2023 Storm Overflow Performance Data Released: Save Windermere slams disgusting extent of untreated sewage in England’s largest lake
On 27 March 2024, the Environment Agency released the annual summary of storm spilling figures for 2023.
Save Windermere has calculated that over 8,787 hours [equivalent to 366 full 24-hour days] of untreated sewage was discharged into the Windermere catchment in 2023 from the 7 sites United Utilities reports from.
Since 2020, when this monitoring methodology was introduced, over 27,786 hours [equivalent to 1,158 days] of untreated sewage has been spilled in the catchment.
Nationally, more than 4m hours of raw sewage discharges poured into rivers and seas last year, a 129% increase on the previous 12 months, whilst total discharges increased by 59% to 477,972, making 2023 the worst year for sewage spills.
Save Windermere demands that United Utilities release real time spill data moving forward, as is provided by Thames Water.
Save Windermere demands the Urban Wastewater Directive law is reflected in EA permits in the catchment.
Save Windermere deems United Utilities’ proposed investment is inadequate to address the ongoing and historic damage they cause to the lake’s ecology.
The Save Windermere campaign believes that the staggering 2023 EDM data reflects United Utilities’ prioritisation of profit over environmental protection within the Lake District National Park and UNESCO World Heritage site. Today's release of data adds to the 18,900+ spilling hours seen between 2020-2022, bringing the current total to 27,786 hours of untreated sewage spilled in the Windermere catchment in the years 2020-2023.
The campaign asserts that the Environment Agency (EA) has permitted extensive sewage spillage due to lax regulations in the Windermere catchment, where storm spilling is allowed to occur with minimal thresholds. Despite pressure from Save Windermere, the EA has failed to incorporate the law set out in the 1991 Urban Wastewater Directive, which states that storm spilling is only allowed to occur in exceptional circumstances – affirmed by the European Commission in 2012 during legal proceedings against the UK government. Currently, in the catchment, the EA is permitting spilling after just 0.25mm [1/4 of a mm] of rain.
Following pressure from Save Windermere, the EA states that they are reviewing all permits in the Windermere catchment, but when questioned on how they are defining an exceptional rainfall event in the revised permits, the EA has yet failed to answer. If this is not incorporated into the new permits, then the EA is ignoring this long-standing law.
United Utilities' lack of transparency regarding infrastructure composition and spilling causes exacerbates the problem, hindering efforts to address the true impact on Windermere and public health. National data reveals that the majority of spills are attributed to capacity constraints (79.4%) rather than exceptional circumstances (1.3%) and a report commissioned by United Utilities dispelled misconceptions about the role of Victorian infrastructure in storm spilling, demonstrating that less than 12% of the current UK infrastructure was put in place in the Victorian period.
Sewage Fungus at Hawkshead Pumping Station CSO
United Utilities has failed to disclose publicly the extent to which the sewage system in Windermere is combined, or the proportion of spilling attributed to groundwater infiltration into decaying infrastructure or capacity limitations. Nonetheless, evidence provided by Professor Hammond of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution has uncovered instances of illegal spilling, primarily due to capacity constraints, in various locations within the Windermere catchment. Instances of illegal spilling have been documented at Grasmere, Ambleside, Near Sawrey, Hawkshead Pumping Station, and Glebe Road Pumping Station as recently as 2022. This evidence raises questions about the adequacy of investment in Windermere infrastructure and whether the burden of bringing these sites into compliance should be borne by the bill-payer. Save Windermere has reached out to OFWAT regarding this matter and is waiting for their response.
United Utilities' persistent lack of transparency is impeding efforts to accurately assess their impact on Windermere and the associated risks to public health. Last week’s legal proceedings against United Utilities further underscore the severity of the issue, with allegations of underreporting sewage discharges and breaches of competition law.
Despite committing to the release of a real-time map by the end of April 2023 to illustrate spilling incidents, this tool remains unavailable to the public. This stands in contrast to Thames Water, which has already produced a similar interactive map for the areas it serves.
Save Windermere is calling for the immediate implementation of a live spilling map, for permits in the catchment to be updated to reflect the Urban Wastewater Directive, for transparency of data, and for all current and historic investment required to bring sites up to compliance with permits not to fall on the bill-payer.
In the longer term, Save Windermere advocates for the complete elimination of all discharges into Windermere, drawing inspiration from successful initiatives in other waterbodies such as Lake Annecy in France and Lake Washington in America. The campaign challenges inflated figures presented by United Utilities to achieve complete removal in Windermere, citing a neighbouring project's completion at a fraction of the cost and timeframe. The 99km pipeline from Thirlmere Reservoir to the west coast of Cumbria took 7 years to complete at a cost of £300 million.
