Water companies will face the strictest targets on sewage pollution ever under a new plan set out by the Government.
The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will see the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment – a £56 billion capital investment over 25 years – into a long term programme to tackle storm sewage discharge into waters across the whole UK, including Cumbria, by 2050.
The news comes just days after Lake Windermere made headlines over pollution concerns.
Particularly important and sensitive areas including designated bathing waters and high priority ecological sites will see the most protective action in the upcoming plan.
The targets outlined will mean water companies will need to take measures such increasing the capacity of their networks and treating sewage before its discharged to protect public health and prevent pollution, whilst massively reducing all discharges.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “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.”
Failure to meet the new targets could see water companies face substantial fines or having to return money to customers.
Under the new regulations discharges should only happen when there is unusually heavy rain and when there is no immediate adverse impact to the local environment.
The plan follows ongoing work by government, the Environment Agency and the water regulator Ofwat to drive up water companies’ performance and monitoring and increase accountability.
This includes a massive expansion in monitoring frequency and duration of discharges, from approximately five per cent in 2016, to nearly 90 per cent in 2021, which has been used in the past to hold companies to account.
Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness has backed the new plans. He said: “I welcome this plan which will mean that water companies will face strict targets and must completely eliminate the harm any sewage discharge causes to the environment.
“The current use of sewage overflows is completely unacceptable, and I will continue to push our water company to tackle them as soon as possible.”
By 2035, water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water and improve 75 per cent of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites.
By 2050, this will apply to all remaining storm overflows covered by the targets, regardless of location.
The plan also sets out that water companies will be required to publish discharge information in near real time as well as committing to tackling the root causes of the issue by taking steps to improve surface water drainage.
Wider expectations for the water industry are also being put in place to ensure infrastructure keeps pace with increasing external pressures, such as urban growth and climate change, to keep water supplies clean and secure for the future.
Under the new plan there will be no changes to bills until 2025, but the government will continue to monitor water affordability and take further action if needed, and will consult on a new water affordability scheme to help less well-off households.
