Happy New Year to you all!
The latest water quality tests have been completed and are continuing to show that ammonia levels have stabilised (0.42 mg/L, pH 8.1, 9.7 °C), even slightly declining, which would be fantastic news. Oxygen levels are good, and are now close to matching those in the river (Darlow – 9.5 mg/L, 84.2 % sat.; River – 10.0 mg/L, 89.8 % sat.). The FFFC Committee are reviewing the situation in light of this information, and other factors, and will inform you of any developments.
We have added a new parameter to the measurements in the hope that we may be able to objectively measure increases in water turbidity, such as the start of an algal bloom. It’s on the graph as “Water colour” and is measured in Platinum-Cobalt Units (PCU). See detailed information and trends here.
If you are interested, Thames Water are now trialling automatic messaging service that tells you when they are dumping raw sewage in to the Windrush from Witney Sewage Treatment Works (sign up here). I signed up on 27-Dec-2022, and have since had five separate daily notifications that they are dumping untreated sewage – good to know, but infuriating. From our perspective, the repaired bank is holding firm, but we have not had any significant flood water yet.
