Diamonds on the water…

Sun reflecting off the water yesterday. This came to mind…

“When you find no justice
in a world of hurt
for the poor and defenceless
trampled in dirt
there is fire on the mountain
let the mighty beware
there are diamonds on the water
music in the air…”

[Oysterband: “Diamonds On The Water”]

There’s beauty at the margins, despite (or maybe because) they are often neglected. Broadmarsh Coastal Park, at the edge of Langstone Harbour is one such location. Letting the colour bleed from the image seems to amplify the isolation. Tide shapes the landscape and invites you to construct your own narrative. Look hard enough, and the Portsmouth skyline is just about visible on the horizon.

There’s also a solitary bait collector at the edge of the exposed mudflats, which acts as a reminder, if one were needed, that there’s a complex eco-structure within Langstone Harbour. An eco-structure that remains at the mercy of sewage discharge from Southern Water. Behind where these photos were taken is Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works which treats wastewater from homes across Portsmouth, Havant, Hayling Island, Cosham, Paulsgrove, Waterlooville, Horndean and Hambledon.

The second image shows one of the two Budds Farm storm outfalls from which Southern Water are permitted to release stormwater from the tanks at Budds Farm when they become full as a result of heavy rainfall. The stormwater is settled and screened before it is released.

There is a second outfall at Budds Farm that Southern Water is permitted to use if Eastney Pumping Station is unable to cope with the volume of wastewater. On such occasions, treated wastewater is permitted to be directly discharged into Langstone Harbour. Not quite ‘diamonds on the water’ on those occasions, as there have been any number of sewage discharges too.

For more information have a look at the “End Sewage Pollution Manifesto”, which can be found on the Surfers Against Sewage website. And if you’re local to Portsmouth, check out Hayling Sewage Watch.

And for musical sustenance: Nigel Mazlyn Jones from 2007. Still relevant…

[All images © John Callaway 2023]