‘Grey areas’ remain in private pumping station adoption, warns water sector

There are still significant “grey areas” over which private pumping stations will have to be adopted by October 2016, more than four years into the programme.

Speaking at a WWT roundtable, held in association with Xylem, in London yesterday, water companies said that with only 11 months to go until the final adoption deadline, question marks still remain over which private pumping stations they will have to take on despite the transfer being set out as part of the Water Industry (Schemes for Adoption of Private Sewers) Regulations in 2011.

Welsh Water private pumping station transfer programme manager Mike Hartwell highlighted blocks of flats as a main area of concern due to a lack of clarity in the legislation, and added that a consistent approach will be needed to avoid confusion for customers and between water companies.

“The interpretation of single curtilage is a grey area, and one of the greyest areas is blocks of flats,” he said.

“There are different interpretations between Water UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Welsh Government and our solicitors, so it is a very grey area and one that, unless it’s cleared up soon, will cause confusion.”

Anglian Water pumping stations adoption manager John Usher agreed that there is a lack of clarity over the issue of curtilage, meaning there will be a lack of consistency across the industry over which pumping stations are adopted and which remain in private hands.

“Our guys in our asset planning department look at whether the pumping stations are eligible or not and they found grey areas which are open to interpretation.

“This inevitably means that different people will interpret things differently, and there will be a lack of consistency across the sector.”

Ofwat deputy head of environment and water quality Kevin Ridout also warned the regulator could face a number of appeals after the October 2015 deadline from customers who believe their pumping stations should have been adopted, although they are not eligible.

Defra senior policy advisor India Perry noted the concerns of the water companies and stated her department will work to “ensure we’re saying the same thing as Water UK and the other bodies involved to hopefully make the transition as simple and as informed as possible”.

Hartwell is one of a number of speakers who will address the private pumping station adoption programme at a WWT event in January.