Sunday 21 December 2014

Technical Terms - discharges of Untreated Sewage are not pollution.

Its official. On December 12th in Carmarthenshire County Hall at the monthly full council meeting the representatives of the local water company- Welsh Water -Dwr Cymru  explained to us Councillors that we were wrong to be upset about numerous spills of untreated sewage into our local estuary. Its not pollution, its not harmful and it definitely has been proven that its not  killing  off the cockles and destroying our local shellfish industry. Neither is there a problem with the current prosecution of the UK  in the European Court for alleged breach of the EU Urban Waste Water Directive.  It is merely an evidence collecting exercise. The UK cannot possibly be guilty as it has many other similarly badly performing urban sewage treatment units, the problem is those pesky Europeans demanding ridiculous standards of water quality.

Sometimes, in smaller, less public meetings,  Welsh Water officers are a little more frank, admitting that there is a problem and there just isn't enough money to put it right. The filming of this meeting meant that openness  and transparency went out the window. Just a PR exercise. The planned improvements will successfully put everything right and the Council can build as many houses as we like because there isn't a problem with the sewage. 

We've heard it all before. And now we've heard it again. In North Wales at Llyn Padarn the same company, WWDC have admitted causing algal blooms by discharging sewage into the lake. Again, they are adamant that the decline of the lakes's rare fish is merely coincidental. We have the algal blooms too in our estuary. These can eat up all the oxygen from the water killing fish and cockles alike but apparently not in waters where WWDC discharge. Its a mystery as to what can be causing havoc in these ecosystems.

Another coincidence is that the lake and the estuary are both bodies of water which discharge slowly, the sewage discharges and algae hanging around for a long time. 

I wonder if WWDC is just waiting for a successful vote to leave at the probable EU exit referendum as a solution to these "unreasonable" EU environmental standards? Just in case, even though the prosecution is not really happening, they still plan digging up much of central Llanelli and Burry Port to improve sewage drainage which will cause quite considerable disruption to both towns. Otherwise, there is nothing to worry about.

Carmarthenshire County council have been recently severely criticised for their lack of honesty, openness and transparency. Dwr Cymru this month reassured the councillors that they are not alone in having plenty to hide.




 
The start of the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water presentation can be found at the link below :-
 
My question and subsequent reply can be found here:-
 


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