14 Jun 2023
The UK government is consulting on the expansion of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to cover coastal and estuarine waters. Defra wants to know what you think about these changes, including: expanding the targets in the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan to cover coastal and estuarine waters developing an ecological standard for coastal and […]
24 May 2023
As reported in last week’s news, Water UK has apologised on behalf of English water companies for sewage in rivers and announced a plan to: Triple investment to £10bn in the next five year period (subject to regulatory approval) to cut sewage overflows by up to 140,000 each year compared to the level in 2020. […]
03 May 2023
The government has announced that its target to reduce storm overflows will be enshrined in law. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, published in August 2022, set out stringent targets to protect people and the environment, backed up by up to £56 billion capital investment – the largest infrastructure programme in water company history. But opposition […]
19 Apr 2023
Defra is seeking views on the government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflows and final effluent discharges into watercourses. This consultation closes on 23 May 2023. Consultation description The Environment Act 2021 introduced requirements for sewerage undertakers to: monitor sewerage assets and the impact they have on their local environment, and publish data […]
19 Apr 2023
A brand new wetlands scheme in a West Sussex area will help Southern Water in its efforts to reduce storm overflows into Chichester Harbour and improve water quality. The project, involving the planting of more than 1,500 reed plants, will be completed in the next few weeks on Lavant Wastewater Treatment Works. Creation of wetlands […]
05 Apr 2023
The government has published its Plan for Water, which it says highlights “more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement on water companies” But the issue of storm overflows continues to dominate, as the Environment Agency published sewage spill data for 2022, showing a 19% reduction in the number of sewage spills, largely due to last […]
05 Apr 2023
Looking ahead to the official release of storm overflow monitoring data Stuart Colville gives the industry perspective on the expected fall in spills. There were fewer overflow spills last year into rivers and seas, and the average spill was shorter The length of overflow spills reduced by a third, while the number of individual overflow […]
08 Feb 2023
On 1 Feb, Lib Dems tabled an amendment to the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill, which has just been passed in the House of Commons, with the Government standing down their opposition to our campaign. The amendment ensures that the Government’s new Infrastructure Bank will not invest in water companies unless they produce a costed and […]
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