Oxford rowing coach calls Thames pollution a ‘national disgrace’ E. coli Found on the rowing track.
Sean Bowden, Oxford’s coach since 1997, also admitted health risks could also prevent the tradition of the winning bull being thrown or jumped into the river.
As The Guardian first reported on Tuesday, organizers have issued new safety guidelines this year, including warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds.
This unprecedented action comes after Second E. coli The levels were found to be nearly 10 times higher than those found in bathing water rated “poor” (the worst rating) by Environment Agency standards.
“It’s a national disgrace, isn’t it?” Bowden said. “It’s very concerning. It would be great if the boat race could draw attention to it. We are very keen to make a difference and recognize that we have a responsibility and a role in this.
“Occasionally someone will get a stomach bug, but they tend to recover within 24 or 48 hours. So that’s a very important thing. We obviously don’t want people to get sick. Every time we come to Tideway, we talk about good hygiene and Mitigation Strategies.”
However, Bowden was noncommittal when asked if Oxford Cox would jump or be thrown into the river on Saturday. “I don’t know,” he said. “This is a discussion we will have. The captain has the choice whether to participate or not. We will deal with this issue in a timely manner.
“People do swim in the river and do a lot of water sports. But I guess the risk of throwing the rudder of a boat into the water for about 10 seconds is very small.”
However, former British rower Harry Glenister, who will compete for Oxford this year, said the team had made the mistake of going against tradition. “If there were health and safety issues, I don’t think we would throw him in there because we don’t want to take the risk,” he said.
“It’s too risky. We support whatever the boat race says about the conditions in the water. We just hope we win and then we make a decision.”
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London’s new £5bn super sewer is expected to alleviate much of the problem when it opens next year. Bowden said there needed to be a national debate and he was “really pleased that newspapers are going after water companies”.
“Surfriders Against Sewage and all these really great people tried to bring this to our attention years ago,” he said. “The time it takes to gain traction is concerning.”
In a statement, Thames Water blamed the problem on recent high rainfall and said it was working to reduce the amount of sewage being discharged into the river. “We are working hard to avoid these emissions and have published plans to upgrade more than 250 sites.”
