Chester Zoo share fears of an 'unacceptable discharge of sewage' putting wildlife at risk

The Chief executive of the zoo has written to Welsh Water in an appeal to solve the issue. Credit: Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo has written an open letter to Dŵr Cymru (Welsh Water) complaining about an 'unacceptable discharge of sewage' which is putting wildlife at risk.

Chief executive, Jamie Christon, said the zoo was reliant on a "healthy, clean environment" along the river and and the sewage has a harmful effect on wildlife and biodiversity.

He spoke of a number of species and habitats on the river, including an invertebrate called the Scarce Yellow Stonefly which he said is in danger of extinction, something they are trying to prevent.

The zoo is running a conservation project to protect this rare species, with the River Dee being the only current known site in the UK where it has been seen.

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Chester Zoo houses of 35,000 animals.

Welsh Water responded to the letter saying the sewage was released as part of a flood prevention system.

Combined sewer overflows, where sewage is released into rivers or the sea, were developed as overflow valves to reduce the risk of sewage backing up during heavy rainfall.

They also said that investment in recent years has played a part in helping to reduce the amount of spills by 10% in 2021.

It continued to say it was aware of the zoo's letter and had requested a meeting with them.

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