National sewage overflow map now live
The National Storm Overflow Hub, launched by Water UK, provides real-time monitoring of sewage overflows
Having campaigned for real-time monitoring of sewage overflows, the Clean Water Sports Alliance, which includes British Rowing, welcomes the launch of the new,’national’ storm overflow map, published by the independent water industry trade body, Water UK.
The launch of the National Storm Overflow Hub marks a significant step forward in increasing transparency and giving a fuller picture of the scale of pollution being caused by the water sector.
View the National Storm Overflow Map
By bringing together discharge data from all water companies (across England), the map will enable water users and communities reliant on clean water, to understand when pollution is being dumped into their local river or sea. It will also give the regulators the ability to monitor overflow activity in near-real time, enabling data-driven interventions and enforcement.
British Rowing Sustainability Lead Rachel Dulai said, “Things are moving in the right direction, transparency is key to enabling our rowers to know what quality of water they’re rowing on. We look forward to working, as part of the Clean Water Sports Alliance, with Water UK over the next few months to develop the now coordinated national sewage overflow map.”
While the new map represents a significant step forward, the Clean Water Sports Alliance, alongside its partners at Surfers Against Sewage, believes that Water UK and the wider water sector must develop the platform further, to better protect public health.
For example, although the new national map will inform water users whether a sewage overflow is operating or not, it does not provide any context, volume data or a description of the impact or risk that these discharges will have on public health. In addition the map does not show historical data that would allow water users to understand the frequency of pollution in a particular location.
