July 2024

Southern Water CSO discharges – Environment Agency data reinforces worsening trend

For the past four years SPS has been analysing the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) discharges identifiable in data published annually by the Environment Agency (EA). From that mass of detail, we determined that there are a relatively small number of outfalls which are the worst offenders, with just thirty seven of the three hundred CSOs sited around the Solent accounting for around 80% of the discharge hours.

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Also in the news

Southern Water’s Summer 2024 ‘Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project’ public consultation concerned the company’s current proposal to recycle treated effluent from its Budds Farm treatment works to provide a future drinking water source.
We look at what really needs to be done by Southern Water and the regulators in order to demonstrate the scale of the CSO problem.

Selected earlier articles
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The posts below cover several of the Society’s particular focus areas. To view further posts, please use the menu options above, the ‘recent posts’ links and the search box elsewhere on this home page.

This post from June 2023 details the distribution of raw sewage spills in 2022 adding further weight to SPS’s request that Southern Water extend the coverage of its Beachbuoy spill notification web service to include the designated ‘shellfish areas‘ in the Solent, in addition to the set of ‘bathing water beaches‘ currently covered.
While we often focus on the quality of water in the Solent, we should not lose sight of impact of pollution upstream in the river basins. This post takes a view.
SPS takes a dip into the Solent Freeport Tax Site maps and uncovers rather more questions than answers. It’s a long read but you might just find it interesting, no matter which side of the Solent you’re on.
We’ve written before of the science and assumptions about sea-level rise and flood maps. This post tries to bring it nearer to home with some advice about how worried you should be if you live near the coast.

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Hurst Castle – understanding the bigger picture. A look at the evolution of Hurst Spit at the Solent’s western gateway.
Is there a housing development near you, if so, what is its environmental impact?
Southern Water’s ‘Beachbuoy’ spill monitoring web page is a significant improvement over its predecessor. We’d still like it to go further though.
Solent Protection Society is extremely disappointed at the actions taken by the Government in voting against the House of Lords amendment to the Environment Bill. 
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Pollution in all its many forms. Commentary from the SPS Council.

The Solent Protection Society is a charitable incorporated organisation intent on safeguarding and preserving the amenities of the Solent environment for the benefit of future generations. The Society was originally set up in 1956 as a joint initiative of CPRE and the RYA in response to proposals to site a nuclear power station on the Isle of Wight and an oil refinery at the mouth of the Hamble river. More than sixty years later, the Solent Protection Society continues to campaign on important issues of planning, conservation and maritime safety affecting the Solent Region.

We welcome issues and concerns raised by our members and apply the breadth of experience of our Council Members, working with our networks within peer organisations and official bodies to secure resolution.

To understand how membership of the Society might help you, or simply to contact us, please explore the options on the main menu. We also welcome applications from existing members who believe they may have relevant experience to offer and a commitment of time to join the Council in our activities. For further details, please email the Secretary.