The Government’s Strategic
Policy Statement (SPS) guidance to Ofwat has reflected a
number of recommendations the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC)
made in correspondence with the DEFRA Secretary of State and its
recent report, Water Quality in Rivers.
The recommendations that the Government has accepted, which are
reflected in the SPS guidance, include:
- Challenge water companies to demonstrate how they can deliver
zero serious pollution incidents by 2030;
- Prioritising investment over lowering bills to ensure that
the sewerage system is fit for the future;
- Amending previous wording around the use of storm overflows
being used in ‘exceptional’ circumstances to ‘only in cases of
unusually heavy rainfall’;
- Prioritising overflows that do the most harm to sensitive
environments;
- Water companies should significantly increase their use of
nature-based and catchment-based solutions.
The Committee welcomes strengthened guidance to ensure water
companies are transparent with the public relating to discharges
as soon as reasonably practical. The Committee has been specific
with the level of information that water companies should be
required to publish. This includes details of its discharge
permits, its permit compliance, and full granular 15-minute data
on spill duration, volume and water quality, to a standard
format.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“For too long our antiquated sewerage system has buckled under
increasing pressure and – simply put – is not fit for purpose.
Sewage and non-flushables plague our waterways threatening the
health of humans and wildlife alike.
“I welcome the SPS guidance published by the Government today,
which reflects a number of our Committee’s recommendations. I see
this as an important first step in the recovery of our arteries
of nature. From water companies being obliged to publish more
information on sewage discharges, to scrutinising water
companies’ ability to have zero serious pollution incidents by
2030, these transparency measures will shine a light into
hitherto dark tunnels. These initiatives represent a much needed
step change and will hopefully mark the beginning of the end of
regulators and water companies simply turning a blind eye to the
pollution of our precious waterways and the harm done to the
wildlife that inhabit them.
“But we must not be complacent: upgrading and making a Victorian
sewerage system fit for the 21st Century will take a
significant amount of work and investment. This effort will
require a whole of system approach: not just action being taken
by water companies. Our Committee looks forward to the
Government’s substantive response to our report and further
guidance from the Government on the use of storm overflows by
water companies.
Mr Dunne added: “We shall also be keeping a close eye on the
outcome of current investigations by the Environment Agency into
apparent permit breaches.”
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