Chichester Harbour Federation Environmental Reps Meeting 7 April

[Mark Taylor]

Dear Langstone Cutters,

As your environmental rep on the Chichester Harbour Federation , I attended an on-line meeting on 7 April to discuss what clubs and businesses around the harbour were doing to improve their green credentials. This is an initiative known as Blue Green. The meeting agenda was not planning to  majorly discuss water quality.

Many clubs around the harbour explained initiatives, such as placing solar panels on club roofs and recycling grey water. I emphasised that as a club,  LCRC have little impact on the general environment using totally man-powered propulsion and having no buildings. I explained that we respect regulations regarding “no landings” in bird breeding areas and we don't take our craft near the seal haul-out areas.

The only environmental impact I considered we could investigate as a club, was to ensure that any anti-fouling we use on our moored Claydons  was as least toxic as possible. So I will discuss with the bosun.

I was assured that Harbour Master Richard Craven, is pursuing with Chichester District Council, monthly sampling of water quality in Sweare Deep in addition to other areas of the Harbour within Chichester District's geography. This should help to pick up any pollution that  floods through the bridges from Langstone Harbour/ Budds Farm.

One proposal put forward in the meeting, although difficult to understand in reality if the science would be possible as as follows:-

Carry out  real-time monitoring of water quality in the harbour with a web-based information portal, like Cambermet, displaying bacterial and nitrate levels.