A new series, FACTorFAKE, from local MP Steve Brine examining some of the key issues being used to misinform residents. Disinformation and fake news comes in many forms, says Steve, so here we deal only in facts.
Warning! This is complex and, as with so many aspects of good government, does not fit into a tweet or an attack leaflet. If any of this were easy, it would have fixed years ago - including when one Ed Davey (now the Liberal leader spreading so much fake news on this subject) was Environment Secretary.
The issue of water quality and combined storm overflows (CSO’s) has shot up the agenda in recent years.
As a result, our MP has worked really hard educate himself - and in-turn his constituents when they get in touch - about the subject.
If it were easy CSO’s would never have been a thing in the first place so anyone who tells you it’s a simple fix is deceiving you and we think most reasonable people know that.
Also, and very few people genuinely know this, it’s essential to understand why overflows are not simply switched off by Ministerial decree.
It all goes back to a Victorian sewerage system which was never built for this level of development or indeed rainfall.
This Conservative Government has done more than any other (including the coalition or throughout every one of Labour’s 13 years in power) on the issue of water quality.
We could have ignored the subject but we decided to face it and set about turning things around; starting with proper monitoring so we know the extent of the problem.
That has given great publicity to the issue – and therefore opportunities for our opponents – but that’s the serious business of Government not the luxury of opposition.
The ‘Storm overflow discharge reduction plan’, brought about by the Environment Act which Steve voted for while opposition MPs voted against, requires water companies to make their largest infrastructure spend in water company history to increase capacity. It is backed by up to £56 billion capital investment.
FACT : Conservative MPs, including Steve Brine, voted FOR this Act at every stage of its progress through Parliament.
The Environment Agency and Ofwat have launched the largest ever criminal and civil investigations into waste-water treatment works and we’ve dramatically increased funding for EA inspections via the ‘Plan for Water’.
And we’ve ringfenced now unlimited fines from water companies so that they don’t go to HM Treasury but stay in DEFRA for environmental projects.
Wet wipes will be banned. Sounds like a trivial issue doesn’t it but the UK uses 11 billion of them each year and they block sewers and harm waterways; increasing the possibility of a discharge.
And this Spring, the Secretary of State announced the storm overflow target will be enshrined in law.
Last year Steve visited Southern Water’s water treatment works at Morestead Lane to really understand how the waste-water process works.
And he visited Thruxton (near Andover) see what how their ‘Pathfinder’ project is pioneering a way to tackle groundwater infiltration into sewer systems; which adds to the pressure that triggers a discharge. Steve says he had to understand how this pilot project works as part of the complicated CSO jigsaw.
He is staying close to Southern Water to understand how they are interpreting the Environment Act and urging them to go faster.
No-one is pretending this is easy. Did you know before 1997 the ‘poo barge’ was sailed out to sea which is how we disposed of foul water?
Our Victorian sewerage system combines storm / ground water with that produced by toilets, dishwashers and bathtubs. Without a discharge it would literally come back up your loo and plug hole. We want to change that which is why we’re facing up to the problem and acting.
That is painstaking work but I’d rather be part of the solution than carping about the problem from the sidelines with un-costed games that get us nowhere.
Far from ignoring the situation, the Government and Steve Brine in particular are taking it extremely seriously and taking action to provide better water quality in this country.
So why would anyone say Conservative MPs voted to 'allow raw sewage to be dumped in local rivers'?
The short answer is because the people saying that know this is an extremely complex area of policy and many people won't have time to look into the issue or read a web-page like this. Also, it forms part of a long tradition of personal abuse and negative campaigning locally.
The longer answer is because Government MPs refused to support a proposed amendment to the Environment Act (from cross-bench Peer, Lord Wellington) in Autumn 2021 which would have required water companies to to 'progressively reduce the harm they were doing' but it would not have stopped the practice entirely or immediately as claimed. Conservative MPs voted to amend the plans, not block them, removing the sections which would cost households between £15,000 - £25,000 each at a time when the cost of living is hitting many hard.
Government Ministers worked with Lord Wellington, and MPs such as Philip Dunne, when the Environment Act returned to the House of Commons to put into law sensible, costed plans to tackle the issue - with requirements on water companies to 'significantly reduce' storm overflows and clean up pollution as well as new powers for the government to 'direct' underperforming companies.
So there's no problem?
Our rivers and waterways need help and our sewerage system needs billions of pounds spent on it to decouple surface water drainage from foul (ie; our toilets, sink, bath) water.
Everyone agrees there's a problem; we need our politicians to work together to come up with a credible, costed and affordable plan to bring about meaningful change.
This is the first Government - neither the previous Labour Government or the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition Government took action - to put in place a plan to address the issue and significant investment is happening now. We expect to see a reduction in discharges across the country of around 25% by 2025 and then we will continue and go further out until 2035.
Steve Brine has welcomed this in Parliament but been clear 2035 is too long.
He says; "Government is difficult and complex - more prose than poetry - and it deserves to be taken seriously. This Conservative Government has taken the most wide reaching action of any before it to clean up our rivers and address the issue of storm overflows. That should absolutely be recognised.
"I have been our MP for twelve years. In that time I have totally rejected negative campaigning and never produce such material which I believe demeans us all. And ultimately, I trust my constituents to know what’s right and see when they’re being played.
"That will, no matter what is delivered into Winchester from outside our area, continue to be how I conduct myself as our local Member of Parliament."
Where are Southern Water in this?
They have a LOT to do as mandated by Parliament and the MPs (including ours!) who did vote for the Environment Act as above. In November 2023, in accordance with the provisions of that Act, they published their Clean Rivers and Seas Plan, which outlines proposals for reducing storm overflows across our region.
Between 2025 to 2035, they are proposing to invest a record £1.5 billion to get to the root cause of storm overflows. The first phase of this plan will be delivered between 2025 and 2030 and will see an investment of £700 million to prioritise areas such as shellfish and bathing waters, and environmentally sensitive sites. This means by 2030, spills will reduce by 3,000 a year.
Plans include:
- Green schemes like raingardens, wetlands, tree planting projects, and rain harvesting devices like water butts - initiatives which slow down or stop rainwater flowing into sewers. Trials have seen positive results, with a 70% reduction in releases at a storm outfall on the Isle of Wight after introducing water butts in a nearby village.
- Further investment in enhancing the stormwater capacity and resilience of the company’s wastewater network and infrastructure, including at treatment works and across sewer improvements.
SW's plan is in the form of an interactive map on their website. The map shows every outfall across our region, and, by clicking on a location, you can see what they are doing to cut releases from that outfall.
This plan, which is subject to approval by the regulator, will be delivered over the next 25 years – a timeframe calculated to reflect the investment needed, speed of delivery and balance the impact on customer bills.
You can access the Southern Water plan in FULL here:
Watch and pictured; DEFRA video from recent Secretary of State explaining the ongoing work, Steve Brine MP visiting the Southern Water waste treatment works at Morestead Road and in Thruxton near Andover.
More information ...
Share checklist from Gov.UK (things aren't always what they seem online)
