Cleaning up rivers prioritised over bill cuts, survey suggests

Discrepancies between public awareness and understanding of issues relating to river water quality have been highlighted in research by Ofwat, which also found more than half of billpayers (59%) want companies to prioritise cleaning up rivers over lowering bills.

The research undertaken by the regulator to better understand consumers’ priorities as part of its 2020 Time to act, together strategy explored how people perceived responsibilities and actions relating to river health.

The findings come from an online survey of more than 2,300 people in England and Wales conducted by Savanta between 23 March and 1 April.

Two thirds of respondents (66%) attributed to the greatest responsibility to water companies for stopping pollutants entering waterways, closely followed by the Environment Agency (59%) and government (41%).

Three quarters (75%) said they were aware that wastewater is sometimes released into waterways, whilst 62% said they had heard of combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Among those who had heard of CSOs, 6% claimed to know a lot, 48% claimed to know a little, 40% said they knew very little and 6% said they knew nothing. Slightly under a third (29%) believed water companies only use overflows to release sewage into rivers or seas when it has been raining and a similar proportion (31%) thought companies also use overflows when there’s been no rain.

More than half (58%) thought if sewer systems become overwhelmed there is a risk of sewage backing up into homes, and just under two thirds (64%) understood that personal behaviour such as flushing wet wipes can directly impact sewerage systems.

The proportion of respondents saying they were “very concerned” about the release of sewage overflows ranged from 34% to 55% depending on whether this was described as happening as a last resort due to heavy rainfall, fairly regularly when there is rain, or regularly even when it is not raining. The level of concern correlated with age, with those age 55+ being significantly more concerned than younger survey participants.

Untreated sewage from water companies was seen to have the most significant negative impact on rivers by 57% of respondents who were asked to assign a 1-3 ranking of pollutant sources. Non-flushable household items were seen the second most impactful at 48%, followed by litter or fly-tipping at 39%. Only 27% identified agricultural waste as having the most negative impact.

When asked about the choice between keeping water bills low and improving the quality of rivers, 59% of respondents said they wanted to prioritise river cleanliness, even if it meant paying more for water. Billpayers who were behind on payments were more likely to be in the 29% who wanted to see costs to customers kept down, even if that negatively impacted rivers or seas.

Overall, those aged 18-34 were more likely to prioritise lower costs at 40% compared to 35% of 35-54 year olds, and 18% of people over 55.

Last year Ofwat called upon companies to produce detailed river health action plans setting out what actions will be taken to improve water quality and ecological status of English and Welsh rivers.

Hear more on this important topic at Utility Week Forum this November in London. Read the full agenda here.