Editing River Stour, Kent (section)

==Environment==

In 2006, male fish were found with signs of [[Endocrine system|"feminisation"]] after having been exposed to treated [[Wastewater|sewage]] [[effluent]] in the river near Ashford. It was found that [[estrogen|oestrogen]] enters the river when the nearby Bybrook sewage works discharges its end product.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/4989066.stm | title = Sewage changing sex of male fish | publisher = [[BBC]] | date = 17 May 2006 | access-date = 15 March 2010}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Southern Water]] started work on a £4.2&nbsp;million environmental improvement project at its Lenham treatment works to ensure wastewater is treated to higher standards. New reed beds, containing more than 7,500 reeds, will help clean up to 4.3&nbsp;million litres of wastewater from more than 3,600 people each day.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.southernwater.co.uk/News/latestNews/default.asp?aID=66460936&year=2009&month=02 | title = Green Grow The Rushes | work = Southern Water News | date = 16 February 2009 | publisher = Southern Water | access-date = 15 March 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717122241/http://www.southernwater.co.uk/News/latestNews/default.asp?aID=66460936&year=2009&month=02 | archive-date = 17 July 2011 | df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.southernwater.co.uk/News/latestNews/default.asp?aID=76462693&year=2009&month=05 | title = MP Plants Reeds for a Cleaner Environment | work = Southern Water News | date = 13 May 2009 | publisher = Southern Water | access-date = 15 March 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717122403/http://www.southernwater.co.uk/News/latestNews/default.asp?aID=76462693&year=2009&month=05 | archive-date = 17 July 2011 | df = dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2017 [[The Marine Group]] based in Cardiff begun work with their water injection dredger on the river through Sandwich and Richborough to tackle some of the sediment build up.