Spills of raw sewage into England’s rivers and seas doubled in 2023
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Water corporations' sewage discharges into England's rivers and oceans more than doubled in the previous year. The Environment Agency reports that there were 3.6 million spill hours in 2023 as opposed to 1.75 million hours in 2022.
Water UK, the industry body for sewerage companies, said it was 'unacceptable' but the record levels were due to heavy rain.
These spills are not against the law but environmentalists say they should only happen in exceptional weather.
The Environment Agency was quoted saying, "It is important to note that heavy rainfall does not affect water companies' responsibility to manage storm overflows in line with legal requirements."
Because the UK has integrated sewage systems, sewage and rainwater share pipes, which increases the risk of overflowing sewage treatment facilities during heavy precipitation. Sewage is spilled into waterways to prevent the system backing up.
On an average last year there were 1,271 spills a day across England, compared to 825 in 2022.
The spills contained human waste, wet wipes and sanitary products, which can pose a serious risk to the local wildlife, swimmers and others who use UK waterways.
Dr. Dania Albini, a research fellow in biosciences at the University of Exeter, stated, "Sewage pollution in the UK severely impacts waterways with not a single river in England rated as healthy according to the latest Rivers Trust Rivers report."
She explained that sewage in rivers can decrease oxygen levels in the water which harms aquatic life and "causes sickness in humans due to the presence of harmful microorganisms and parasites."
In may be noted here, in when the River Thames was in flood, testing at Fulham Reach by the charity River Action revealed that there was up to 10 times the amount of E.coli bacteria that is allowed for bathing water status.
Water UK said last year that it would invest £10 billion to upgrade sewage infrastructure on behalf of all English sewerage businesses. However, these plans require approval from the regulator, Ofwat.
Water UK urged the government to move quickly on this decision and other initiatives, such as banning wet wipes, which they claimed would stop thousands of spills caused by clogged drains. Six years ago, the administration made a pledge to enact this restriction.
Water Minister Robbie Moore said, I have been clear that sewage pollution in our waters is unacceptable. Today's data shows water companies must go further and faster to tackle storm overflows and clean up our precious waterways. We will be ensuring the Environment Agency closely scrutinise these findings and take enforcement action where necessary."
"I have been clear that sewage pollution in our waters is unacceptable," stated Robbie Moore, the minister of water resources. According to data from today, water companies need to act more quickly and thoroughly to clean up our valuable rivers and prevent storm overflows. We'll make sure the Environment Agency carefully examines these conclusions and, if required, takes appropriate enforcement action."
The most recent information was gathered from monitoring stations positioned at combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, and was made public by the Environment Agency on March 27. In order to lessen the possibility of sewage backing up in people's homes during periods of severe rainfall due to overburdened sewer systems, CSOs were created as overflow valves.
Because of the heavy rainfall in 2023—which was 20 per cent above average—and the fact that all 14,580 CSOs were equipped with monitors for the first time, it was anticipated that there would be more spills overall. Only half of spills were reported in 2019 since only 57 per cent of vehicles had monitoring installed.
In the small Surrey town of Horley, just outside Gatwick Airport, residents have seen local footpaths flooded ten times in the last year as the treatment works struggled to cope with heavy rainfall.
According to locals, they have repeatedly contacted Thames Water and the Environment Agency about the issue but said all they have done is put sandbags down.
(With inputs from agencies)