Updated: Run Meadow Pollution Incident

High E.coli and Ammonia levels found on a stream connected to the River Fynn.

Following sampling and testing by Deben Climate Centre volunteers of a small stream in Martlesham in late January, we have been following up a high E.coli reading near where the stream goes under the road to Little Bealings. This stream rises in Kesgrave and flows into the River Fynn.

View the location on a map here.

A field walk by two volunteers along the footpath in mid-February by this stream identified a small pipe with waste water trickling into the stream. There was a smell of ammonia and sewage coming from the pipe. Samples taken above, at and below the suspected outfall showed very high levels of E.coli and ammonia in the water at the pipe and below it.

Samples from the pipe had to be diluted 50-fold to work out the level of pollution - the estimate was around 33,000 colonies per 1ml which is one of the highest readings we have ever seen.

Even below the pipe, E.coli levels were much higher than would be expected from a sewage treatment works outfall, suggesting the the pipe may have been emitting raw sewage. This finding is supported by the ammonia test which showed over 20 mg/litre (ppm); well above the acceptable level of 1 ppm maximum.

Our conclusion is that the pollution is coming from a private outfall / septic tank which is malfunctioning.

Friday 6th Update:

The incident was reported to the Environment Agency Hotline and our local contacts who sent a letter to the landowner to request urgent action. The landowner investigated and discovered a blown fuse on his private treatment system; this has been replaced and the septic tank emptied.

Speaking this week to Alice Mullen, Senior Environment Officer at the EA, she told us that the landowner had moved quickly to rectify the fault and she thanked our volunteers. She stressed the importance of escalating incidents to the Agency and acknowledged the DCC role’s in spotting non-compliant outfalls and sewage spills. She asked us to take further samples to verify that the issue had been resolved.

We will post further updates here and to our social media with the conclusions from these tests.

For more information about our work on local pollution incidents visit our water quality page.