Deben Climate Centre publishes report on water quality in the upper Deben – 09 February 2024

The Deben Climate Centre (a DEP partner organisation) have today published a detailed report on E.coli and phosphate pollution in the River Deben. Written by scientists and local residents Bill Brammar PhD and David Findley PhD, it is the result of more than 12 months of sampling and testing results from 26 locations in the upper, non-tidal reaches of the River Deben.

**E.Coli and Phosphate levels in the upper non-tidal reaches of the River Deben**: Source: DCC report

DEP Public Meeting – 18 January 2024

As set out in our constitution, DEP must hold at least one public meeting each year. So our next DEP meeting (January 2024) will be open to the public.

Date and Time: 09:30 to 11:30 on 18 January 2024

Location: Deben Room, East Suffolk Council offices, Melton, Suffolk IP12 1RT

Proposed Agenda:

Welcome and Introductions
Minutes of the previous DEP Steering Group meeting (21Sep23)
Developments since our last meeting
Progress Reports (if any) from Chapter Leads
Presentation by David Kemp (EA) on Flood Risk Management
Comments (pre-recorded) from Youth representative
Next Steps (including date of next meeting)

Please can you email admin@debenestuarypartnership.org if you plan to attend so we can inform the Reception team at East Suffolk Council for safety and logistical reasons. Thank you.

DEP at Suffolk Coast Forum – 16 November 2023

The Suffolk Coast Forum ‘takes a partnership approach to flood and coastal erosion risk management on the coast and estuaries and closely related issues in the context of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management approach’ The partner organisations include: Alde & Ore Community Partnership; Stour & Orwell Estuaries Management Group; Bawdsey Coastal Partnership; Blythe Estuary Partnership; and the Deben Estuary Partnership. Other member organisations include: Environment Agency, Natural England; Suffolk Coasts and Heaths AONB; Coastal Partnership East; Marine Management Organisation; and others. The Forum is chaired by Councillor David Bevan.

DEP invited to Anglian Water Q&A meeting – 14 November 2023

Following twelve months of river water sampling, Anglian Water will be holding a ‘Question and Answer’ session to share a summary of the year’s findings and how they propose using that data to propel any actions needed at their own treatment works and other parts of the Anglian Water networks.

The DEP, as well as other local stakeholders, has been invited to this meeting, which will take place on 14 November 2023 at the Kings Head, Woodbridge, starting at 11am.

‘Net Zero -where are we now?’ A public talk by Lord Deben – 26 October 2023

The River Deben Association’s Autumn talk at the Woodbridge Quay Church on 26^th October 2023. Doors open at 7.00pm with the talk starting at 7.30pm.

Lord Deben has been a member of the UK Climate Change Committee for over ten years and has also held the positions of Secretary of State for the Environment and MP for Suffolk Coastal.

In a letter sent to the Prime Minister at the end of June 2023 Lord Deben, as the then chair of the Climate Change Committee, made an assessment of UK progress in reducing emissions, saying that:

The failure to act decisively in response to the energy crisis and build on the success of hosting COP26 means that the UK has lost its clear global climate leadership.
Inaction has been compounded by continuing support for further unnecessary investment in fossil fuels.
The Government must act urgently to correct the failures of the past year and reclaim the UK’s clear climate leadership role.

This will be an engaging talk on a highly topical subject as well as a discussion afterwards. We look forward to an interesting evening.