Our aim is to meet the quality measures set by our environmental regulator, the Environment Agency and to protect the watercourses of our region but unlike the drinking water processes, the wastewater network is an open system and can be affected:
- Sudden increases in the amount of water we receive, for example due to a storm.
- Inappropriate items and materials put into the sewers, for example fats, oils and greases.
- Trade effluent of a type or volume being discharged into our network without prior consent.
Compliance failures can also be the result of a process or human error. If there’s a compliance problem at one of our wastewater treatment works, a site-specific plan is drawn up which sets down the actions and deadlines that will be taken. Performance against that plan is monitored regularly. It should be noted that most breaches of consent conditions rarely have an impact on the environment, and any impacts that do occur are normally temporary.