Our recent article on sewage spills from Southern Water facilities around the Solent highlighted the combined sewer overflow (CSO) at Pier Road, Southsea which has recently been making adverse headlines for Southern Water for reasons other than simply its discharge history. The news concerns 'emergency' repairs to a collapsed section of the storm drain somewhere … Continue reading Southern Water’s lack of communications angers local community
Category: Water Quality
Untreated sewage continues to spill into the Solent
For the third year running Solent Protection Society has extracted and analysed the Environment Agency annual data on storm overflow releases into the Solent. There are some 300 storm overflows which the society has identified which discharge directly into the Solent, or into the tidal rivers and harbours that feed into it, for tens of … Continue reading Untreated sewage continues to spill into the Solent
Southern Water demonstrates the positive PR value of remote monitoring of its distributed assets
In a piece in the Times on 18 January, under the headline 'Southern Water taps into smart tech to stop leaks', Katie Prescott noted that: "Southern Water has introduced artificial intelligence to its sewage system to cut hundreds of leaks caused by so-called fatbergs and other blockages. In a £15 million project, the company has … Continue reading Southern Water demonstrates the positive PR value of remote monitoring of its distributed assets
Southern Water’s Beachbuoy scope should be extended to highlight all Solent discharges
There are as many, if not more people using Solent waterways than just the bathers at designated bathing beaches. For a considerable time, SPS has been calling for the scope of Southern Water's Beachbuoy application to be extended to complete the coverage for the safety and security of all Solent water users, leisure and business, … Continue reading Southern Water’s Beachbuoy scope should be extended to highlight all Solent discharges
Pollution and water quality
Solent Protection Society (SPS) has been working for many years to monitor the impact of pollution in the Solent, long before the topic was given much wider focus through mainstream media. The many sources of this pollution include human waste, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals and micro-plastics together with nitrates and phosphates generated from livestock waste and … Continue reading Pollution and water quality
Government’s response to the Environmental Audit Committee special report on ‘Water Quality in Rivers’ lacks teeth
HM Government has today given its response to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee (EAC) report, published in January and based on its investigation into 'Water quality in rivers'. Links to both documents and an introduction to the work of the EAC are provided under the heading 'Further Reading', below. Introduction The first … Continue reading Government’s response to the Environmental Audit Committee special report on ‘Water Quality in Rivers’ lacks teeth
Sewage Discharges – New private members bill
Solent Protection Society were pleased to see the subject of Sewage Discharges being brought up in Parliament, yet again, this time in the form of a Private Members Bill given its first reading by Tim Farron MP on April 26th. The Bill seeks "to provide for mandatory targets and timescales for the ending of sewage … Continue reading Sewage Discharges – New private members bill
SPS Pollution Group Progress Report – January 2022
Eling Wharf Back in October 2021, we reported on the worrying state of the sea walls at Eling Wharf. The walls of the wharf are showing distinct signs of possible collapse risking not only injury but also contamination and pollution of the surrounding water. A letter has been sent to ABP regarding the condition of … Continue reading SPS Pollution Group Progress Report – January 2022
Treat Southern Water’s Beachbuoy with caution.
Southern Water's Beachbuoy real time mapping of combined sewage outfall (CSO) spills is a great addition to the information to residents using the seas around the shores of the Solent. It gives warning of possible pollution close to the outfalls, all of which are identified on the system. It shows when a spill starts and … Continue reading Treat Southern Water’s Beachbuoy with caution.
Southern Water’s ‘Beachbuoy’ spill monitoring
Until recently, Southern Water's Beachbuoy web page has been a simple facility, limited to just a few sites and arguably simply a PR exercise given the criticism frequently levelled at the company. Over the past few weeks however, we have been pleased to see that the basic function of the original page has been replaced … Continue reading Southern Water’s ‘Beachbuoy’ spill monitoring