‘Water bosses should face criminal charges for dumping sewage into rivers’ says expert
Water bosses should face criminal investigations if their company is responsible for dumping raw sewage into rivers and seas, according to an expert in water quality.
Dr. Christian Dunn from Bangor University said changing the rules around sewage pollution would create rapid change.
Last year Welsh Water, the company which manages most of Wales’ waste, released sewage into waterways for nearly 600,000 hours.
It comes as campaign groups called on Wales to "get to grips" with sewage pollution.
The company, who has the second highest water bills in England and Wales, recently announced that customer bills will have to increase to tackle the problem.
Sewage is released through Combined Storm Overflows (CSOs) which are designed to relieve pressure on the system ensuring that sewage does not flood our homes.
Natural Resources Wales requires all CSOs to have a permit and outlines that they should only be used during heavy rainfall. Should water companies breach environmental regulation, Natural Resources Wales have the power to issue fines.
Sewage is released through Combined Storm Overflows (CSOs) which are designed to relieve pressure on the system ensuring that sewage does not flood our homes.
Natural Resources Wales requires all CSOs to have a permit and outlines that they should only be used during heavy rainfall. Should water companies breach environmental regulation, Natural Resources Wales have the power to issue fines.
Speaking with Y Byd ar Bedwar, Dr Dunn says they should only be used in extreme events and has called for a review of current regulation. He said: "What we are seeing is those combined systems being used almost as a standard, and that is what is wrong.
“CEOs and directors can face criminal charges if they breach health and safety regulations and in terms of some environmental breaches as well.
"Perhaps we need to be looking at strengthening the current regulations when it comes to how water companies operate in terms of the environmental pollution events in which they are permitted to do, and if CEOs and directors breach those, then let’s see about them facing criminal charges as well, it could change things pretty quickly.”
‘Nothing to hide’
Asked whether they are confident that Welsh Water operates in a legal manner, the company’s Head of Strategic Communications said he was confident they were “transparent” with customers.
Heulyn Gwyn Davies said: “We [Welsh Water] have nothing to hide”.
In response to concerns raised around CSOs being used beyond their original purpose, such as during dry weather, Mr Gwyn Davies said “they should only be working in exceptional circumstances.”
“So when it does happen and that’s flagged, that is something we will look into. We work closely with partners to identify those assets that may be misoperating to ensure that they operate as they should”.
They added that Welsh Water would work to protect the environment by investing £840m by 2025 and a further £1.4bn between 2025 and 2030.
In a protest organised by Surfers Against Sewage in Penarth, campaigners told Y Byd ar Bedwar that regulation already exists but they needed implementation.
Welsh Rivers Union founder Kim Waters said" What we need is for our environmental regulator to apply regulations and hold Welsh Water to account”.
“The importance of targets for a company like Welsh Water is incredibly important and Natural Resources Wales should be leading the demand for standards of what they can and can’t do, as they would with any other business.”
Since 2016, Natural Resources Wales has sent out over 350 warning letters to Welsh Water, and have prosecuted six times.
Sian Williams, Head of Operations at NRW said storm overflows are “a necessary part of our sewerage system”.
She added: “We were the first UK regulator to require Event Duration Monitors to be installed on storm overflows. The work to install monitors on all overflows in Wales was completed in 2020 and is giving us better evidence on how overflows are operating.
“As well as requiring enhanced screening to be installed on overflows, we are also overseeing a programme of investment of £20m by the water companies to further reduce the impact of the storm overflows having the highest impact.
“We will continue to challenge the water companies to make sure storm overflows are properly controlled. Where we find evidence that they have not met our environmental expectations, be it through polluting activity or through a breach of permit conditions, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action. This can take several forms including a warning, the issue of an enforcement notice or a prosecution.”
The Welsh Government said it would announce targets as part of an action plan to regulate storm overflows by March 2023, but these are yet to be announced.
Campaigners like Michael Goode, who represents Surfers Against Sewage in the Vale of Glamorgan said they needed to “get to grips” with sewage pollution.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Wales is recognised internationally as having some of the best beaches and water quality in Europe. As we head into the 2023 bathing water season, 99% of designated bathing waters across Wales meet stringent bathing water quality standards, with 85 of 106 bathing waters achieving the highest classification of ‘excellent’.
“We made our expectations and priorities for the water industry clear in our Strategic Priorities and Objectives Statement . We work closely with and support the water company regulators, Ofwat, Natural Resources Wales and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, to monitor performance and to deliver their compliance functions.
“Water company investment is helping to tackle the nature and climate change emergencies and the cost of living crisis, through customer support schemes. Where compliance falls below agreed standards, however, we would expect regulators to take the appropriate action where necessary, including enforcement measures and penalties.”
You can see more on this story on Y Byd ar Bedwar on S4C, Monday, 5 June, at 8.00pm.