I have been working with the Environment Agency and Thames Water for more than 10 years to improve the quality of the water in the Loddon. Improvements have been made but still we experience too much pollution particularly from releases of untreated storm water into the river. The new proposals in the Government's Environment Bill are an important step forward, requiring Water Companies to publish data on storm overflow operations annually and a duty in law to have a plan to protect water quality in our rivers.
The fundamental issue is that in the UK we have a single system that takes both rainwater and sewerage from homes. Therefore, when there are storms, so much rainwater enters the sewerage system that it cannot be contained and needs to flow somewhere. Without storm overflows into the rivers, homes would be flooded with raw sewerage. The new Government Bill is a step towards a long-term solution, but at the moment changing where the storm water goes would require major changes to pipes and sewage works across the UK. The proposed amendment to the Bill would cost anywhere between £150billion to £650 billion and this would undoubtedly be passed on to residents through increased water bills. So, whilst I agree with the need to stop river and water pollution, it needs to be done in a way that residents can afford. The new Environment Bill starts the process for change doing more to protect river water quality into the future.
The Government has listened closely to the concerns that have been raised. We do need water companies to improve how they handle storm water, which is why this Government will include a new law to ensure a progressive reduction in the damage to rivers and water courses caused by storm water.