Wessex Water pledges billions towards tackling pollution
It's part of a deal with the Environment Agency
Local water supplier Wessex Water has pledged £4.2 billion towards tackling pollution and sewage discharges over the next five years.
A deal's been struck with the Environment Agency, through their Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), which sets out over 24,000 actions that all of the UK's water companies must take to meet their legal requirements for the environment.
Wessex Water's expected to invest including:
• £515m to reduce use of storm overflows by 17%
• reduce pollution incidents by 48% compared to 2023-24
• £820m to reduce phosphorus entering rivers from water company activities by 49%
• a sector-wide target to conserve and enhance biodiversity
• reduce its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 9%
• reduce leakage by 13%, household water use by 5% and business water use by 6%
The money due to be invested in the next five years is £1.6 billion more than they spent on the environment for 2020-25.
The agreed actions is also thought to lead to improvements in chalk streams - with restoration projects will take a step forward in the Dorset Frome catchment and the Hampshire Avon.
Phillip Ham, Area Environment Manager for Wessex, said:
“We take water for granted and assume the environment we enjoy today will simply be there waiting for future generations. That’s only possible by giving back wherever we can.
“Cutting how much water we take from some areas and investigating new sources are just some ways this necessary investment will leave nature fit for tomorrow.”
Steve Reed, Secretary of State for the Environment said:
“It is no secret that our water system needs fixing and that our rivers, lakes and seas are choked by pollution.
“Customers deserve the money they pay in bills to go towards improving the service they receive, and that is why the Government will ringfence money earmarked for investment, so it can only be spent on projects like these.
“We are also going further to fix our water system through the Water (Special Measures) Bill, by introducing new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bring criminal charges against lawbreakers.”