Pollution
in rivers and around our coast can be caused
by factories, farms and industry but in
many cases it can come from a much less
obvious source – people’s homes, warns the
Environment Agency.
Pollution in rivers
and around our coast can be caused by factories,
farms and industry but in many cases it
can come from a much less obvious source
– people’s homes, warns the Environment
Agency.
Incorrect plumbing could
mean that waste water from dishwashers,
washing machines, sinks, baths and even
toilets is flushed directly into a local
river. These 'misconnected' pipes are a
common cause of pollution to rivers and
streams, especially in towns and cities,
and can also affect our bathing waters at
coastal resorts.
Investigations by the
Environment Agency and South West Water
have identified one of the sources of faecal
pollution to some of the bathing waters
in the South West is misconnections.
Both organisations have
been working to try and pinpoint the sources
of the misconnections and how these can
be remedied.
In Torbay, there have been 61 misconnections,
22 in Teignmouth, 10 in Lyme Regis, 10 in
Combe Martin, and 12 in Burnham-on-Sea (see
table below).
‘These can be misconnections to surface
water drainage that discharges directly
to a bathing water, or to surface water
drainage that discharges into a stream,
which then flows into, or close to, a bathing
water,’ explained Nick Smart from the Environment
Agency.
The project is designed to investigate which
surface water drainage systems are causing
the most pollution, and then identify which
group of houses or other properties are
the source of the pollution.
‘We will then be working
with the Local Council's Environmental Health
departments to get property owners to check
their drainage systems, and where required,
fix any problems. It is possible to enter
properties in an attempt to solve misconnection
problems,’ added Nick Smart.
South West Water are funding work on the
public sewerage system and the Environment
Agency are working to investigate and remediate
urban diffuse pollution.
The main risk to the
environment is that wastewater is sometimes
wrongly connected into the surface water
system which eventually discharges to a
local river or streams.
This can range from
something as simple as a wrongly connected
washing machine or dishwasher to something
more serious, such as toilet waste feeding
into surface water drains.
Misconnections can occur
when a house is extended, when people make
other home improvements or when a new house
is built.
Untreated wastewater from misconnections
can flow straight into rivers or streams
instead of going to the foul sewer and the
local wastewater treatment works. If people
fail to take corrective action you could
be prosecuted by the Environment Agency
or local authority.
Legally it is always
the person who causes the pollution that
is responsible. For misconnections this
would be the homeowner. If people are looking
to buy a property they could ask for the
drainage to be checked in a survey when
purchasing.
Wrong connections are
not only harmful to the environment, they
are illegal. Pollution from misconnections
kills plants and fish, creates an unpleasant
smell and is an eyesore. It can also cause
health risks to the local community, particularly
to children and animals.
Further information,
including an online guide to help owners
check whether their property is correctly
drained, can be found at the "connectright"
website: www.connectright.org.uk
Ends
Note to Editors:
Misconnections table by catchment :
Bathing Water Catchment Property Misconnections
Found
Mounts Bay (Wherry Town) To Be Advised (TBA)
Torbay 61
Teignmouth 22
Lyme Regis 10
Ilfracombe 4
Combe Martin 10
East Looe 10
Weston super Mare TBA
Burnham 12
Bude 1
Dawlish TBA
Croyde 0
Budleigh 3
St Blazey TBA
Erme 5
Taw Torridge 3
Environment Agency response
to Planning Inspectorate decision on Combined
Sewage Overflow (CSO) appeals by six UK
water companies
Last April, the Environment
Agency announced plans to bring some 4,200
combined sewer overflows (CSOs) under stricter
regulation, to help continue to protect
the quality of rivers and coastal waters.
Six water companies
appealed these plans and the Planning Inspectorate
held an appeal hearing in January.
The Planning Inspectorate’s
decision was largely in the water companies’
favour and the Environment Agency is disappointed
that the overall decision does not go as
far as it wished. However, the decision
gives some additional protection to the
quality of rivers and coastal waters in
England and Wales, as water companies will
now be required to better maintain these
CSOs to minimise overflows and potential
pollution incidents.
Water companies need
to take a forward planning approach to prevent
environmental pollution or increase the
risk of sewer flooding, for example as a
result of new development, and we are concerned
that the Planning Inspectorate’s decision
does not provide this incentive or any mechanism
to protect against future environmental
deterioration.
Since 1989, the Environment Agency has worked
with water companies to identify the highest
sources of pollution from sewage overflows
and has acted to tackle them, and some £2.5bn
has been invested to upgrade sewer systems
and reduce pollution. We will continue to
work with water companies, farmers, local
authorities and others to improve water
quality even further to meet challenging
new EU standards.
ENDS
Media enquiries: Jason
Wakeford or Ken Hunt on 020 7863 8710. Outside
normal office hours, please contact the
National Duty Press Officer on 07798 882
092.
Notes for editors
Case studies of improved sewage overflows
The River Don, Yorkshire
As with many rivers in the UK, the industrial
revolution had a devastating impact in the
River Don, turning it from a sparkling,
fish filled river into a lifeless channel
of effluent. By the 1900s outfalls of raw
or sparsely-treated sewage and discharges
from the many factories, steelworks and
foundries along its path turned it into
one of the most polluted rivers in Europe.
Over the last 25 years
the Environment Agency has worked with Yorkshire
Water to transform the river back to good
health. As well as major improvements at
Blackburn Meadows sewage treatment works,
where a new plant replaced the inefficient
works and vastly improved its discharges
to the Don, improvements were also made
to over 300 sewage overflows, including
at Porter Brook and the River Sheaf.
Diverse aquatic life
is now flourishing once again, and salmon
– which are extremely good indicators of
water quality – have recently returned to
lower parts of the Don. Local people and
visitors alike are enjoying the leisure
and recreational opportunities now offered
throughout the Don admiring the clear waters
and their diverse surroundings.
Charlestown, Cornwall
Charlestown is a 'must see' destination
for thousands of tourists who visit Cornwall
every year. It's an unspoilt Georgian Port
and home to Porthpean – a large sandy beach
which is a favourite with families.
In the late 1980s and
early 11000s this and several other beaches
repeatedly failed bathing water quality
tests. Investigations at the time found
that crude discharges of sewage from overflows
were the major contributing factor.
A programme of work
to improve bathing water quality by tackling
the sewage overflows began in the 11000s
and as a direct result, a new sewage treatment
plant to deal with waste from across the
area was constructed in 1993. At the same
time, major work was carried out on sewers
in the area. A new tunnel sewer was constructed,
which connected up to the new treatment
works and made it possible for some older
sewage overflows to be shut down.
Since then, sewage treatment
plants in the area have continued to be
improved and updated.
As a result of this work, all beaches in
the area passed the mandatory bathing water
standard last year.
Further case studies
are available on request from the Press
Office
+ More
Environment Agency to
carry out dye testing at Exmouth
The sea off Exmouth
could turn a strange colour this Friday
(April 9), but don't be alarmed!
Environment Agency officers
will release bright fluorescent green and
red dyes at two points on Exmouth promenade
to check the potential impact of a local
stream and storm overflow on the town’s
beaches and bathing waters.
The testing will take
place this Friday between 9.30am – 12.00
noon around the Maer Lane Pumping station
and Littleham Brook. The work is part of
an ongoing monitoring programme carried
out by the Agency in conjunction with South
West Water and East Devon District Council.
Follow-up testing will
take place on Monday (April 12) from 9.30am
– 5.00 pm. The dye testing will show the
dispersion across the bathing waters and
allow the Agency to target any future investigations
in relation to bathing water quality.
The monitoring is being
carried out prior to the start of the new
bathing season in May. It will be take place
during incoming and ebb tide to achieve
the best results. The brightly-coloured
dyes are non-toxic and quickly break down
in the sea.
‘Dye testing is a very
useful means of checking dispersion after
streams and outfalls flow into the sea and
increases our understanding of any possible
impacts on local bathing waters. We are
particularly interested to see how close
the flows come to our bathing water sampling
points,’ said Mike Ingman for the Environment
Agency.
