Help protect this beautiful Thames swimming spot

This is personal – and I need your help.

My beloved swimming spot on the Thames is under threat. Thames Water’s proposed Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme will destroy it if it’s allowed to go ahead.

The plan involves removing up to 75 million litres of water per day from the river during droughts and replacing it with treated sewage effluent pumped from Mogden Sewage Treatment works. The scheme is intended to only remove water during times of water shortages, but the sewage effluent will be pumped year-round.

The local community knows the true value of this stretch of river. It’s not just me and the people I swim with. There’s a local Bluetits group with nearly 2000 members. Hundreds of rowers and paddlers use this stretch. Dog walkers frequently let their pets swim here.

It’s not just somewhere a few people happen to use, but a place of connection, health and joy. It supports the wellbeing and mental health of thousands of water users. As a local swimmer, I feel a strong sense of stewardship towards this stretch of the river and a duty to defend it.

The Statutory Consultation for the Scheme is open from 17 June until 26 August 2025. You can respond to Thames Water’s survey here. However, the form does not make it easy to register an objection.

I encourage you instead to email TDRA@ipsos.com or write via post (no stamp required) to FREEPOST TDRA CONSULTATION before the deadline.

Please see below the text of my letter. I invite you to copy or adapt any part of this and submit your own response to Thames Water.

In addition, please visit SOLAR, the website for the local campaign group, for more details on the project and how to support the campaign further.

---

Subject: Objection to the Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) Scheme

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to register my objection to Thames Water’s proposed Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme.

While I understand the need to improve long-term drought resilience, this proposal is fundamentally flawed, both in principle and in impact. Most concerning is the plan to discharge treated sewage effluent into the River Thames at Teddington on a permanent, year-round basis, despite the abstraction scheme being used only occasionally, and solely during prolonged droughts.

This year-round discharge would occur at a location of immense community and recreational value. Just outside London, this is the first non-tidal spot on the Thames, used year-round by thousands of swimmers, paddlers and rowers.

It is not just any old river. It’s a beautiful, unique location that attracts water users from miles around and supports the physical and mental wellbeing for people of all ages. Regardless of how highly treated the recycled water may be, the introduction of a sewage outfall at this location would render it unappealing, and potentially unsafe, for continued recreational use. Thames Water has not explained how they will protect the river from bacterial or chemical contaminants contained in the treated sewage effluent. The scheme effectively sacrifices a cherished, accessible and beautiful part of the river for infrastructure that will be activated only sporadically.

Compounding this is the weak water supply argument underpinning the project. The TDRA would supply 75 million litres per day, yet Thames Water currently loses more than 600 million litres per day through leakage. That means the scheme would replace just 12.5% of the water lost daily, and only on a temporary, reactive basis. For a project estimated to cost over £300 million, this is a poor return on both environmental and economic grounds.

Incidentally, today, after a prolonged dry spell – the exact conditions in which the TDRA would be utilised – the current flow in this section of the Thames is only 2.8m3/s, equivalent to 242 million litres per day. The TDRA will remove more than 30% of this flow and replace it with sewage effluent. This is likely to adversely affect the ecosystem and water chemistry, and put added stress on wildlife and habitats already vulnerable in drought periods.

Investing in sustained leakage reduction would provide the same volume of water savings permanently, without damaging ecosystems, degrading public amenities, or undermining public trust.

I urge Thames Water to withdraw the TDRA scheme and redirect investment towards leakage reduction and less damaging alternatives.

By including my full name, address and postcode, I expect my objection to be formally registered and passed to the Planning Inspectorate.

Yours faithfully,
Simon Griffiths
[My address]