The work of WATERSHED journalists

Our work

WATERSHED partners with national and international media to run high impact investigations covering all issues affecting the freshwater and marine environment. The journalism featured on this page was carried out by journalists now working for WATERSHED.

The oil pipeline in the Great Lakes

BBC on Apple Podcasts, BBC World Service Radio, BBC News Online

An ageing oil pipeline crossing part of the Great Lakes has led to a standoff between the US state of Michigan and Canada. The outcome of the battle over Line 5, which delivers energy to the US Midwest and central Canada, will be viewed by many as a bellwether of how North America will balance its energy future with its environmental commitments.

Forever chemicals in drinking water

The Guardian, BBC Radio 4, The BBC, The Guardian

Water from a supply containing high levels of toxic chemicals was pumped into the homes of more than 1,000 people. Cambridge Water admitted it removed a supply containing four times the regulatory limit of perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS), which was being blended with other supplies to provide water to the homes of customers in south Cambridgeshire.

Evidence bolsters family’s claim that hydrogen cyanide from a landfill killed their son

BBC London, The ENDS Report

A family that has been fighting for seven years to prove that hydrogen cyanide from a landfill killed their son received a boost when incident logs from Public Health England apparently backing their claims were uncovered, prompting a local council to commit to taking a fresh look at the land surrounding the family’s home.

Sewage dumping in British rivers

The Guardian, The ENDS Report, BBC London, BBC London, The Guardian

Untreated sewage was dumped into England's rivers at least 372,544 times in 2021. Exposes of key elements of the sewage scandal, such as how the Environment Agency knew raw sewage was being illegally dumped into rivers, lakes and seas a decade ago.

SEVERN: The poisoning of Britain’s Amazon

ENDS Report

In ENDS Report’s film 'SEVERN: The poisoning of Britain’s Amazon', Environment Agency whistleblowers, experts and people who live by and work with the river give their testimonies as to how the river has been allowed to deteriorate and the dire consequences for people and wildlife.

Squeeze on water resources

The Guardian, The Guardian, The Telegraph, BBC World Service, The Intercept,

Pressures on freshwater resources are intensifying as a result of climate change, pollution and overuse. Who gets access to clean water, who owns it and how is it managed? Is there effective regulation in place and are rules being adequately enforced?    

Thirst for Justice

Bloomberg Quicktake, IMDb, Bullfrog Films, BBC World Service , FOX10 , The Brockovich Report, Raindance Film Festival, The Ecologist, Rotton Tomatoes, British Council, Film Fatales, Mlive , Deadline, We are moving stories

Armed only with facts and their illnesses, extraordinary citizens take on industry and government, risking arrest to protect clean water. From Flint to the Navajo Nation, via Standing Rock, this is their story.

Pollution in rivers, lakes, aquifers and seas

The Guardian, BBC World Service, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian

Water bodies are under stress from legacy chemicals, emerging pollutants, pharmaceuticals, nanomaterials, microplastics, industrial contaminants, nutrient overload and a lot more.

The scale of PFAS ‘forever chemical’ pollution

The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian, The Guardian

A major investigation focused on widespread pollution by ‘forever chemicals’ called PFAS. It launched on the front page of the Guardian and involved seven stories over three days.

Is the UK absent from the fight against PFAS pollution?

ENDS Report, ENDS Report

Watershed looks at PFAS pollution and why the UK is lagging behind the EU and the US in tackling the problem

The work of WATERSHED journalists has been published in:

Watershed - Investigative Journalism