The Government’s work to clean up our waters is gathering pace.
Today the Environment Secretary announced a new Plan for Water, which will build on the actions it has already taken with more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement.
• £1.6 billion of new, accelerated investment by water companies, to spend on new infrastructure to tackle pollution
• Unlimited penalties for polluting companies
• New powers for the Environment Agency to impose fines on water companies that spill sewage
• A new Water Restoration Fund, using money from penalties to support local groups and catchment projects like re-meandering rivers and restoring habitats
• An extra £34 million for farmers to tackle water pollution, with an additional £10 million for farm reservoirs and irrigation.
• Banning wet wipes containing plastic, which cause blockages in our sewers and pollute our water
Full text of the Plan for Water can be found HERE
Ofwat are proposing to approve 31 schemes for acceleration, valued at around £500 million over the 2023-2025. They have also identified a further 37 schemes, with a potential £376 million of investment in the 2023-25 period, and £1.5 billion in total by 2030.
South West Water’s proposed investments total c£130 million, the second highest of all water companies in the country. Within this, there are four priority areas. I am pleased to confirm that the River Camel is one of them.
South West Water will be improving river water quality by building nutrient removal systems at several locations. This will contribute to enhancing the ecological habitat in and around the River Camel.
Their total investment for the River Camel area includes £7.3 million by 2025, with a total of £17.5 million by 2030.
The proposal for the River Camel consists of three projects at the following sites:
- Bodmin Nanstallon Waste Water Treatment Works
- Camelford Waste Water Treatment Works
- Scarletts Well Waste Water Treatment Works
In terms of delivery, these works are planned to start over 2023-2025 to see benefits from 2025, with full advantage by 2030.
