Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 29
29
Deferred
Paragraph: 173
We recommend that water companies take immediate steps to install volume monitors at all points...
Recommendation
We recommend that water companies take immediate steps to install volume monitors at all points where overflows may discharge from their sewerage networks, so as to provide continuous real-time monitoring of the volume of discharges consistent with the provisions of the Environment Act 2021. Drainage and sewerage management plans should include a clear plan for volume monitoring and a clear timetable for its implementation, and water companies should publish regular reports on progress towards full implementation.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government states the Government will examine the main options for reducing pressures on existing infrastructure as part of the overall ambition to progressively reduce the harm caused and this will be consulted on in Spring 2022 and will include ambitious targets to reduce storm overflow discharges.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
173
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The Government does not accept this recommendation. The Environment Act requires notification of spills occurring within 1 hour of the discharge (141DA) and continuous monitoring of the environment (141DB). Measurement of volume is limited by technical feasibility and cost, and therefore requires further consideration of how it could be implemented effectively. The provisions of the Environment Act requiring the sewerage undertaker to continuously monitor the quality of water upstream and downstream of an asset (either storm overflows or sewage treatment works) will be consulted on, with the associated detail on precisely what specific indicators should be monitored as part of this continuous monitoring, later in 2022. The Government has also been clear that we expect water companies to reduce their reliance on sewage overflows as a priority, and so it is important that the appropriate balance is made between investment in transparent monitoring and data sharing with the public, and investment in the infrastructure and other solutions needed to reduce the use of overflows and their harm.
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