Hosted by CIWEM

Event description

Sewage pollution from storm overflows in sewers has become a headline environmental and social water quality issue. A wide range of factors influence how frequently they spill. And a wide range of actions are needed to reduce that frequency. By looking beyond the obvious, we can maximise the benefits of actions and make them as cost-effective to deliver as possible.

As Defra is consulting on its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, CIWEM is launching the findings of stakeholder research and systems mapping to highlight where action should be taken to get the best outcomes in reducing pollution from storm overflows.

This webinar will present why we need to look beyond just water companies to achieve lasting improvements on sewage pollution and set out the findings and recommendations of CIWEM’s work. This consulted a wide range of water professionals, NGOs and local and national government, agencies and regulators and involved systems-thinking and mapping specialists from Imperial College London to understand the system of pressures on sewerage infrastructure.

The findings set out where additional action – tapping into related areas of activity, investment and policy – can supplement the measures set out by Government to tackle the issue, and get more bang for our buck.

With speakers from CIWEM, Imperial College London, The Rivers Trust and Stantec this 90-minute event will explore what we need to do and who needs to act, how that can give us not just cleaner, healthier rivers but greener, more climate resilient places to live, how long it might realistically take and how much it might cost.

Part of the CIWEM Pollution digital series.