I've walked many times along the Roding, at various points from Chigwell to Barking, where it joins the Thames. For some of that length, it's a typical rural river, with wildlife and clear water.
A high point was discovering a wild bee hive! Sadly, the bees were dying off, and it was gone the next time I went there... Another high point was cycling there when it had flooded and innundated the footpath. Trying to remain dry, I accidentally stumbled in. So I resigned myself, and cycled through the water up to my thighs - and discovered that it wasn't as difficult (or cold) as I'd imagined!
But when it gets to Ilford - that's when the garbage builds up. Urban rivers are typically disgusting. Barking (mentioned in the article) once had a thriving river trade, and it shows... Housing estates, small industry, neglect and contempt all combine to make it a rather grim stretch of river.
I'm really glad someone's taking action to clean it up...
I’m not sure who’s forgotten my school was next to the Roding Nature reserve, and parkland area.
There are several villages at its head. High Roding, White Roding, Leaden Roding, Abbess Roding, and Margaret Roding. I believe a Saxon tribe called the Rodingas settled there.
There are a couple of sewage facilities upstream that look to have a habit a habit of releasing raw effluent.
Finally I noticed a few months back that someone was about to excavate a Roman villa next to the river, I’m guessing it is likely to meander into the site.
It would be interesting to track the old Mediaeval road that passed by from Newmarket to Mile End, there are marooned pubs that I think may have lined it.
I don’t really have much of substance to add here, but yeah, he really is working to make the world a better place.