Utility Week

26 | DECEMBER 2021 | UTILITY WEEK Policy & Regulation Analysis Water companies must not be the fall guys for CSO inaction The Environment Act decries CSO but sets no timetable for their removal – and crucially no funding. The water sector must go on a PR offensive or risk being the patsy for government foot-dragging. I t seems everyone has an opinion on the use of combined sewer overflows (CSOs). From politicians to former pop stars, the emotive issue of pollution in our waterways has become the prism through which the slow passage of the Environment Bill has been filtered. However, there are concerns that with the legislation now passed into law, the public's expectation is that what has been enacted is a silver bullet for a fiendishly difficult prob- lem – and one that will prove very expensive to resolve. Luke Pollard, shadow environment minis- ter, insists that when it comes to stopping the dumping of raw sewage into our waterways we are still in the middle of the campaign, not the end. He says now is the time to for the water industry to make its voice heard. "Water companies need to be louder in making their case, otherwise they will be the recipients of public anger because of bad decisions by ministers," he says. "It's time for the sector to step up and say it wants to do more but needs the government to act. I'm not hearing that at the moment." As it stands, Pollard believes the legisla- tion will not deliver the changes needed, or at the speed needed. "The rest of govern- ment won't allow the sector to fund the work that is needed. It's a complete trap, which is why the clarity of a timetable and a complete plan are needed." He believes the industry must "put its head above the parapet" and make that case or they will fall victim to customers' anger when they realise that action is not being taken immediately. The nature of price review cycles means spending and infrastructure investments are locked in for the current Asset Manage- ment Period (AMP7) with little room to spend more on sewage systems until the following price review. "When bills land on consumers' door- steps people will be angry to pay money when sewage is still in rivers," Pollard says. "It's a problem that must be fixed, so let's get companies to be part of the solution, not part of the problem." He suggests a framework of policy and legislation that "takes the handcuffs off the water industry" and allows it to "oppose sewage, invest in nature and biodiversity and keep water bills under control". Pollard, who formerly worked in the water sector, believes there is a collective willingness in the industry to work towards a better solution. "There is a way through this that's going to be a lot better than the stink- ing mess we are seeing with sewage where promises made by ministers cannot be deliv- ered, and we are only going to see public demand for bolder action increase." He adds: "It's time for ministers to take off the shackles and let water companies get on and close those raw sewage outlets, with a timetable and costings." Pollard says that without that timetable and funding it will look to the public that government and water companies are burying their heads in the sand. "Water companies want to do more to stop raw sewage outflows and deal with the wider sewage estate, including plants that are beyond capacity or routinely discharge into rivers and seas outside of extreme weather events," he says. "We all know that with

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