Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water fined for £250,000 sewage pollution
Natural Resources Wales took enforcement action after a broken sewer line discharged raw sewage into a reen and salt marsh near Magor, Monmouthshire between 24th January 2023 and 11th January 2024
The area of salt marsh falls within the several protected sites - a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), RAMSAR and Special Protection Area (SPA).
Officers from Natural Resources Wales were first called to the site, near the sea wall at Magor, on January 24 2023.
A section of the south east coast sewer line was found to have ruptured, discharging sewage into an area known as 'back ditch".
Although repairs were made to pipe, NRW officers were called to further incidents at the site in March and May 2023, and also on January 2024.
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was been fined £90,000 for the the Gwent levels incidents, and a further £160,000 for an incident on a tributary of the Afon Llwyd at Herberts Wood, Pontnewynydd.
In the latter incident, in February 2023, the source was a spillage from a foul sewer chamber.
An NRW spokesperson said the sewage was visible over ground and throughout approximately 400m of the tributary.
At Newport Magistrates Court, the company was also ordered to pay costs and a surcharge of £18,320.77.
'For over a year, our officers recorded a pattern of recurring sewage pollution incidents in the same area, impacting a highly protected habitat which is rich in plants and wildlife, including Saltmarsh" said John Rock, NRW Operations Manager for South Wast Wales
'Time and again we were assured that the necessary repairs had been made, yet the pollution persisted.
'As well as causing considerable harm to the local environment, we found Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water's response to the incidents to be inadequate. Communication was at times poor, and there were unnecessary delays to their incident response procedures such as pumping and tankering away the pollution, which could have lessened the impact.
A spokesperson for Welsh Water said it "pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity"
"At Herberts Wood, Pontypool, the incident occurred because of the damage to our sewer pipe caused by root ingress.
"We manage a vast sewage network that spans over 36,000km of sewers and regrettably unexpected issues such as this can arise and it's not possible to foresee theme all. The repair was hindered as we had to work around a vast wooded area and the need to preserve the trees. This meant the sewer had to be diverted, prolonging the incident."
"The second issue was on the South East Coastal Sewer. We have been experiencing repeat issues with this sewer in recent years with the only viable solution being to replace it."
"However, the estimated cost of £80 million has meant that it has not previously been possible to complete the work within our maintenance budget."
"We have now, with support of NRW, secured permission from Ofwat to raise funds to address the issue."
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