Poor Drainage Decisions Affecting Sea Life

How does it affect marine life?

Think of the issues that occur when the drains at home are continuously misused. When we force food down the drain, flush baby wipes down the toilet and let grease and oil from pans disappear down the plughole, we’re risking the cumulative effects of our misuse. So, if we increase the scale of these issues across the nation, continent or even worldwide, the significance of the threat to our marine life becomes apparent. There are 11,000 Combined Sewage and Stormwater Overflow drains that discharge waste into the UK’s rivers and seas, and their usage needs to be closely monitored.

These effects can range from slight pollution of water to actively contributing to the injury and even death of animals that come into contact with our pollutants.

Hypoxia

Hypoxia, or oxygen depletion, is a common side effect of sewage pollution. Sewage that enters the water offers plenty of nutrients for bacteria, which increases their presence. Furthermore, plant and algae growth is encouraged by the presence of sewage – when these plants and algae die, they offer yet more organic matter for bacteria. When bacteria consumes this organic matter, they also consume dissolved oxygen from the water, denying other creatures and organisms access to it.

Habitat Impact

The innumerable ecosystems and habitats that exist within the various bodies of water around the world are delicate things, and unnatural changes to these habitats can be disastrous for the creatures within them. The aforementioned increased plant and algae growth that is caused by sewage pollution can reduce living space for animals that need open water to survive. Conversely, excess plants and algae means more places for prey to hide, which means their predators have less food available, another disruption to the food chain.