A busted flush
Green Eye , Issue 1558 WITH concerns over looming shortages of sewage treatment chemicals, the overstretched Environment Agency (EA) issued guidance last month, telling water companies that if they ran out they could break their permit conditions over discharging effluent, without fear of enforcement action.

The agency published a regulatory position statement, "Supply chain failure RPS B2", saying that if wastewater treatment sites can't get hold of chemicals because of "the UK's new relationship with the EU", coronavirus or other supply chain failures such as treatment chemical suppliers going bust, they can simply get written permission from the EA to discharge without using the treatment.

Untreated sewage
Following a legal challenge from campaigners pointing out that the EA can't simply decide for itself that illegally dumping untreated sewage is now legal, the agency slightly backtracked, promising to alter RPS B2 to include a note that it doesn't change companies' legal obligations and only "allows for a relaxation of enforcement response" if and when discharges of incompletely treated sewage do happen.

Southern Water received a record £90m fine in the summer for deliberately dumping raw sewage into the sea in thousands of incidents between 2010 and 2015.

A statement from industry body Water UK revealed that there was disruption to the supply of ferric sulphate because of the HGV driver shortage – with plenty available in the UK to buy, but difficulty getting it delivered to treatment plants. Ferric sulphate is used at more than 600 of England's wastewater treatment sites to remove phosphorus, which can have a devastating effect on river life if discharged along with wastewater.

Extra pollution
RPS B2 also uncovered the fact that the EA is encouraging water companies to prioritise treating water for release into England's cleanest rivers, those already rated good or "category C", saying it needs to ensure that the most sensitive sites are protected. But that means any extra pollution is heading for rivers that are already struggling.

Fish Legal, a not-for-profit campaigning law firm funded by the Anglers' Trust, has obtained and published the risk assessment list of watercourses considered to fall into "category A" by water companies and thus at most risk of having incompletely treated sewage dumped in them. This lengthy list includes everything from brooks and streams to several major rivers and the English Channel.

"It is a revelation that these rivers are considered to be less important and Fish Legal are encouraging its members to continue to take action if their river is being deprioritised for environmental protection," said a spokesperson