Robert has welcomed today's publication of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which represents the largest infrastructure programme in water company history to tackle sewage pollution.
The Plan will revolutionise how water companies tackle the number of discharges of untreated sewage, which Robert, the Government and the public have made clear are completely unacceptable.
Storm overflows are a feature of our Victorian sewerage infrastructure designed to act as a safety valve to release wastewater into rivers or the sea to prevent sewage from backing up into streets and homes during heavy rainfall events. This system has been in operation for over a century but, due to a growing population and heavier storms because of climate change, the frequency of discharges has increased and sadly they have become routine events across the country.
Now, for the first time ever, government is requiring water companies to take action to address these discharges, building on action in the Environment Act to tackle sewage discharges and improve transparency.
The Plan sets clear and enforceable targets that the water industry must meet to significantly reduce storm overflows and ensure they are used only in exceptional circumstances.
This ties in with the recently enforced Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat, the water regulator, which sets out government’s expectation that storm overflows should operate infrequently, and only in cases of unusually heavy rainfall. The Policy Statement empowers Ofwat to challenge water companies to meet this expectation. Furthermore, under recent proposals supported by the Government, Ofwat will be able to take enforcement action against companies that don’t link dividend payments to their environmental performance - ensuring that companies cannot profit from environmental damage.
The Plan requires water companies to invest £56 billion in network upgrades over 25 years, the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment. There is also a mandatory review of the Plan in 2027 so that if the Government can go further and faster, taking account of cost of living pressures and the need to be wary of the impact on water bills, then there is a clear mechanism to do so.
Commenting, Robert said: “The current use of sewage overflows is completely unacceptable and I have campaigned for years on the need to overhaul our antiquated sewage infrastructure. Given the scale of the task and the level of investment required, any solution is going to take time but I welcome that with today's Plan we now have clear and enforceable targets for the water industry to ensure they completely eliminate the harm any sewage discharge causes to the environment.
"The Plan mandates water companies to £56 billion of investment, which is the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment - and I welcome that there is a clear mechanism for increasing the scale of ambition if possible. No previous government has ever taken such steps to revolutionise our sewage infrastructure.
"We are fortunate in West Oxfordshire that, following pressure from myself and other local campaigners, Thames Water have already committed to a major expansion of Witney Sewage Treatment Works, due to be completed by 2024 - but the targets in the Plan combined with the Environment Act ensures we have strong tools to drive further investment throughout West Oxfordshire and beyond."
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “This is the first government to take action to end the environmental damage caused by sewage spills. We will require water companies to protect everyone who uses our water for recreation, and ensure storm overflows pose no threat to the environment.
“Water companies will need to invest to stop unacceptable sewage spills so our rivers and coast lines can have greater protection than ever before.”
