Southern Water unveils plan to slash use of storm overflows

Southern Water has unveiled plans to slash the amount of effluent being discharged into rivers and coastal waters across the region.

The company wants to cut the use of storm overflows, which capture both rainwater and wastewater.

The emergency outlets aim to stop homes and communities flooding when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed by large volumes of rain or groundwater entering the network.

Southern Water wants to reduce the amount of sewage being discharged into rivers and coastal waters (Image: Martini archive)

Phase one of the Southern Water scheme will see about £700m spent on protecting bathing waters and environmentally sensitive sites.

Some of the £105m earmarked for Southampton and the New Forest will be invested in nature-based solutions, including water butts to collect rainwater.

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Other proposals include 4,800 sustainable drainage systems for schools, businesses, and care homes, 1,600 roadside rain gardens and tree pits to slow rainwater run-off, and ten hectares of new wetland.

Water butts supplied to homes on the Isle of Wight have already cut the number of spills from one outfall by 70 per cent.

Southern Water wants to reduce the amount of sewage being discharged into rivers and coastal waters (Image: Newsquest.)

Southern Water says almost half the 1,000 storm overflows in the region are already hitting the government's 2050 targets, releasing ten times or less a year. The company wants to see the figure rise to 100 per cent by 2050.    

A company spokesperson said: "We face tough choices in striking a balance between environmental protection and minimising the impact on bills for customers.

"Although customers will notice the impact reflected in their bills, the average water bill is one of the lowest household bills.

"Some of the work will take a long time but we are committed to investing the time and expertise to go as quickly as possible."

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Southern Water's chief executive, Lawrence Gosden, added: "We take our impact on the environment seriously.

"We have a long-term strategy to 2050 that will restore and protect our regions’ rivers and coastal habitats and a large part of that will be to get to the root cause of storm overflows. 

“We cannot simply switch storm overflows off.

"But by slowing the flow of rainwater going into the combined sewer, whilst increasing the capacity of our network, we can reduce their use.”  

“We are calling on our customers and local authorities to work with us and adopt solutions like water butts or sustainable drainage systems, to channel rainwater safely and slowly back into the environment."