The Workplace for Environmental Safety (OEP) has issued separate resolution notices to Defra, the EA, and Ofwat for failures to adjust to environmental regulation in respect of untreated sewage discharges, warning that courtroom motion might comply with if corrective steps are usually not taken inside two months.
Announced on 16 Decemberthe motion follows an investigation into the regulation of community mixed sewer overflows (CSOs) in England, which started in June 2022.
Helen Venn, the OEP’s Chief Regulatory Officer, stated: “The core subject recognized in our investigation is the circumstances by which the regulatory system permits untreated sewage discharges to happen. We interpret the regulation to imply that they need to typically be permitted solely in distinctive circumstances, comparable to throughout unusually heavy rainfall. That is except an evaluation of the CSO concludes that the prices to handle the problem could be disproportionate to the advantages gained. Whereas the general public authorities are actually taking steps to make sure their approaches are aligned and reflective of the regulation, now we have discovered that this has not at all times been the case. The choice notices formally make clear what now we have concluded is required.
“We will decide next steps when we have considered the responses to these decision notices. That could include court action.”
Charity group The Rivers Belief responded to the announcement:
“The truth that three public our bodies tasked with regulating our water trade and its influence on the setting have failed to take action successfully over such a time period validates the tireless work of environmental and neighborhood teams who’ve lengthy referred to as out water firms’ over-reliance on CSOs. It’s crucial that the Setting Company, Defra, and Ofwat now reply to the OEP’s findings totally and in good religion.
“We welcome the positive steps that are now being taken to reduce the blight of sewage pollution on our waterways, but there is room for much more ambition to transform how we manage water to restore our rivers to good health. We will wait to see whether water companies’ five-year investment plans – to be announced later this week – go far enough to meet the OEP’s requirements.”
