Clean Water Watch
A regular column to update readers on the damaging effects of the current management of water in Hastings, surrounding areas (and nationally) and what people are doing about it. If you have any information, please contact [email protected] marked Clean Water Watch.
WORDS OR DEEDS FROM SOUTHERN WATER
As if to underline the PR nature of Southern Water’s drop-in at the Stade, Saturday 12 October, Your Water Matters, it was quickly followed by a yet another massive leak in Bulverthythe. Cllr Maya Evans posted on Facebook, 18 October: “There’s currently several inches of sewage and an overwhelming stench.” Clean Water Action Group posted in their WhatsApp group: “86 tankers have been ordered. And more rain is forecast tonight.”
More rain indeed, and on 27 October there was a deluge, flooding the centre of town for the second time this year (see front page report). To add insult to injury, the report into January’s flood has only just been published – completed in the absence of significant documentation that Southern Water was unable to locate. Sounds familiar? (You can read Paul McLaughlin’s analysis of the report on page 2)
HOW DID WE GET HERE
On page 16, an opinion piece, Water Woes, provides a useful context for unacceptable situation in the water industry, particularly focussing on where all the money goes.
OLD ROAR GILL
Miriam Lengliné of Sewage Contamination Group (SCG) recently reported the sad death of Rusty the dog who had entered the Gill back in May – around the time or the spill which led to the start of community action. Although we cannot be sure of the cause, Miriam posted: “For months we’ve been saying that there might have been dead dogs for years, months, without their owners knowing what happened!” And apparently clear warning signs for dog owners and others have still not been placed in the Gill.
In the meantime, there have been reports of a more activity around Old Roar Gill (before the flooding). Because of leaks? To avoid leaks? Who knows?
CLEAN WATER ACTION GROUP CROWDFUNDS FOR TESTING
In the absence of appropriate action by those in charge, CWAG is raising money to do it themselves As they say on the Crowdfunder: “The Environment Agency test the water in the ‘bathing season’ which is from 15th May to the end of September, but no one is monitoring the pollution in the months of October to April! People are still in the water, swimming, walking their dogs, paddleboarding, Kayaking and letting their children paddle year-round.”
To donate, go to crowdfunder.co.uk/p/test-the-water-clean-water-action-pollution-watch.
NEWS FROM OFWAT
The Guardian (26 October) reports that Ofwat has “raised a red flag” over the financial health of Southern Water (along with three other water companies) citing growing anger over “the industry’s record on services and pollution”. The regulator highlights Southern Water as a company needing to “shore up their long-term finances”. The privatised model is clearly broken.
CORRECTION
In Clean Water Watch 3 (20 September), we quoted an article by Julie Bygraves in Sussex Bylines, Money down the drain? The article explains how the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, used for setting utility prices via our bills, encourages water authorities to acquire a “steaming pile of debt”. We mistakenly reported that this model allows water companies to use their ‘public assets’ as collateral; in fact it is their ‘regulated assets’ they use as collateral. (What had been public assets were handed over to the water companies on privatisation.)
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