It has been revealed that sewage was illegally spilled into Powys waterways for over 150 days after Welsh Water confirmed it had been doing so for years.
The company confirmed dozens of Welsh Water treatment plants have been illegally spilling untreated sewage for years after being presented with analysis undertaken by mathematician and former University College London Professor Peter Hammond, from campaign group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution.
In his findings, which he shared online, it shows that in Powys there were 151 days of sewage being illegally released into the water from 2018 to 2022 – an average of over one month of every year.
These dumps were at two sites in Builth Wells into the River Wye and in Brecon into the River Usk.
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These rivers have already been the site of much controversy due to their pollution levels, usually sourcing from agricultural waste, causing algae blooms in the river lowering the oxygen levels which has in turn damaged the eco system.
After requesting data on 11 Welsh treatment plants, Prof Hammond found that 10 had been releasing untreated sewage in breach of their permits.
A plant is allowed to discharge untreated sewage in order to ensure it does not become overwhelmed during heavy rain.
However, it is not allowed to release any before it reaches the overflow level stipulated on its permit.
Steve Wilson, managing director for wastewater services at Welsh Water, told the BBC: “We’re not proud of this at all.
“It’s a very uncomfortable position to be in – but it’s not for the want of trying. We have been trying to fix this.”
The company confirmed that between 40 and 50 of its wastewater treatment plants are currently operating in breach of their permits.
The worst offender found in the research was in Cardigan which illegally spilled untreated sewage for a cumulative total of 1,146 days, which Professor Hammond described as “the worst sewage works I’ve come across in terms of illegal discharges”.
A Welsh Water spokeswoman said: “We have a long-standing record of being open and transparent in relation to our environmental performance.
“We have applied this approach to compliance with our treatment works permits and have always raised any areas of non-compliance with our regulator, Natural Resources Wales, as soon as they are identified.
“We have extensive monitoring arrangements, amongst the most extensive in the sector, which we use to monitor our sites.
“Each site presents its own and sometimes very complex challenges, with NRW reviewing the information we provide, agreeing appropriate timescales for resolving the issues, and taking enforcement action where appropriate.
“We always aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible, to limit any impact for both the environment and our customers.”
Politicians are calling for a review of Welsh Water and called for tougher action against sewage dumping.
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