Consultation on the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan outlines a step change in how water companies tackle the number of discharges of untreated sewage. Water companies will face strict limits on when they can use storm overflows and must completely eliminate the ecological harm any storm sewage discharges cause to the environment and significantly reduce […]
Over 105,000 incidents of untreated sewage being dumped into Welsh rivers. A report by the Senedd’s Climate Change Committee is calling on the Welsh Government to take urgent action to tackle sewage discharges made by water companies into Welsh rivers. The report puts forward a series of recommendations to protect Welsh waterways, calling on the Minister […]
Ofwat has announced that it is opening enforcement cases into five water and wastewater companies as part of its ongoing investigation into how companies manage their wastewater treatment works. Anglian Water, Northumbrian Water, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Yorkshire Water have been served formal notices to gather further information for enforcement purposes. This follows analysis […]
The storms have flushed raw sewage into our rivers, but are they ever fit to swim in? ‘Costing the Earth’ podcast by the BBC: ‘On a hot summer’s day the River Wharfe in Ilkley in West Yorkshire is a tempting place to swim. In 2020 it was designated as the first inland waterway to be […]
On 18 November 2021, the Environment Agency and Ofwat announced major investigations into potential widespread non-compliance by water and sewerage companies at sewage treatment works. Below is an update from the EA on progress: The investigations were launched after companies revealed to us that they may be in breach of their permit conditions. This issue […]
‘Speech by Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, World Water Tech Innovation Summit, 22 February 2022 Thank you for inviting me back. ‘……….. Two years ago I said that all of us need to think differently if we are to tackle successfully the new reality of the climate emergency. Today I want […]
The Government will know it has a problem when the Daily Telegraph starts an environmental campaign. This time it is about raw sewage discharges into rivers to mark the launch of its Clean Rivers Campaign. David Black – Ofwat To: Chairs of Remuneration Committees for all regulated water and wastewater and water-only companies, copied to […]
Published 16 February 2022 The water industry is producing strategic drainage and wastewater plans to maintain, improve, and extend robust and resilient drainage and wastewater systems. Water and sewerage companies must produce drainage and wastewater management plans (DWMPs) (they must cover a minimum of 25 years) plans looking at current and future capacity, pressures, and […]