Ofwat : water companies make progress in cutting leaks, but more to do on pollution, flooding and outages
Water companies have made progress towards meeting challenging targets set by the regulator to tackle issues such as leakage, but some companies’ environmental records are still not good enough, according to the latest annual assessment of water companies’ performance by Ofwat.
Environment Agency warns reduced funding is impacting its ability to deal with pollution incidents
The Environment Agency says that its attendance at pollution incidents is reducing as funding to deal with them has been reduced. The EA is warning that more serious pollution incidents are caused by activities it does not regulate and that “resources are needed to fund this work because one day one could be catastrophic.”
Ofwat consults on proposals for water company performance commitments in PR24
Ofwat has published a new discussion paper setting out its emerging proposals for performance commitments in PR24.
Ofwat Chief highlights failure of business retail market to deliver improvements in water efficiency, innovation and poor quality data
David Black, Interim Chief Executive at Ofwat has highlighted ongoing issues in the business retail market, including market frictions in terms of data quality and wholesaler performance, insufficient levels of innovation and failure of the market to deliver improvements to water efficiency.
Housing company fined £200,000 for polluting Huddersfield watercourse with silt
Miller Homes Ltd has been fined £200,000 for polluting a Huddersfield watercourse for more than 1km, after an investigation by the Environment Agency. The firm was previously fined £100,000 in 2016 for a similar offence in 2013 at the same site.
New report says sewage discharge notifications by water companies rose 87.6% in 2020/21
A new report by campaigning group Surfers Against Sewage has revealed that 5,517 sewage discharge notifications were issued by water companies over a 12-month period (01.10. 2020 to 30.09.2021) - an increase of 87.6%.
Wessex Water develops new strategy which will “revolutionise regulation” of the water sector
Wessex Water has published a new report setting out a new strategy developed in collaboration with Frontier Economics which it says will revolutionise regulation of the water industry.
Sewage discharge costs Thames Water £4m+ in court
Thames Water Utilities Ltd has been fined £4 million and ordered to pay the prosecution costs of £90,713 for discharging an estimated half a million litres of raw sewage into the Seacourt and Hinksey streams in Oxford on 24 and 25 July 2016.
Direct Procurement for Customers - Water Industry Forum outlines key factors for successful projects
Factors critical to the success of ‘Direct Procurement for Customers’ (DPC) projects have been published by the Water Industry Forum following a multi-stakeholder roundtable held by the Forum in September 2021.
Sewage works investigation widely welcomed but “frankly long overdue” - regulators criticised for failure to apologise
NGOs and MPs have welcomed the launch of the Environment Agency’s and Ofwat’s investigation into sewage treatment works – but criticised the regulators’ action as “long overdue” and for their failure to apologise for the long delay in taking action.
Water companies could face legal action after investigation launched into sewage discharges
The Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat have launched a major investigation into sewage treatment works, after new checks led to water companies admitting that they could be releasing unpermitted sewage discharges into rivers and watercourses.
Final in-period ODI determinations for 2020-21 - Ofwat confirms £67m to be repaid to customers
Ofwat has confirmed the payments due to companies or customers as a result of water company performance against their 2020-21 performance commitments. Overall, £67 million will be repaid to customers.
News Showcase
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BactoSense ID cuts wastewater and bathing water bacteria testing from days to minutes
Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing waters is now possible thanks to the BactoSense ID solution created by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies. -
ABB launches digital platform for optimizing operation of water networks
ABB has launched AquaMaster+™, a digital platform for smart water network management, designed to help water utilities monitor, analyze and manage their water networks, preventing pipeline water losses and optimizing operations. -
Safe access solutions a key requirement for water sector and other Critical Infrastructure Providers
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets. -
Albion Water appoints new Director of Business Development
Albion Water, the first NAV (New Appointment & Variation) to have been established in1999 and now under the ownership of SDS Water Group, has appointed Andy Holland as its new Director of Business Development.
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Watch
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Southern Water showcases last footage inside Yew Hill Reservoir before filling
Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water. -
Scottish Water completes £235m investment in two-way connection between drinking water networks
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply. -
United Utilities accelerates investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across Northwest
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
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