Catchment Issues

Catchment Issues

There are no municipal sewage works discharging anywhere along the Crane system. [Mogden Sewage Treatment Works, the third-largest in the UK, is located within the catchment at Isleworth, but discharges directly to the River Thames.] Sewage pollution is nevertheless an issue in the Crane catchment, caused through household misconnections and sewer overflows. Road-run off after heavy rain also adversely affects water quality. And engineering works (widening, straightening, dredging, culverting and bank reinforcement) over many years have significantly altered the natural form of many sections of river channel reducing habitat quality and opportunities for water to overspill onto the floodplain. Such modifications, combined with a preponderance of hardstanding areas in the heavily urbanised setting, render the watercourses characteristically ‘flashy’; river levels rise and fall rapidly following rainfall events.

For further information on the Crane catchment including a wide range of data sets, please visit our storymap site.

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For a wide selection of images of the Crane Valley, please visit our online gallery.

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For key reports, please list our online archive.

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