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Lewes and Eastbourne
Councils

Agenda item

To scrutinise the issue of wastewater discharge into local rivers and seas

Minutes:

The Chair, Councillor Boorman, introduced the report which provided background to the request from the Committee to discuss the issue of wastewater discharge into local rivers and seas, with representatives from Southern Water.

 

Dr Toby Willison, Southern Water Chief Environment and Sustainability Officer and Dr Nick Mills, Southern Water Head of Storm Overflow Taskforce, addressed the Committee. Dr Willison and Dr Mills provided responses to questions received from Members prior to the meeting (the responses are attached as an appendix to the minutes). The following responses were provided to additional questions from the Committee:

 

·       Treatment works were regulated by the volume of flow that was required to go through, the amount that goes through at any one time, and the capacity at the works. If all these requirements were met, a spill was considered legal. If any of the requirements were not met, the discharge was non-compliant. There had been approximately 20,000 storm overflows in the previous year and 370 were non-compliant. Further details would be provided via an Environmental Information Request.

 

·       The mechanism used for measuring the releases in the previous year was based on a 12 hour/24 hour matrix (required by the EA) that counted short releases in a 12 hour period as one release and broke up releases over periods longer than 24 hours. The monitoring system currently used did not measure volume and this measurement was going to be reviewed.

 

·       The Environment Agency was notified of all storm overflow releases and would be involved in any that were considered significant. Lewes District Council received notification, depending on the location of the release (it would be checked that the correct officers were receiving this notification, and a response provided to the Committee).

 

·       Southern Water recognised that its one-star rating awarded by the Environment Agency was not sufficient. The organisation had plans in place to achieve a three-star rating by 2025. It was further recognised that public expectation was for better management of combined sewars overflows and the setting up of the Storm Overflow Taskforce was a response to this.

 

·       The Beachbuoy tool provided by Southern Water was to provide real-time updates on the conditions in coastal environments and the extension of its use into inland sites was being explored. There were 84 bathing in waters in the Southeast; 57 were measured as being of an excellent standard in 2021, 23 were good and 4 were measured as satisfactory. There were many sources of information available to check the quality of water bathing areas.

 

·       Details of ad-hoc sampling by Southern Water at specific locations would be provided. The Environment Agency had extensive river-level monitoring equipment and the Environment Act required Southern Water to install water monitoring equipment over the next investment period.

 

·       Detail of Southern Water’s remuneration strategy was available on its website and would be provided to the Committee.

 

·       Southern Water’s intention was to separate the rainwater and sewage infrastructures; however, this was not considered to be necessary in all areas. The estimate for separating the two systems nationally was up to £600 billion. Alternative, natural drainage routes for between 20 and 40 percent of run-off water was needed to have a significant reduction on storm overflows, which would support a reduction in flooding. It was estimated that the increase in urbanised non-permeable areas had doubled per household, since the 1960’s and this presented a significant challenge. The input from highways authorities to reduce highway run-off was essential.

 

·       Significant changes in the executive team at Southern Water indicated that historical issues had been challenged and one of the recommendations from the Office of Water Services (Ofwat) was for an extensive retraining programme, a cultural review and wholesale changes in procedures. A refinancing programme had been brought into Southern Water, including new investors. There was confidence that Southern Water’s rating would improve.

 

·        Southern Water was open to meeting a task and finish group from the Council and to work with a stakeholder group that would include organisations such as East Sussex Highways and Highways England.

 

Resolved (unanimously)

 

(1)  To thank representatives of Southern Water for attending the meeting and to note the report;

 

(2)  To provide a report to Full Council on the work of the Policy and Performance Advisory Committee; and

 

(3)  To appoint a panel to attend meetings with Southern Water representatives, the remit of which is to be confirmed.

Supporting documents: