UK Private Water Companies Dumped Raw Sewage Into Rivers 372,533 Times In 2021

[hatrack]

Water companies discharged raw sewage into English rivers 372,533 times last year, a slight reduction on the previous year. The water companies covering England released untreated sewage for a combined total of more than 2.7m hours; compared with 3.1m hours in 2020, according to data released by the Environment Agency (EA) on Thursday.

The data was published as the government announced what it said was the largest overhaul of the sewer system since the 1990s to tackle the problem of discharges.

The government said the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan was a step change in how water companies tackled the number of discharges of untreated sewage, which the government and the public have made clear are unacceptable.

The plan aims to eliminate 40% of raw sewage overflows into rivers by 2040. Untreated sewage and rainwater should only be released into rivers and coastal waters via storm overflow pipes in extreme weather to relieve pressure in the sewerage system. However, evidence over the last three years has shown water companies are routinely using the overflows to discharge untreated sewage rather than treating it.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/31/sewage-released-into-english-rivers-for-27m-hours-last-year-by-water-firms

[2naSalit]

1. Of course...

Pollute the local water sources so that the locals have to buy the water from the bottlers. Job security of the most evil kind.