Olympic river to be dredged to 'improve water quality'

It has been reported that a river near the Olympic Park in London will be dredged to tackle the waterway's problem of poor water quality.

The £2 million programme will see up to 16,000m3 of silt removed from the River Lee Navigation, according to Dredging News Online.

Poor water quality and its effect on local residents, wildlife, boaters and other waterway users has caused some concern and the Environment Agency and British Waterways have combined to deal with the problem.

Dave Wardle, Environment Agency project manager, says that the river has suffered from "years of abuse".

"Riverside industries discharged unwanted waste into the waterway. Sewage treatment works use the river to dispose of effluent," he adds.

The building of homes with misconnected pipes, fly-tipping and general littering are said to be common-place and have resulted in a "build up of silt and obstructions in the river, which must now be cleared as part of a wider programme of improvements to the waterway".

From its source near Luton, the waterway's mouth is on the River Thames.