Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the announcement that the Government’s target to monitor every storm overflow across the water network in England has been reached.
On 30th December, the Environment Secretary confirmed that 100% of storm overflows across the water network in England have been fitted with Event Duration Monitors (EDMs), meeting the Government’s target to do so by the end of 2023.
Event Duration Monitors increase transparency by measuring how, when and for how long a storm overflow is in operation. This shows the public when discharges are happening, and helps the government and regulators to better hold water companies to account for illegal sewage spills and improve knowledge of overflow operation to identify where improvements can be made.
In 2010, just 7% of storm overflows had monitors fitted. Since then, the government has driven an increase in monitoring, with 100% oversight of overflows now achieved. This delivers on commitments in the Government's Plan for Water which sets out plans for more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement in the water sector.
Storm overflows are an automatic safety valve that release excess pressure on the network from flooding and heavy rain, preventing sewage backing up into properties and stopping widespread mains pipe bursts across the country.
The completion of storm overflow monitoring is a major step forward in better protecting our precious waterways, as well as the communities and wildlife that rely on them. The data collected from these monitors will increase transparency, reveal the worst-offending overflows, and enable regulators to hold polluters to account.
Full details of the Government’s announcement may be found here.
