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Drainage plans fall short on storm overflows and ambition, Ofwat finds

by Karma Loveday

Ofwat will give wastewater companies an extra two months to work on their final Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs) to address shortcomings it identified in the draft plans they submitted in summer.


In a letter to chief executives, senior director for company performance and price reviews, Aileen Armstrong, identified four principal concerns.


• “Company plans on storm overflows are lacking. All or part of the UK government's storm overflow targets have not been included in the DWMPs for English water companies. In Wales, company plans lack evidence that the right options are being proposed to reduce the harm from storm overflow spills.”


• "There is insufficient convincing evidence presented in plans to demonstrate that the proposed investment needs are the right ones for the long-term, and costs and benefits of solutions are not fully developed or evidenced, particularly where schemes have the ability to deliver multiple benefits for customers and the environment.”


• “There is a lack of ambition in plans particularly regarding improvements that can be made from base expenditure, such as plans having a strong focus on risks that can be reduced through better asset management and optimisation of existing networks. Ambition is also lacking in proposing and prioritising nature-based solutions or surface water separation options. This is despite these being key considerations in the Water UK technical framework, and explicitly stated in the guiding principles and the storm overflow reduction plan.”


• “There is a lack of focus and maturity in the development of partnerships with other risk management authorities or third parties which are key to maximising benefits that can be delivered within catchments.”

An Ofwat spokesperson said: “This summer has underlined how important it is for companies to step up and improve their performance. These plans are a chance for them to address some of the key challenges the sector is facing, including storm overflow spills, pollution incidents and sewer flooding. Unfortunately, the draft plans companies have submitted fall short of our expectations and don't show the ambition needed to deliver the change required. Companies need to step up and deliver final plans that show they understand the scale of the challenge, and demonstrate they have the will to deliver for customers and the environment.”


The final DWMPs, which look out 25 years, will now be due at the end of May 2023 rather than in March 2023, if companies request the extension.

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