Water Quality

July Sewage Pollution in South West England

There have been a few dry days to begin the month of July, but that has now changed. Here how South West Water’s “WaterFit Live” map looks this afternoon. Note the new format:

On the south coast of Devon there’s an ongoing sewage pollution incident in Plymouth, and others earlier in the day at Dawlish and Budleigh Salterton:

[Update – July 6th]

Here is this morning’s WaterFit Live map:

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May Sewage Pollution in South West England

The May bank holiday is rapidly approaching, RNLI lifeguards are now patrolling the beaches of Devon and Cornwall and the Environment Agency has started issuing pollution risk warnings for designated bathing beaches. Here’s how their map looks today:

Here too is today’s WaterFit Live map from South West Water:

Meadfoot beach in Torbay isn’t “red flagged” on SWW’s map, but according to the Environment Agency there has been a sewage pollution incident affecting the beach today:

[Update – May 6th]

Here is this morning’s WaterFit Live map:

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South West Water Spills More Sewage

Here’s what South West Water’s WaterFit Live map looked like on the morning of April 20th:

The combined sewer overflow activation at Portreath finished in the early hours of the morning:

That was followed by a sewage “spill” at Fowey on April 22nd:

Since then we’ve had a few dry days. However, after an all too brief interlude there’s been a bit of rain over the last two days. It therefore comes as no surprise to impart the news that all of a sudden there are several orange pushpins on this afternoon’s WaterFit Live map. revealing plenty of sewage pollution along the south coasts of Devon and Cornwall once again:

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The Parliamentary Debate About the “Performance of South West Water”

On March 5th a debate was held in the Grand Committee Room next to Westminster Hall concerning the “Performance of South West Water”.

You can read the transcript of the entire session in Hansard if so desired. Alternatively you can watch a recording of the entire session.

The debate was opened by Simon Jupp MP as follows:

I beg to move,

That this House has considered the performance of South West Water.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Henderson. I am delighted to have secured this important debate, one year on from another debate that I secured on the performance of South West Water. It is another opportunity to hold South West Water to the highest possible standards in the House.

Last year, I described the performance of our water company and its historic lack of investment as “shameful”, and many of my constituents shared my point of view. This year, I want to focus my speech on the facts facing my constituency of East Devon. The public want to see evidence of improvement and delivery of the promised investment, and they want South West Water to clean up its act and our water. South West Water must deliver better services for our constituents, improve our bathing waters, and protect our natural environment. Not doing so puts the vibrancy of our coastal communities under threat.

More on all that later. However, we’re going to start our discussion with the speech given by the Member of Parliament for North Devon, Selaine Saxby. Here is a recording of her presentation:

Ms. Saxby’s opening remarks were as follows:

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March Sewage Pollution in South West England

It’s the day after February 28th, and the previous month’s sewage pollution article is overflowing with almost continuous news of combined sewer overflow activations around the coast of Devon and Cornwall. I’ve taken the liberty of starting this article a day early, hoping rather than expecting that March will be a bit quieter.

After yet more rain overnight, here is this morning’s Surfers Against Sewage map of pollution around our coasts:

Starting with the local surfing beaches, sewage pollution has been occurring this morning at Widemouth Bay:

and the adjacent Trevone and Harlyn Bays, amongst numerous other places across Cornwall:

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