Thread by @BDavisBriz

Looking forward to what should be an interesting conversation on the current state of sewage pollution in England's rivers & seas #GW4

https://twitter.com/Gw4Water/status/1588508634106933248

Prof Ian Barke (@droughtandflood) notes that the recent media interest in storm overflows & sewage spills, which paints a "false picture" over the fact this has long been part of the water network #GW4

Baker then gives an overview of the scale of the issue. Says that there is more transparency from water companies in terms of monitoring. #GW4

However, Baker says this data "sometimes gets in the way of the facts" as we are seeing an increase in spills in part due to changes in weather patterns, but also because we are monitoring more frequently in more sites #GW4

Looking at the root cause of the problems, Baker notes that Bazalgette's initial sewage network relied too much on "concrete infrastructure" (as opposed to nature-based) and were also designed with much less dense populations in mind #GW4

This, Baker says, has clashed with the increasing expectations that rivers "should be safe to safe to swim in". Baker notes water companies say CSOs are "essential safety valve" to prevent sewage entering homes, whereas public now expecting higher environmental standards #GW4

Baker then highlights the impact of "internal flooding" in properties - which can have significant negative impacts on people's physical & mental health as well as property damage. Says this shows why good sewer health is vital #GW4

Baker turns to what is currently putting pressure on the sewage networks. Looking at "fatbergs", Baker says that part of this is due to consumers flushing fat & grease, but also says it implies poor monitoring & maintenance of the sewage network #GW4

On wet wipes, Baker notes that this not only creates problems of microplastics entering the marine ecosystem, but also says the Thames now has "wet wipe reefs" of lumps of wetwipes currently breaking down #GW4

Baker repeats the mantra of the "three P's" for flushables: Pee, Poo and Paper #GW4

However, Baker notes that, despite clear and concerted efforts from the water companies to improve environmental performance and to encourage positive consumer behaviour, there is still more work to be done to improve performance #GW4

Looking at what consumers think, Baker sites CCW research showing that people are placing increasing value on the natural environment, with water environments being valued for their beauty and serenity #GW4

Baker says that consumers are concerned about loss of biodiversity and plastic pollution, and are increasingly calling on water companies to prioritise investment in the environment #GW4

Looking at how we have arrived at the current situation, Barker notes that, post-privatisation, there was a focus on cleaning up pollution, however, slow progress has combined with better data,a higher media profile & greater political scrutiny has compelled Govt to act #GW4

Turning away from sewage, Barker discusses road runoff, outfalls and microplastics, which are often underreported compared to sewage. He notes that road runoffs is not only blocking sewers but also increasing the amount of microplastics in our marine ecosystems #GW4

Barker then focuses on the steps industry and other stakeholders are taking to address these challenges - such as @PutneyFleur's Wet Wipe Bill, technology being used in sewers to catch wet wipes & advertising campaigns to raise awareness of unflushables #GW4

Barker also notes that there is currently a slew of government strategies and policies, such as the Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan, aimed at fixing the problem. He says while there is "tough rhetoric, there isn't an honest conversation about what needs to be done" #GW4

Highlighting what needs to be done, Barker launches his own "Three P's: Pounds, Policy & People" In terms of pounds, Barker calls for more investment in infrastructure, but also to provide regulators with sufficient & sustainable funding #GW4

This investment in people needs to be alligned with a change in policy. In particular, Barker discusses the need to remove developer's Right To Connect, to ban plastic wet wipes & for joined-up policy making across Defra, DLUHC and DfT #GW4

On "People", Barker notes that this is the hardest "P" to answer. The human response will require companies and educational institutions investing in skills in order to ensure our water sector has the specialist expertise that it needs to deliver #GW4

In particular, Barker says that more needs to be done to ensure that wastewater management sides of the business need to ensure that their workforce are equally as skilled as the colleagues in the drinking water side of the business #GW4

The webinar now moves on to a Q&A session #GW4

On what role Ofwat can play in promoting innovation, Barker argues that Ofwat should support greater transparency & collection of data to help build a comprehensive evidence base to better understand the issues we face & propose more creative & innovative solution #GW4

On a Q on media reportage, Barker repeats that the sector was probably underreporting on spills historically, as we were not monitoring all storm overflows. However, he also says the media can often be "overly hostile" to water companies with simplistic reporting #GW4

When asked how we can improve performance, Barker calls for "continuous monitoring" of storm overflows, both of duration and water quality #GW4

On water performance pre-privatisation, Barker agrees with a delegate that there has been "significant improvements" in water quality since privatisation, but argues that, while that should be welcome, it should not distract from the fact there is still "a long way to go" #GW4

On how removing the Right To Connect will affect house building, Barker notes that S3 has been implemented in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 for several years now & "houses are still getting built". He believes the same thing will happen in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #GW4

When asked to quote how much it may cost to reduce all storm overflows to 0️⃣, Barker says it will "certainly cost billions", but argues it may not be the right thing to do & suggests instead focusing £ on areas where reducing storm overflows will have biggest benefit #GW4

Barker says that this way will be "much more strategic and clever" than the government's current "One-Size-Fits-All" approach #GW4

When asked if water companies' environmental performance is "symbolic of corporate culture". Barker says he is not sure he agrees, noting that all water companies "excel at something", which suggests they *do* care about the environment, even if performance on CSOs is poor #GW4

On the need for cross-political consensus, Barker agrees and also notes that the solutions will be long-term in nature, so there is also a need for inter-generational consensus on the right thing to do & how to fund it #GW4

Final Q on the effectiveness of self-reporting, Barker notes that all companies self-report on drinking water quality, which has improved performance. Believes that self-reporting on storm overflow will have a similar effect on wastewater #GW4

Really interesting presentation on the current state of #sewage in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿’s seas & waterways & what can be done to improve performance. Thanks to @droughtandflood for your insights, to @AlbertChen_CWS for chairing & @Gw4Water/@Water_UofExeter for hosting! #GW4

@threadreaderapp Unroll please