Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | MAY 2022 | 21 Water "But when executives are paid handsomely and with utility bills rising, consumers expect and demand more. There is simply no excuse for the substandard infrastructure and damaging practices which have such a negative impact on our rivers, especially dur- ing a climate and nature crisis." Even though EDM data supplied by water companies show there were the best part of 400,000 events in 2021, this is still a fall in the average number of spills per CSO, to 29 from 33 the previous year. United Utilities reported the highest num- ber of recorded spills last year at 540,753 from its 2,192 CSOs, while Welsh Water reported the least at 3,567 from its 124 CSOs. To date, 86% of CSOs have returned data from EDMs, which is around 12,400 moni- tors. This marks a rise from 8,276 in 2019. "We are holding the industry to account on a scale never done before. Sewage pol- lution can be devastating to human health, local biodiversity and our environment," said Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Environment Agency. "Requiring water companies to provide this data is critical in ensuring everyone can see what is going on. I am pleased that we are on course to have all over" ows moni- tored by next year, but the present situation is simply not good enough. Water companies need to act now to reduce their over" ows to the minimum possible." Increasing transparency by monitoring the number and duration of spills from over- " ows is an essential step towards reducing harm. Regulators and government have said they will hold water companies to account on their work to signi• cantly reduce the reli- ance on CSOs. Combined sewers were standard until the 1960s, at which point surface water from rain and highways was separated from waste- water systems. However, the legacy of these combined systems means there are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of sewer network that can be overwhelmed by surface water when it rains heavily. CSOs are used to dis- charge from the networks to prevent " ood- ing in homes but they contribute to the poor health of rivers in England and Wales. Ruth Williams, water correspondent Opinion Ruth Williams Water correspondent, Utility Week C leaner rivers that allow people to enjoy swimming or " oating along on a paddleboard is an instantly appealing proposition. The government's com- mitment to deliver this has unsurprisingly garnered the support of environmental and community groups. However, the full picture of what's actually making rivers un• t for human health doesn't appear to have trickled down and too much of the blame has been put on water companies and their use of CSOs. Putting aside the eye-watering cost of separating out all CSOs – in the region of £650 billion, most or all of which would • nd its way on to customer bills – what would such a project actually achieve? Diž use pollution from agriculture, particularly inten- sive poultry farms, fertiliser and pesticide run-ož from • elds of crops, as well as run-ož from highways and urban areas, accounts for a greater share of waterway pollution than wastewater treatment plants, yet it is only CSOs in the frame. The water sector wholly acknowledges it has a part to play and quickly came out in support of policy that pri- oritises investment to move away from reliance on CSOs. However, there needs to be a greater public understand- ing of the various factors that account for the quality of our water environment. Without this, a vast project with a heŸ y price tag may be embarked upon with false expectations of what it will actually deliver, and those who ultimately pay for it will feel short-changed when they still cannot swim in their local stream. The sceptic could argue that Defra's calculation of £350-600 billion was " oated to frighten the public ož from demanding too much too quickly. It remains to be seen how the Environment Act and Defra's Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat will be interpreted in the 2024 price review. It is clear that investment to improve river health and restore biodiversity cannot wait. "Are CSOs just a drop in the (polluted) ocean?" "Are CSOs just LEARN MORE Pollution Management, Mitigation & Risk A Utility Week Innovate Conference, 29 June 2022 Visit: Events.utilityweek.co.uk/ Pollution Phosphorus Removal in Wastewater A Utility Week Innovate online technical forum, 6 July 2022 Visit: Events.utilityweek.co.uk/ Phosphorus Prevalence of monitoring in 2021 Anglian Northumbrian Severn South West Southern Thames UU Welsh Wesex Yorkshire Total Number of CSOs 1,552 1,567 2,658 1,391 978 465 2,192 124 1,297 2,246 14,470 % with EDM 54% 98% 92% 79% 98% 100% 91% 99% 81% 97% 89% Total number of spills 21,351 36,483 59,684 42,484 160,984 160,090 540,753 3,567 151,258 406,131 372,533 Spills with EDM data 838 1,542 2,432 1,100 963 465 1,935 123 1,049 1,261 12,608 Source: water company fi gures Combined sewers were standard until the 1960s, at which point surface water from rain and highways was separated from waste- water systems. However, the legacy of these combined systems means there are hundreds of thousands of kilometres of sewer network that can be overwhelmed by surface water when it rains heavily. CSOs are used to dis- charge from the networks to prevent " ood- ing in homes but they contribute to the poor "We are holding the industry to account on a scale never done before. Sewage pollution can be devastating to human health, local biodiversity and our environment." Sir James Bevan, CEO, Environment Agency

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