Preventing excessive sewage discharges requires long-term decision-making, according to a new ICE insight paper.

Sewage discharges into the UK’s rivers and onto beaches have attracted significant attention recently.

They have increased in many areas due to urban expansion, changing weather patterns, and ageing infrastructure.

They occur because large parts of the UK have a combined sewage system. Rainwater and wastewater run in the same pipes to treatment works.

During heavy rainfall, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) act as a safety valve to prevent excess water from flooding homes and businesses.

But the discharges also create risks to public health, wildlife, and the environment.

Fixing the problem is likely to take decades. The public faces the prospect of ongoing sewage discharges and higher bills to pay for the solutions.

The ICE has published a new insights paper looking at the potential solutions.

It includes three key insights.

1. Engineering solutions should be combined with wider environmental interventions

2. Eliminating storm overflows altogether is neither economically nor environmentally viable

3. Quick fixes could cause greater environmental damage