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Stop water course pollution by water companies

Stop water course pollution by water companies


Postby Alteknacker » Thu Oct 14, 2021 12:39 pm

The pollution of water courses by both legal and illegal discharges by water companies affects all of us, especially those of us that love the countryside. We have the worst water quality in Europe, and many of us believe we shouldn't tolerate it.

If you are of this view, you might want to consider signing the (non-political) petition on the link below, which relates to discharges in the Lake District

https://uk.mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/77848?.intl=uk&.lang=en-GB
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby simon-b » Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:43 pm

I've already signed a petition relating to the discharge of sewage into Windermere.
It's ironic that the UK actually had higher legal requirements for water quality than those needed to join to EU. The UK's Public Analyst movement (now decimated by austerity) helped advise the Czech Republic on how to get their water quality up to standard to join the EU.
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby AyrshireAlps » Thu Oct 14, 2021 9:54 pm

Not just water companies either, farm run off is still ridiculous, my local wee burn is basically dead. SEPA tell me it's 'natural eutrification', the jokers.
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby CharlesT » Thu Oct 14, 2021 11:35 pm

AyrshireAlps wrote:Not just water companies either, farm run off is still ridiculous, my local wee burn is basically dead. SEPA tell me it's 'natural eutrification', the jokers.

The main culprits appear to be sewage treatment plants, which in my area account for 80% of phosphate pollution, farm runoff producing 20%. Getting farmers to be more aware of how to mitigate their effect on the streams in the catchment areas is going on, but the water companies are where the changes are required together with renewing ageing infrastructures.
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby dav2930 » Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:24 pm

Alteknacker wrote:The pollution of water courses by both legal and illegal discharges by water companies affects all of us, especially those of us that love the countryside. We have the worst water quality in Europe, and many of us believe we shouldn't tolerate it.

If you are of this view, you might want to consider signing the (non-political) petition on the link below, which relates to discharges in the Lake District

https://uk.mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/77848?.intl=uk&.lang=en-GB

Yes, I believe we shouldn't tolerate it too. Interesting that UK is one of the few countries in the developed world where water supply / treatment has been privatized. There's absolutely no excuse for these illegal discharges; they are criminal offences that should face the full force of the law.

Wasn't there a case recently where one of the big water companies - Southern Water I think - was successfully prosecuted by the Environment Agency? They were fined a record £90 million, I believe, for widespread pollution of rivers in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex - a total of 6971 unpermitted sewage discharges, which affected many businesses as well as having a devastating environmental impact. The judge - a Mr Justice Johnson (why does that sound like a contradiction in terms?) said that "It is necessary to sentence the company for the totality of the offences to which it has pleaded guilty. But even that does not reflect the defendant's criminality...because [of] it's previous persistent pollution of the environment over many years." And, importantly, he ruled that the fine was to be paid out of the company's profits, not by customers. Before this precedent, water companies probably thought they'd be able to pass on the costs of any fines to their customers!

As regards the petition, is there any way I can access it without having to sign up to Yahoo?
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby simon-b » Mon Oct 18, 2021 8:17 pm

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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby Alteknacker » Mon Oct 18, 2021 9:09 pm

simon-b wrote:https://chng.it/72qvYN7P
Try this, Dav


Seems to work for me!

PS Amendment 60 to the Environment Bill is being debated tomorrow in parliament. The Lords voted for it - it's an entirely non-partisan amendment, and seems only to be asking for something reasonable (that the water companies make progress towards reducing their polluting activities); but it appears that Conservative MPs will be whipped into voting against it!!

Really hard to understand. Don't they care about the state of the world they're leaving to their children??
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby dav2930 » Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:32 pm

simon-b wrote:https://chng.it/72qvYN7P
Try this, Dav

Thanks Simon - I've signed it now.
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby dav2930 » Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:44 pm

Alteknacker wrote:Don't they care about the state of the world they're leaving to their children??

When did they ever?
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby Glengavel » Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:12 am

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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby dav2930 » Sun Oct 31, 2021 10:53 am

I see the Tories have "U-turned" on their imbecilic vote against the prevention of sewage pollution by water companies. While our bills have increased by an average of £62 over the last 12 years, these companies have paid shareholders almost £17 billion in dividends over the same period. In that context, the Tories' argument that the cost of overhauling the "Victorian" sewage system would be prohibitive, really doesn't hold water (as it were). It was just a characteristic attempt to protect the interests (i.e. profits) of the large corporate pie in which no doubt most Tory MP's have their fingers. Fortunately, that attempt, almost unanimous as it was among Tory MP's, has failed. :D
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby WalkWithWallace » Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:07 pm

I remember British rivers were on the up not so long ago, getting cleaner and wildlife returning. Now it seems to be going backwards.

Argiculture has a lot to answer for too, for example the River Wye in Herefordshire is being polluted by poultry farm:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-58638370
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Re: Stop water course pollution by water companies

Postby Chris Henshall » Sat Nov 06, 2021 2:28 pm

...the UK is one of the few countries in the developed world where water supply / treatment has been privatized.

As (almost) any economist will now admit, privatised enterprises operating in a lightly regulated market are not the most effective means of maximising either high environmental standards or human welfare in either natural monopolies or public services providing for the vulnerable. Water supply is a natural monopoly - different enterprises competing to maximise shareholder dividends by managing the water supply in any given drainage basin is clearly a nonsense. The result is actually to incentivise cost-saving, pollution-generating mentalities and irresponsibility - as demonstrated by Southern Water's actions.
Signing the petition is the least of what we should be doing.
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