Special Feature
Scottish Water highlights the issues with
‘flushable’ wetwipes Commenting on news that Water UK has asked the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards to look into the labelling of disposable wet wipes as flushable, Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
easily.
"This can lead to flooding of homes, gardens and businesses, as well as pollution of beaches or rivers. And it's also costly for a business which aims to keep customer charges as low as possible - we spend around £6 million a year tackling this problem.
"The reality is that wet wipes can cause flooding misery for householders and real damage to Scotland's environment.
"On average, Scottish Water responds to 80 blockages each day which are a direct result of inappropriate items like wet wipes being flushed down toilets.
"Together with items such as cotton buds, nappies and oil or grease from cooking products, these combine to create a blockage of material that doesn't break down
"That's why we are supportive of action which can help reduce the scale of this problem - such as highlighting the issue and working with manufacturers and other organisations with a role to play. Scottish Water, along with 230 other companies in 17 countries, has signed a joint statement on flushability of wet wipes and a call for clearer labelling on products. We also support Water UK contacting trading standards to look into the issue of labelling further.
"Our Keep the Cycle Moving campaign, meanwhile, highlights simple steps people can take to help play their part - such as binning all wipes instead of flushing them. This is a message we have been taking into communities around Scotland, including manning stalls in supermarkets to provide information to customers."
Call for Government to clarify SuDS
role in future flood prevention A new report, that attempts to provide a roadmap for flood prevention in the UK, has been described as a ‘direct challenge’ to the Government’s existing policy on sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS).
The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s (EFRA) report, titled Future Flood Prevention, highlights the role that SuDS systems can perform as part of catchment management in preventing flooding, but criticises current implementation and the lack of understanding amongst key stakeholders of the role that SuDS can play.
Specifically, the report calls for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to respond to the report by February 2017 and set out how SuDS are to be implemented in the UK. Currently, measures in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, specifically Schedule 3 that calls for SuDS Approval Bodies that will approve all new drainage systems for new and redeveloped sites, remain non-implemented.
According to the EFRA report, a number of witnesses expressed strong concerns about problems with planning requirements for SuDs in new developments, which ‘lack teeth’. Specifically, the committee was told that fewer than 15 per cent of planning applications in flood risk areas included SUDs measures.
Dr David Smoker of ACO Water Management
commented: “In effect the EFRA committee is directly challenging the Government to clarify the process of SuDS implementation, specifically what it intends to do if Schedule 3 remains non-implemented. Currently, we have a situation where there is no approval body or oversight of SuDS schemes, which inevitably leads to some poor designs, poor implementation and an increased risk of flooding. We need much greater clarity about the Government’s intentions in regard to Schedule 3 or a clear idea of what alternative measures it intends to adopt.”
Dr David Smoker
Dr Smoker also welcomed the committee’s focus on calling for water and sewage companies (WaSCs) to become statutory consultees on planning applications, encouraging them to take a wider role in local drainage, potentially leading to their adoption of SuDS schemes.
“The current situation is that there is little or no incentive for the WaSCs to adopt and, crucially, maintain SuDS. If we can incentivise water companies to take a wider role in local drainage, including the management of SuDS we will have a much more joined-up solution.”
He concluded: “The EFRA report is a very important step, because it is a strong recommendation coming from an important Government committee and not from an outside body. Opinion is clearly building that SuDS can play an integral role in flood risk mitigation and making them mandatory is the way forward.”
28 drain TRADER | December 2016 |
www.draintraderltd.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
