves, but it also poses a significant risk to public health for those who use the river.” 

Samantha Dixon pledged to stop sewage dumping in the River Dee during her by-election campaign last December. 

Mrs Dixon added: "One of the big takeaways away from the event is about what we can all do to stop sewage discharge. Welsh Water has a useful webpage called ‘Stop the Block’ that includes actions we can take to reduce surface water run-off into the sewers when it rains, such as using small gardens and green space, and not putting items like wet wipes down the toilet.

“The Dee is our greatest asset and we need to show more ambition towards cleaning it up. 

“I hope that this assembly of local groups is the start of a prosperous partnership for fully realising the potential of the River Dee.” 

https://www.dwrcymru.com/en/stop-the-block

Pictured - Recently-elected Member of Parliament for the City of Chester, Samantha Dixon.