As CEO of Southern Water, I’m committed to improving our environmental performance. We have a long-term strategy to restore and protect our regions’ rivers and coastal habitats and part of this will be to address storm overflows. 

I know you want to see the end to storm overflows, but it’s not that simple. They’re emergency outlets acting as the last line of defence to stop homes and communities flooding when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed by rain or groundwater – something we’re seeing more frequently due to climate change. 

We've got c.1,000 storm overflows in our region, and half are already meeting the Government’s 2050 targets, spilling less than ten times a year. We now have a plan to tackle the rest.  

Our new Clean Rivers and Seas Plan proposes a record £1.5 billion to address the root cause of storm overflows - combining nature-based solutions with infrastructure improvements. By 2035, 75% of our high priority overflows will be meeting the Government’s target, reducing spills by an average of 8,000 a year. This represents an 80% reduction in spills in bathing water and shellfish areas by 2035.  

Daily Echo: An example of a wetland that we will be looking to install in and around Southampton An example of a wetland that we will be looking to install in and around Southampton (Image: Southern Water Services)

The first phase of this plan will be delivered by 2030, focusing on priority areas such as shellfish and bathing waters, and environmentally sensitive sites in Southampton and the New Forest and on the Isle of Wight.

Southampton and the New Forest 

We’ve already upgraded our Wastewater Treatment Works at Woolston and Millbrook, and plan to invest £105 million more to optimise assets and introduce nature-based solutions in our communities. This includes around 5,000 household water butts and 4,800 sustainable drainage systems in local businesses, schools and care homes, 1,600 sustainable roadside rain gardens and tree pits to redirect and slow rainwater run-off, and 10 hectares of new wetland to reduce the amount of groundwater entering the system. 

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is home to one of our regional pathfinder projects, set up to pilot ‘slow the flow’ solutions. Building on this work, including a successful water butt roll-out in Havenstreet which cut releases from a storm overflow by 70 per cent, the plan will allocate £230 million to the island’s sewage network, and install 11,000 more customer water butts and 9,000 sustainable drainage systems for local businesses, schools and care homes. We will also improve drainage on 550 driveways and install 3,100 sustainable roadside rain gardens and tree pits to redirect and slow run-off from entering the sewer.

Daily Echo: Example of sustainable drainage paving Example of sustainable drainage paving (Image: Southern Water Services)

We can't navigate this transformation alone. We need our customers and local authorities to work with us. We face tough choices and must strike a balance between delivering what our customers want and minimising impact on their bills. That’s why we’re asking customers to feedback on our plans. Together we can build a sustainable water future.   

Lawrence Gosden 

Southern Water Chief Executive Officer 

Find out more about our Clean Rivers and Seas Plan and share your feedback southernwater.co.uk/water-for-life/clean-rivers-and-seas-plan/map