Water companies failing to prevent ‘avoidable sewage’ pollution in rivers

South West Water reported the most sewage pollution incidents in 2016

Water companies are contributing to an “urgent environmental crisis” by failing to prevent “avoidable sewage” pollution in rivers, according to a leading charity.

WWF found that 40 per cent of rivers in England and Wales were polluted with raw sewage, with four out of five rivers failing to achieve a “good ecological status”.

The conservation charity said the number of healthy rivers in England has declined from 27 per cent in 2010 to 14 per cent in 2017. It warned that if the rate of decline continues, there might not be any healthy rivers left by 2025.

According to WWF, the water industry and agriculture are the main sectors responsible for failing river health.

The findings came following a nine-month investigation into the sewerage system, which concluded that water companies and the government are failing to prevent avoidable sewage pollution.

The charity said 17,684 licensed emergency sewer overflows, managed by water companies across England and Wales, are meant to discharge raw sewage directly into the environment only during extreme rainfall.

But it found discharging has occurred more frequently, citing figures released by the Environment Agency earlier this year.

It outlined 1,902 pollution incidents reported by the nine water and sewerage companies operating in England alone, the first rise in such incidents since 2012.

South West Water reported the most incidents in 2016 with 115 sewage pollution incidents per 10,000km. It was followed by Yorkshire Water, which reported 46 sewage pollution incidents and Northumbrian Water which reported 38.

Faring better were United Utilities and Wessex Water, which both reported 22 sewage pollution incidents.

WWF said the incidents are “likely to be just the tip of the iceberg” because wastewater legally discharged continuously from sewage treatment works is not “being treated to high enough standards to protect rivers.”

A spokesperson from South West Water, said: “South West Water supports protecting river water quality for the wellbeing of both society and wildlife. Doing this requires collective effort and we all have a part to play.

“We are pleased that this report recognises the wider risks to river water quality, including agriculture, private septic tanks, homes wrongly connected to surface water drains and individual behaviour, as well as water company infrastructure.

“Like all water and wastewater companies, our investment programme and operational practices are required to adhere to strict regulatory controls, as set out by the Environment Agency, and so play an important role in helping to protect the natural environment.

“To safeguard river water quality and its associated wildlife we aim to ensure the wastewater we return to the environment is treated to the required standards. All our discharges are permitted by the Environment Agency and it is these permits that set out the required standards and levels of treatment.”

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson, added: “Yorkshire Water has 619 sewage treatment works throughout the region that collect, treat and safely return one billion litres of waste water every single day with very few issues.

“For every unusual pollution event there are thousands of examples where we have worked to prevent pollution, which is what we strive to do every day.

“It must be pointed out that Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) act as an essential relief valve within sewer networks, without which would significantly increase the risk of storm water – in the worst-case scenario – flooding customers’ homes or gardens. We operate over 1,800 outfalls across the Yorkshire region all of which are licensed and permitted by the Environment Agency.”

Ben Stafford, head of campaigns at WWF, said: “The problem of sewage pollution stems from multiple failings, including lack of proper planning and investment in our sewerage system; shortcomings in monitoring risk assessments, operational practice and staff culture; and insufficient regulation. And many of us are also contributing to the problem of sewer overflows by flushing items such as wet wipes, sanitary products and kitchen fat down toilets and drains.

“No one party can fix this problem. Water companies clearly have a key role to play, but we also need greater action through regulation – it should not be legally acceptable to pollute our rivers or frequently discharge untreated sewage.”

He added: “We want to see water companies produce long-term wastewater plans that ensure the sewage system is sufficient to prevent pollution and cope with today’s downpours, future climate change, increasing urbanisation and population growth. We want to see the UK government and the Welsh government make these plans a legal requirement.”

WWF’s report Flushed Away asks Ofwat and water companies to contribute to good ecological status of rivers through the 2020-2025 business plans.