A water provider was penalized with a fine of £330,000 for the release of untreated sewage into a Hampshire stream for a period of 20 hours, resulting in the death of approximately 2,000 fish, including brown trout.
Due to malfunctioning equipment at a pumping station, waste entered Shawford Lake Stream, located on the perimeter of the South Downs.
Despite receiving a warning in the Southern Water control room at around 7am, a team was not sent to address the issue until it was time for lunch.
The YMCA Fairthorne Manor, a popular outdoor activity center for school trips, was forced to suspend all water activities for a period of 10 days due to an incident. As a result, over 1,000 sessions had to be cancelled.
During the hearing at Southampton Magistrates Court, the Environment Agency reported that the stream had turned cloudy and that the levels of ammonia in the water were 25 times higher than the legal limit.
Investigators suspect that contaminated substances were being illegally released for a period of 5 to 20 hours. They also discovered pools of tainted water in nearby fields.
“The Environment Agency’s Dawn Theaker, who oversees the management of the environment in Hampshire, expressed disappointment in a water company’s negligence in responding to alarms and addressing issues at their facilities. This has resulted in uncontrolled sewage discharge into fields and a stream once again.”
According to Rebecca Vanstone, the prosecutor, a report was made to the court by a member of the public at 11:48am on July 21, 2019, stating that a sewer had burst and unfiltered sewage was contaminating the stream.
The judge was informed that the control room alarm was triggered at 7:18am. Vanstone stated, “It took nearly five hours for any action to be taken.” He added, “Southern Water claims they are unaware of the reason behind the delay.”
According to Vanstone, the death of brown trout, bullheads, brook lampreys, and sticklebacks occurred.
According to Dominic Kay KC from Southern Water, the company has expressed sincere regret and informed the court that significant changes have been implemented.
According to him, the mistake in the installation of a pump by a specialized subcontractor was the root cause. However, he acknowledged that the situation was made worse by not promptly responding to the alarm.
Judge Nicholas Wattam of the district stated that the nearby ecosystem was greatly impacted and resulted in the death of over 2,000 fish. He also deemed this to not be a minor occurrence.
Southern Water admitted to violating a provision of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations.
Richard Manning, the general counsel and company secretary, admitted that the incident was unacceptable.
The speaker stated that once they became aware of the incident, they promptly took measures to minimize its effects on the surrounding community. They also confirmed that they have fully complied with the Environment Agency’s investigation.
Source: theguardian.com
