My letter in reply to comments made by one of the Leek Post and Times regular columnists.
"In his column in last
week's leek Post and Times Gary Shenton suggested that some of the
recent flooding problems experienced across parts of Britain are, in
part, due to the EU Water Framework Directive, which he said was,
“driven by ideology” and has, “banned dredging” (of rivers).
Clearly he has never read that document because neither is the case.
What it is is a law to protect our fresh water resources (surface and
groundwater) from pollution and ecological degradation, and ensure
they are used in a sustainable way. And, it's nothing new; before the
Water Framework Directive was agreed by the UK government in 2000, a
series of similar, and increasingly stringent pieces of legislation
had been enacted since the end of the 1940s. In fact the first laws
to prevent river pollution in Britain go back to the 14th
century; had they not been our rivers, estuaries and beaches would be
poisoned and filthy and our tap water would not be fit to drink.
Also, should the UK leave the EU within the next few years, similar
legislation the the WFD will inevitably take its place. Whether he
and others like to hear it or not, the ecology of aquatic ecosystems
plays an important role in providing a clean and reliable supply of
fresh water in our rivers, and helps with flood control in built up
areas. Only a foolish population would want to carelessly interfere
with the functioning of such a vital resource. So even people who are
not particularly interested in wildlife should be pleased that it is
doing us a service by doing these jobs for free, and should be very,
very keen to look after it!"
Erosion and deposition of silt on the River Churnet near Dimmingsdale, March 2013
Good response Wendy.
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