Water firm admits water pollution
December 15, 2010 at 11:15 am
Dŵr Cymru, the Welsh water company, has been severely criticised by the Environment Agency after it emerged that they allowed untreated sewage to seep into Llyn Padarn lake in Llanberis, Gwynedd via the Afon Goch back in April of this year.
With the lake eventually flowing towards the sea mouth at Caernarfon, it’s not hard to see why this case is such a serious one for the water industry, but Dŵr Cymru seem to have escaped from the unfortunate incident relatively lightly, with the company handed a six month conditional discharge and a fine of just £3,800.
It is thought that the water firm were not treated as harshly as may have been the case as they pleaded guilty and the eventual consequences of the sewage leak were relatively minor; an investigation found that nothing died as a result of the lake pollution and the impact on users was minimal, since they were kept fully informed of the incident and the potential health risks resulting from it.
This case, although resolved through the final decision of the magistrate, is likely to continue to cause a fair amount of controversy in the months to come, with local angling associations still angry about the manner in which Dŵr Cymru apparently allowed the sewerage system in question to become so damaged and affected by time and general wear and tear that it ended up breaking.
One thing is for sure, though, and that’s the fact that the water firm is likely to be monitored closely over the coming months as the Environment Agency seek to gain both confirmation and reassurance that important lessons have been learned.
6 water firms miss leakage targets
December 6, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Six water companies have been mentioned in Ofwat’s annual report for having failed to hit their leakage targets. There are 21 companies in total, so the fact that six of them failed to hit their targets is quite worrying. However, there was some better news as Ofwat revealed that most of the companies provided a good service to consumers.
The worst offender was Yorkshire Water, which lost 295 million litres of water a day in the 2009/10 period. Other companies to miss their targets included Dee Valley, Northumbrian, Cambridge and Veolia Central.
The fact that so many companies missed their targets was made all the more surprising in view of the fact that every company has hit its targets for the last two years. Ofwat is surely going to be looking for answers as to why this year should have been so much worse.
One likely explanation is that the coldest winter in over 30 years is partly to blame. This led to areas of ground being covered by snow, which can make it more difficult to spot the leaks. Also, the action of freezing and thawing can cause ground movement which can burst the pipes.
Despite the excuse of the cold weather, Ofwat said that companies that fail to meet their leakage targets will have to improve. Water lost through pipe leakages is on such a vast scale that hitting the targets is a very serious issue. If the companies continue to fail to reach their targets then this could have serious repercussions for the whole of the UK if we are affected by any more droughts.
Thames Water to produce fertiliser from waste
October 21, 2010 at 4:48 am
Thames Water has announced that it will be starting up a new process of producing eco-friendly fertiliser from sewage. The process will take place in a waste water facility in Slough, and follows on from a successful experiment in North America.
The process involves recycling excess nutrients in the water into environmentally-safe fertiliser. It reuses natural resources as well as creating a product that is safe for the environment, leading many to dub it the perfect solution.
The Slough plant has been running a pilot scheme since March, and it will now go into full-scale production of the fertiliser. Thames Water will partner with Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, a Canadian firm, and the facility should be up and running by the middle of 2011. The project will cost in the region of £2 million.
The process works by removing struvite from sewage which contains ammonia and phosphorus, and then converting this into natural fertiliser. This will be the first time the process has taken place in Europe. The plant will produce 150 tonnes of fertiliser a year, which will go by the name of Crystal Green and will be sold around the country.
On top of the benefits of the renewable product, Thames Water will also be saving £130,000 to £200,000 a year in chemical dosing costs which are necessary to clean up the build-up of struvite.
Reserves of phosphorus are running out around the world, with some experts predicting that mineral sources could run out completely in the next 30 years. This new technique could therefore become a very important way to produce a renewable solution to the problem.
Complaints about local water company double
October 15, 2010 at 3:01 am
Despite customer complaints about the service provided by Sutton and East Surrey Water company doubling in the last year, bosses at the company deny that the service they are providing is steadily worsening. With the company supplying water to around 270,000 customers, company bosses know that they are required to provide an outstanding service to the consumers they are responsible for, or else risk losing their custom to rival suppliers.
With other rival water companies managing to see the number of complaints they receive dropping, Sutton and East Surrey water company need to ensure that they can begin to improve the service they provide to ensure it is up to the standard of their closest rivals.
However, Customer Services Director Steve George has defended the service provided by Sutton and East Surrey water company, suggesting that the 2007 merger that took place between the two companies had a massive impact on the new structure of the supplier: “We had a massive challenge when two water companies merged to deliver a new in-house customer service centre, and have worked closely with the CCW to continually improve our service to customers since then”.
Whilst this may have been seen as a valid excuse even back in 2009, the fact that nearly three years have passed since the merger means that time is rapidly running out for this excuse to have any real resonance with consumers.
Having said all this, whilst the very notion of complaints doubling initially sounds like an extremely damaging claim, Sutton and East Surrey Water have been quick to suggest that this merely represents the number of complaints rising from 25 to 50, a figure which could surely look far worse in comparison to the number of customers they’re responsible for.
Thames release super sewer plans
October 13, 2010 at 2:45 am
Thames Water has released a 14-week public consultation on plans to build a super sewer at an estimated cost of £3.6 billion to reduce sewage discharges into the River Thames.
Backed by the government, the Thames tunnel will run for 20 miles at a depth of 75 metres. It will start in west London following the route of the river heading east of Tower Bridge.
But building the tunnel could result in bill increases of around £60-65 per year for Thames Water customers.
However, the environment secretary Caroline Spelman said that the tunnel offered “the most cost-effective solution” to the “unacceptable problem of raw sewage being regularly discharged into the Thames”.
Ms Spelman said that she recognised the tunnel came “at a significant cost” but that she would ensure the department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA) and the water services regulation authority (OFWAT) “continue to scrutinise the costs” so that Thames Water’s proposals “represent proper value for money”.
London has trebled in size since 1850 and its Victorian sewer network is no longer big enough to cope with a 21st century city that is continuing to grow, said Thames Water.
And Thames Water explained that the 57 overflow points situated along the river were built during the 19th century to prevent sewage backing up into the streets when full. But now they discharge sewage into the Thames after just 2mm of rain which happens once a week on average.
Public exhibitions are currently being held across London until October 22 allowing Londoners to have their say on the plans for the tunnel. Construction of the tunnel is set to start in 2013 and end in 2020. For more information visit Thames Tunnel Consultation.
UK waters shown to be recovering from acid rain damage
October 1, 2010 at 2:31 pm
A report from the Acid Waters Monitoring Network (AWMN) has stated that waters in the UK are now beginning to recover from acid rain damage. Initial summaries of the report have, however, concluded that it will be many more years before all the surrounding plant and pond life are fully recovered.
Researchers have been keen to stress that this is only the beginning of the recovery and that there is still a large distance to go. The brown trout and salmon in the UK have started to re-appear in previously acidic sites but have not fully recovered from the acid rain damage to their populations, and nor has much of the affected plant life, insect species and snail populations.
Going further than this, Emeritus Professor Rick Battarbee, of UCL, who played a part in the research, said, “we still have a very long way to go to return these systems to full health, and there is real concern that a full recovery might be prevented by climate change.” For these reasons it has not yet been possible to predict when a full recovery can be expected, if at all.
Fears are rife that any significant climate change may affect recovery and this could mean further controls on dangerous gases need to be put in place. Research of this kind is likely to provide a further drive to Defra who are playing an important role in deals such as the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive and the Gothenburg Protocol.
The key policies for acid rain reduction were put into effect in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher’s government and this new research has proved them to be successful. Discussing the recovery, environmental minister, Lord Henley, was also looking to the future and said that this “demonstrates the opportunity we have to build on this success through forthcoming international agreements that will allow us to return damaged rivers and lakes to a healthy state.”
The Acid Waters Monitoring Network is a Defra funded network of groups that has been responsible for research regarding acid rain damage throughout the UK. These groups were vital to the success of measuring change and the effectiveness of environmental policies. Professor Battarbee backed these sentiments adding that these reports “illustrate the importance of high quality, long-term ecological networks that we need to monitor, measure and model environmental change.”
Ofwat to be reviewed
September 24, 2010 at 1:43 pm
The government has announced that Ofwat, the water industry regulator, is to be reviewed. Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has appointed David Gray as the lead reviewer for the check, which is set to find out whether Ofwat is still providing value for money.
The water industry is facing a number of challenges at the moment. Population growth, water shortages as a result of global warming, and aging pipes and water infrastructure are all placing a burden on the industry.
The review is to decide what changes need to be made for the water regulator, including looking into its responsibilities and how it is going to be able to ensure that it is still providing value for money.
Established 20 years ago, Ofwat was formed to regulate the newly privatised water industry. It has the power to prosecute water companies if they fail to deliver on service, and has been in the news recently for trying to restrict the amount by which Bristol Water could increase its bills, a decision which Bristol Water appealed and won.
The environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, said that the government needs to “make sure the regulator is in good shape to help the industry prepare for a changing climate and a growing population, at the same time as keeping bills affordable”. She highlighted how important it was that bill payers and water companies alike are reassured that they are still getting good value for money from the regulator.
The water industry is thought to be happy with the news, and the review is planned for completion by early 2011.
Bristol Water to increase rates by 15% over five years
September 17, 2010 at 4:00 am
Customers of Bristol Water are set to see their water bills increase by 15% over the next five years, following a ruling by the Competition Commission that allowed the water company to raise bills above the limit set by Ofwat, the water regulator.
The ruling means that the average Bristol Water customer will see their bills rise from £157 in 2009/10 to £180 in 2014/15. The company has decided to increase the bills slowly to lead to a gradual rise that will avoid putting too much strain on its customers.
Ofwat had originally decided that Bristol Water would be allowed to raise bills up to £168 over the five-year period, representing a rise of 7%. Bristol Water complained that this was too low, and wanted to increase its bills to £202, a rise of 29%.
It appealed against Ofwat’s original decision to limit the rises and referred it to the Competition Commission in February this year. The latest news means that although Bristol Water has not managed to get the increase that it originally asked for it is not restricted to Ofwat’s limits.
Bristol Water supplies water to more than 500,000 homes and businesses across the Bristol region. It has claimed that the bill increases will allow it to provide customers with a better service and it will therefore lead to long-term benefits.
Alan Parsons, the managing director of Bristol Water, said that it was “pleased with the settlement in many respects” but that it will remain “highly challenging” to deliver all the requirements within the limits that it has been set.
Hosepipe ban lifted in North-West
September 3, 2010 at 12:21 pm
For the first time in 14 years a hosepipe ban was imposed this July on parts of Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside after the water in many reservoirs in the area dropped to only half the normal level.
The good news for the millions of customers affected is that United Utilities have now lifted the ban in view of the heavy rainfall over the past few weeks.
The real reason for the ban was the dry start to 2010, the driest in fact since records began in 1929. The summer was less dry (in fact, parts of Liverpool suffered flash floods after half an inch of rain fell in just one hour) but still reservoir levels were low hence the ban on using hosepipes for watering the garden and washing the car.
Customers were generally diligent in saving water and only 90 formal warnings had to be issued up to the end of July. In all, customers saved a whopping three billion litres of water.
Reservoir levels are still low in the Pennines but those in Cumbria and North Wales are back to average levels for the time of year. Water from North Wales and Cumbria will be moved to the reservoirs in the Pennines utilising the integrated pipe system.
In response to critics who say the water company would be better off repairing leaks, United Utilities has said that costs are prohibitive and that a hosepipe ban every 15 years or so is preferable to the huge increases in bills necessary to ensure a leak-free network.
Health scare over fake Zam Zam water
August 23, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Leicestershire County Council has issued a warning to Muslims in the area regarding the dangers of drinking fake holy water. It warned that bottles of Zam Zam water should be avoided as it could be contaminated with high levels of arsenic.
Zam Zam water is a sacred water that comes from a well near Mecca in Saudi Arabia which has been flowing for millennia. Whilst pilgrims on the Hajj often take the water out of the country for personal use, they are not allowed to export it for commercial use.
Leicestershire County Council warned that the Zam Zam water on sale could have up to three times the legal limit of arsenic, as well as containing nitrates which can increase the risks of developing cancer, and should therefore be avoided at all costs.
Leicestershire County Council has warned that as well as being dangerous, the Zam Zam water might not even be real. If people see it in a shop they have been warned not to buy it as it is illegal and poses a safety risk.
The warning came two days before the start of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. This is also not the first time it has come to attention, with the FSA (Food Standards Agency) and Trading Standards issuing similar warnings in previous years.
For shops selling the water, the punishment could be severe. The penalty for selling unlicensed water is an unlimited fine or two years’ imprisonment, and traders also face a £20,000 fine or six months in prison if found to be selling water that is not safe for consumption.
David Bull, the head of trading standards at Leicestershire County Council, said that anyone with any knowledge of Zam Zam water being sold should contact Trading Standards.
