With Ross Regatta around the corner, local firm Haigh Environmental is teaming up with Ross Rowing Club to raise awareness of the issue of water pollution, and the concrete solutions that can be deployed to tackle it.
As highlighted by local MP Jesse Norman and campaign groups including ‘Save the Wye’, the River Wye has been polluted by a range of sources for decades. With increased public focus on water quality, and growing interest in water-based recreation, the attention of local groups is fixed on solutions to this pressing problem.
Haigh Environmental – part of Haigh Group – has been headquartered in Ross-on-Wye since the 1950s, where it manufactures wastewater screens – a crucial component in water treatment systems. The firm employs around 60 local staff at the site, which also manufactures NHS waste management devices and imports large-scale package treatment plants, offering a viable alternative to septic tanks in rural areas.
As part of its longstanding partnership with Ross Rowing Club, Haigh Environmental supported the club with the installation of a pump station for the club’s main building and campsite in 2022, treating wastewater on-site and connecting it to the mains sewer for the first time. The late Nigel Shepherd and the Shepherd family, who still run Haigh, have been longstanding supporters of the club.
Haigh Environmental Director Luke Shepherd said: “We are proud to be offering world-class solutions to rural water pollution, at a time where the public has never cared more about this issue. Septic tanks are a hidden problem when it comes to leaching pollutants into our waterways, and most people don’t know about this.
“While we work all over the country, with water companies and private landowners alike, we are immensely proud of our ties to Ross-on-Wye. We are thrilled to be able to play our part in cleaning up the River Wye, helping Ross Rowing Club replace their septic tanks with a modern, flood-resistant pumping station, and now to be sponsoring the Ross Regatta. It’s a great platform to talk about the serious issue of water pollution, and raise awareness about the solutions.”
The 2025 Ross Regatta this weekend (24th and 25th August 2025) marks the 150th Anniversary of the club, and will see over 300 crews visit from across England and Wales to race on the Wye.
Ross Rowing Club chairman, Jonathan Preece, said: “The club was extremely grateful to have the support of Haigh Environmental in connecting our site to mains sewage. It means that our septic tank, which was close to the river, is no longer in use – so the risk of pollution into the River Wye is greatly reduced. We are further delighted to be partnering with Haigh Environmental for the Ross Rowing Regatta, where we can highlight the importance of water quality in the local area. We hope we can provide a great weekend of exciting competition for all our guests – whether spectators, club supporters or competitors.”
Local water issues were on the agenda when local Member of Parliament Jesse Norman paid a visit to Haigh’s Ross-on-Wye site in August. The Hereford and South Herefordshire MP has previously highlighted the issue of water pollution in the Wye and beyond, speaking about the issue in Parliament and galvanising local stakeholders to table solutions.
During his site visit, Jesse Norman MP saw up-close Haigh Environmental’s state-of-the-art facility, where they can test different scenarios to help achieve optimum wastewater quality. The MP was presented with two bottles of water, showing the murky inputs, versus the clean outputs from the FujiClean system, which is being deployed by Haigh Environmental at sites across the UK, including with some of the country’s biggest water companies.
Jesse Norman MP said: “Haigh Environmental are doing a brilliant job in pioneering new solutions to point sources of pollution, such as household septic tanks. And what better place to highlight this great work than Ross Regatta, right on the river in beautiful Ross-on-Wye?”
