Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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Databank www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 25 GOAL 8 POLLUTION INCIDENTS While Environment Agency chair Emma Howard Boyd said there was "much to celebrate" with the release of the 2017 data on pollution incidents involving the nine water and sewerage companies (WASCs) operating wholly or mainly in England, she added: "The sector is not doing enough to reduce serious pollution inci- dents and ensure compliance with discharge permits." Total pollution incidents (categories 1, 2 and 3) dropped from 1,902 to 1,827 for 2017, while 'serious' pollution incidents (categories 1 and 2) were at 52, down from 57 in 2016. However, category 1 incidents – described as those that have a serious, extensive or persistent impact on the en- vironment, people or property – were at a three-year high of 11, up from nine in 2016 and record-low totals of four in both 2014 and 2015. Compliance with numeric permit conditions at sewage treatment works and water treatment works, mean- while, was described as 'good', with 98.6 per cent of permits compliant – as had been the case in 2016 – but the regulator stressed that the expectation is 100 per cent. The EA also reported another huge increase in fines for prosecutions: this number stood at £21,589,334, up from £6,560,000 in 2016, which re- sulted largely from the record £20,361,140 in fines and costs that Thames Water was or- dered to pay in March 2017 for a series of significant pollution incidents on the River Thames between 2012 and 2014. Three companies failed to achieve a 'good' or 'leading' rating in their Environmental Performance Assessment (EPA): Northumbrian, South West and Welsh Water, which is regulated under the same criteria by Natural Resources POLLUTION INCIDENTS £21.6M Value of prosecution fines (across 16 cases) for English WASCs in 2017 £6.6M Value of prosecution fines (across ten cases) for English WASCs in 2016 £2.5M Value of prosecution fines (across nine cases) for English WASCs in 2015 1,827 Total number of pollution incidents attributable to the English WASCs in 2017, down from 1,902 in 2016 (Source: Environment Agency) 11 Total number of category 1 pollution incidents attributable to the English WASCs, up from nine in 2016 (Source: Environment Agency) 2015 2016 2017 Anglian Water 35 32 30 Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 30 30 28 Northumbrian Water 97 38 17 Severn Trent Water 47 30 30 South West Water 141 115 109 Southern Water 75 35 31 Thames Water 38 33 28 United Utilities 40 22 23 Wessex Water 48 22 23 Yorkshire Water 43 46 72 2015 2016 2017 Anglian Water 99 99.1 98.6 Dwr Cymru Welsh Water 98.6 99 96.7 Northumbrian Water 99.4 97.8 96 Severn Trent Water 99 99.6 99.6 South West Water 95.8 98.1 97.1 Southern Water 99.3 98.7 98.2 Thames Water 99.1 97.9 99.5 United Utilities 97.2 97.4 98.8 Wessex Water 99.7 99.4 99 Yorkshire Water 99.3 97.2 97.8 Anglian Water Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Northumbrian Water Severn Trent Water South West Water Southern Water Thames Water United Utilities Wessex Water Yorkshire Water Number of incidents caused due to unexpected release of contaminants (per 10,000 km of sewers) Water & sewerage companies - England and Wales Percentage of environmental permit conditions met Water & sewerage companies Environmental Performance Assessment 2017. The four ratings are: leading (4 stars), good (3 stars), requires improvement (2 stars) and poor (1 star) Source: Environment Agency Source: Environment Agency (Source: Environment Agency & Natural Resources Wales) (Source: Environment Agency & Natural Resources Wales) (Source: Environment Agency & Natural Resources Wales) Numbers of category 1 to 3 pollution incidents and trend for the nine English water and sewerage companies 2005 to 2017 3000 2750 2500 2250 2000 1750 1500 1250 1000 750 500 250 0 Significant peaks Trends (3 year moving average) Number of Category 1 to 3 Pollution Incidents 2005 2009 2014 2007 2011 2016 2006 2010 2015 2008 2013 2012 2017