UK Water, the body which represents all the UK water companies, has published a new report which highlights the need to ensure the nation’s sewerage systems are fit for purpose and looks at the added pressures it will need to withstand in the future.

Water UK is now seeking a wide range of stakeholder comment on The 21st Century Drainage Programme report, which looks at work to date since the establishment of a Programme Board following discussions in late 2014 between Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat and Water UK.

The Programme Board was formed to identify and deliver evidence-based research and other work, as required, to:

• support the development of resilient sewerage and drainage systems
• enable the affordable and practicable control of all releases from sewerage and drainage systems
• set out how, and at what cost, the UK will begin to address the various longer-term external pressures that the UK’s sewerage and drainage systems face.

Report is aimed at decision makers and opinion formers with a vested interest in UK drainage infrastructure

Introducing the Report, Water UK said it is aimed at decision makers and opinion formers “with a vested interest in the UK’s drainage infrastructure and its performance,” commenting:

“Research and robust information will be the foundation of this programme and we want it to be as transparent as possible. Even with the large group of people involved in the programme, this needs to be a wider conversation, and the aim of this document is to set out the past, the present, and the future of resilient drainage systems to facilitate that dialogue.”

The water industry body is also planning to share materials and other documents which will present a united position from the whole sector.

More than 40 organisations from across the UK – including governments, regulators, local authorities, environmental charities, academics and community groups – have now joined the 21st Century Drainage Programme initiative.

There are seven workstreams in the Programme - two pieces of work are due to report next year. One will develop a framework that more easily identifies the interventions that are needed to manage drainage capacity, while the other will produce a cost benefit analysis of the impact of combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Water UK said:

“Since the programme started, the political landscape has changed significantly. Those involved in the programme believe it is the right thing to do, irrespective of whether we are subject to wider European legislation, which is why we are seeking to identify the major risks for drainage in the future, and to provide options for policy makers based on sound research and evidence.”

Water UK said the programme has already generated a huge amount of work and debate within the industry, but it wants to make sure that as many people as possible have a say. Views are being sought in particular on the following two key questions in the report:

• Despite the Flood and Water Management Act, the sector has been criticised for still working in silos. How do we increase the pace of collaborative action across communities, stakeholders and those investing in infrastructure?
• How can we work together to make sure we can all understand the value of protecting our drainage systems?

Combined sewer overflows: the catalyst for collective action

Water UK said the catalyst for collective action were combined sewer overflows (CSOs) as well as the risk that frequent discharges could not only impact the environment, but would also lead to the UK failing to deliver the standards set out in the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.

The report says it had become “increasingly clear that investment in drainage infrastructure had struggled to keep pace with rapid housing development in some parts of the country” which would simply be exacerbated in the future by population growth and climate change.

According to Water UK, the water industry has already committed to invest £400 million in tackling combined sewer overflows by 2020. This includes installing thousands of monitors so that, by this date, over 70% of overflows in England and Wales will be monitored to measure when, and for how long, they operate. However, the water sector could not address the main drivers for change in isolation – with a complex landscape of ownership around sewers, highway drainage and flood protection infrastructure still in place.

Sewerage network lacks flexibility needed to adapt to changing climate, population & housing growth

The view of the 21st Century Programme Board is that a simplified system, with clear lines of control and standards that are better aligned, will be a great step forward in developing better drainage for the future.

While the sewerage network is performing well at the moment, the report says:

“We know already that it lacks the flexibility needed to adapt to the UK’s changing climate and a growing number of homes and people.”

“Coupled with more stringent environmental standards and new regulatory requirements, the effectiveness of these wastewater systems will inevitably come under greater strain in the future, with rising populations and the effects of climate change.”

“The fact that the infrastructure is failing suggests to a sometimes sceptical public that the water sector is not stepping up to the plate when it comes to thinking ahead. “

Increased partnership working and greater collaboration has to play a major role

Looking to the future, the report says that increased partnership working and greater collaboration has to play a major role in the long-term sustainability of sewerage and drainage services, flagging up a partnership between Northumbrian Water and South Tyneside Council as a successful example of how this works in practice.

The report describes a package of works in Jarrow carried out in phases, with Northumbrian Water delivering the sewer flooding work in advance of the Council’s surface water improvements. This meant that whilst the ‘sewer’ works were on site, the Council were able to develop their own project and secure funding for the surface water works to seamlessly follow. Using the same consultants and contractors for both phases of work also meant that there were no contractual hurdles to overcome.

The work of the Programme is organised into seven separate workstreams:

Workstream 1 – Communications and Engagement The report is described as “the start of the conversation about what we need to do together if we are to prevent more widespread and devastating floods and their impacts.”

Workstream 2 – Defining and managing drainage capacity This will define a best practice approach to utilisingdrainage capacity, both in dry and wet weather. It will also develop a framework that more easily identifies the interventions that are needed to manage drainage capacity

Workstream 3 – Addressing overflows that operate frequently This workstream will produce both a process and guidance that will utilise the event and duration monitoring data currently being installed at Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) to prioritise and address those overflows that spill frequently.

Workstream 4 – Sewer misuse Sewer misuse accounts for the majorityof flooding and water company pollutionincidents in the UK - the UK’s sewers are expected to cope with a range of waste material above and beyond just sewage and wastewater. This workstream will research solutions that can prevent non-sewage waste entering the sewers in the first place, and provide the evidence base to shape the best approach to dealing with these products and materials.

Workstream 5 – Groundwater inundation of drainage systems This is focussed on the need for greater understanding, acrossmultiple bodies, about the increasing risks from groundwater inundation of drainage systems –both private and public – in wet winters, which can then cause flooding.Taking into account recent rainfall patterns and climate change predictions, this will develop an appropriate industry standard to minimise groundwater inundation and manage theflood risk. It will also assess alternative sewer designs and seek the views of governments on allowing water and sewerage companies to be granted powers to make private drainage systems watertight, and recover the cost of this work.

Workstream 6 – Enablers to progress The Report says the UK’s drainage landscape is complex and so progress to make it more resilient can be hampered by social, regulatory, legal and financial issues. This workstream will identify and prioritise any obstacles to making drainage systems more resilient, and ensure they are able to meet the long term needs of customers and the environment.

Workstream 7 – Drainage infrastructure deterioration This workstream will produce evidence that demonstrates the rate at which drainage infrastructure deteriorates, and the impact that deterioration then has on customers and the environment.

Better understanding around the relationship between the condition of drainage networks, and how reliable and effective they are in delivering the service customers expect will allow the water sector to anticipate the impact of future challenges and develop robust and sustainable long term investment plans.

Commenting on workstream 7, the report says that data collection and analysis will be required to identify the current state of drainage infrastructure, and the anticipated rate of deterioration of assets and their performance. This will lead to an understanding of the underlying resilience of the network to present and future pressures.

According to the report, while much of the data is already available at individual company level, the workstream will collate the information so that a common understanding of the resilience of the sewer network is visible at a national level.

Water UK is now inviting comment on the report - either by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or on Twitter via the hashtag #21CDrainage

Click here to download the full report 

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