The Department for Business and Trade has said it wants to stimulate competition within the water sector through streamlined regulation as well as delegating some of Ofwat's powers around the non-domestic market.
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Pollution management
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Environmental regulation in Wales came under fire from politicians at a select committee hearing where witnesses described a cultural aversion to enforcement at Natural Resources Wales. The organisation's CEO said prosecution indicated regulation had failed and did not benefit the environment.
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The government is considering fundamental changes to the regulatory appeals process for water companies. This includes the possibility of moving away from a complete redetermination of company business plan submissions in favour of appealing specific aspects - to mirror the regime for energy.
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Yorkshire Water has paid out £1 million to environmental groups in relation to a historic pollution incident caused by a blocked storm overflow. The water company voluntarily offered to pay £500,000 to both the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and to Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust and has completed upgrades to the sewer network in the area worth £1.85 million.
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Anglian Water has set out plans for more than £12 million of improvements to river water quality across its region. The work at six locations includes removing phosphorous at wastewater treatment sites to meet tightening environmental regulations as well as upgrades to boost capacity to process more sewage.
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With a sharp rise in the number of people reporting becoming sick after entering British bathing waters, Surfers Against Sewage called for water companies to take rapid action. SAS appeared at an APPG water group to discuss the challenge of dry spills from storm overflows alongside engineering fellow Karen Merrell who voiced the fear that "vast sums of money" would be badly spent if companies failed to understand the complexities of catchment planning for individual CSOs.
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The Environment Agency has completed its inspections of sewage plants as part of its biggest criminal investigation to-date. The probe was launched two years ago into all English water and sewerage companies to assess potential non-compliance of flow to full treatment regulations at wastewater processing sites.
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Colum Goodchild, director of asset strategy at Aqua Consultants, argues water companies must do more with less and work closely with local communities and other stakeholders to manage assets effectively, tackle environmental issues, and rebuild faith in the sector.
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Northumbrian Water is spending more than £15 million to meet tighter phosphorous discharge permits that will come into effect December 2024. The company is upgrading five wastewater treatment sites in Durham to improve the quality of effluent returned to rivers
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Southern Water's plan to reduce spills from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) will see it exceed government's 2050 targets to drive down discharges. The company launched an interactive map of all overflow points outlining the work to be done, anticipated costs and timeline for improvements
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The biggest fine issued for a discharge permit in Anglian Water's region was handed to Avara Foods for repeatedly breaching the terms of its consent. The manufacturer pleaded guilty to 30 charges and ordered to pay £226k.
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CCW has come out in support of unlimited fines being applied to organisations that cause pollution to the environment. The group said abolishing the current £250k cap on fines must be accompanied by a reassurance to consumers that remedial action is being taken to address the causes of pollution.
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Welsh Water has been called out by Ofwat’s chief executive David Black for being “far less ambitious” than English water companies on reducing total spills from sewer overflows. Black said that the regulator was concerned that Welsh Water "don’t really have a plan that’s going to deliver meaningful reductions by 2030.”
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A Devonshire council is pushing to have South West Water excluded as a consultee on planning applications within its jurisdiction. A motion, approved by Torridge District Council, calls on central government to block South West Water from future consultations on the grounds that the company does not adequately engage in the process. Instead, the council is calling for an independent organisation to be appointed to oversee how water supplies and wastewater networks would be impacted by new developments.
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Wessex have received the green light for a £100 million expansion to its Avonmouth treatment plant in Bristol after a five-year consultation to make the site fit for purpose as the population grows. The company said expanding the works' capacity will cut the number of storm overflows triggered during heavy rainfall
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