Agenda item

Councillors Wallace and Power addressed the Committee on this item.

In summary, Councillor Wallace made reference to the following points:

·       Welcomed the update report from the Environment Agency and appreciated their honesty with the issues. He queried why Southern Water had not provided a similar written report following the question and answer session that took place at the last committee meeting in March. Their response provided as circulated with the minutes did not address all the points raised and the commitment’s they made during the meeting.

·       The Environment Agency report continued to highlight issues with water  quality – outlining that the chemical status for all water bodies in Winchester district was failing and that ground water was of poor quality.

·       The fine to Southern Water referred to in the update covered the period of discharges between 2010 and 2015 and the number of spills is significantly greater now than it was at the beginning of the last decade.

·       He made reference to the £54bn debt of water and sewage companies since they were sold off to the private sector which had not been spent to improve the water services. £66bn has been paid in dividends to shareholders. He stated that 20% of current water bills now pay off the interest payments on this debt.

·       The significant failure of governance demonstrated by the current system.

·       The motion on waterways passed by Council last year is a positive step, particularly in Planning, but the council need to look at this at a local level to see what else can be done to improve the district’s waterways.

In summary, Councillor Power made reference to the following points:

·       Stated that she had recently attended a visit to the Alresford wastewater treatment plant with Southern Water representatives in attendance. Water engineers and a river keeper so the variety of questions asked was extensive.

·       With regard to the phosphate stripper for the smaller wastewater treatment plants – an update was provided at the visit that it would not be known if this would be installed or not until early in 2027 and if it was to be installed, this would not take place until 2030 and would not significantly reduce the level of nutrients in the water.

·       Reference was made to Watercress and Winterbournes ‘Septic Smart’ project and the use and management of septic tanks and run off which make a positive contribution to phosphate levels.

·       Suggested that further work around water quality, following the motion to Council in 2022, be added to the work programme for the committee going forward and requested that the Salmon and Trout Conservation (Wildfish) and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust be invited to attend and address the meeting at a future date.

·       In conclusion, Councillor Power urged the committee to visit the LEAF exemplary farm at Northington Down during an open day if they had the opportunity to do so.

The Strategic Director addressed the committee and referred to the motion passed by Council in December 2022 to request that the committee invite senior representatives from Southern Water, Environment Agency, Salmon and Trout Conservation, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Natural England to attend and allow for a better understanding of the current levels of pollution  and remedial action being taken in this regard, and publish its conclusions to inform the local community action groups.

It was reported that Southern Water and Natural England had attended the last meeting and the follow up response from Southern Water had been circulated with this agenda pack. In addition, it was noted that invitations had been issued but no response had been received from the Salmon and Trout Conservation or Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and a written contribution had been received from the Environment Agency in response to the motion which had bene circulated with the agenda. The Environment Agency had advised they were unable to resource attendance at local council meetings in person.

The committee sought clarification from the Environment Agency on the following points: 

(i)    The five classes referred to in the Environment Agency update and the quantification of what phrases such as ‘good’ and ‘moderate’ etc mean?

(ii)   What are the Environment Agency’s plans to penalise Southern Water over the last eight-year period of discharges?

At the conclusion of debate, the committee expressed their dissatisfaction with the poor response provided by Southern Water following the recent outages and their attendance at the last meeting with the ongoing water quality, discharges and spillage issues experienced.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the committee request that representatives of the various bodies, as set out above, attend a future meeting to demonstrate the positive work taking place to remedy existing water quality issues; and

2.    That the written update provided by the Environment Agency be received, and the comments raised by the committee, as summarised above, be noted.