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  • Agenda item
  • Agenda item

    Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans - Presentation by Max Tant

    Minutes:

    (1)       Mr Tant gave a presentation.  The accompanying slides are contained within the electronic papers on the KCC website.

     

    (2)       Mr Tant said that the water companies were now required under their latest business plan to prepare Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans during their next Asset Management cycles.    “Drainage” referred to the system of pipes and drainage stations that drained water in a sewage undertaker’s area of control. “Wastewater” referred to the plant and process that happened at the Wastewater Treatment Work up to the point where the wastewater was discharged into the environment. 

     

    (3)       Mr Tant continued that all planning for drainage and wastewater, including replacement and upgrade of pipes, pumping station overhauls, and refurbishment of Wastewater Treatment Works was made on a 5-year statutory business planning cycle.   These Plans were submitted for approval to OFWAT and the EA.  There were, however, many challenges. The long-term capacity for new development needed to be understood and catered for, the implications of Climate Change needed to be assessed, together with discharges into the natural environment.   Furthermore, due to their 5-year nature, these Plans did not provide certainty to Local Authorities when they planned for housing and industrial development.

     

    (4)       The water industry had an obligation to produce 25-year plans for water resources, but no corresponding duty for drainage and wastewater.  The Government, National Infrastructure Commission and Environment Agency had all strongly urged the water industry to provide more long-term plans.   In response, the water industry had brought together many organisations with responsibilities for different aspects of drainage and flooding in order to produce a new framework for long term drainage and wastewater planning.  This Framework had been published in Summer 2019 and had now been built into the business plans of every water company in England and Wales.  It was expected that this process would become statutory in the future.

     

    (5)       Mr Tant then said that Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans were undertaken over three levels.  Level 3 was the most local, considering the catchment of Wastewater Treatment Works, including the network areas that supplied it.  This could also include surface water.   Level 2 involved the aggregation of Level 3 units into a larger unit such as a river basin.  Level 1 was for the whole of the water company’s sewerage area.  Dividing the Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans into these three levels enabled different authorities to engage with the water companies at whichever level was the most appropriate. 

     

    (6)       Mr Tant went on to describe the Drainage and Waste Management Plan process, which all of the Level 3 catchments were part of.  This process was divided into four tiers, the first of which was risk-based screening in terms of 23 published set criteria, all of which had to be met.   The second tier was the baseline risk assessment and vulnerability assessment which involved a more comprehensive investigation of the issues, usually involving some form of modelling.  The next tiers were problem characterisation and options development.  

     

    (7)       Mr Tant said that the intention was for the water companies to develop their Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans collaboratively with partners on various areas such as flooding, planning and water quality.   This process would give other organisations the opportunity to work with the water companies to ensure that their needs were incorporated into drainage and wastewater management planning.   A wide range of organisations would benefit from this approach. These included the Lead Local Flood Authorities, Planning Authorities, Highways Authorities, Environmental NGOs, Catchment Improvement Groups, Rivers Trusts, Local Wildlife Trusts and the Environment Agency. 

     

    (8)       Mr Tant moved on to consideration of the ways in which the process could benefit other stakeholders.  It would enable effective planning and support for economic growth and resilient communities and for protection and enhancement of the environment.  It would facilitate better partnership working and the  collaborative creation of solutions;  it would provide multiple benefits to achieving best value to the economy, society and the environment over the long term; and it would provide a long term and robust  idea of what the wastewater and drainage structure was going to be.

     

    (9)       Mr Tant then informed the Committee that Southern Water the primary sewage undertaker in Kent was planning to undertake Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans on river basins in their Level 2 areas (The Medway, North Kent, the Stour and the Rother) starting in April 2020 and completing them in 2022.  Flood Risk Management Plans and River Basin Management Plans were being developed at the same time.

     

    (10)     Mr Tant concluded by saying that the Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans would examine total lifetime costs of infrastructure investments rather than concentrating purely on the capital expenditure costs.

     

    (11)     Mr Bowles said that he was impressed by the amount of officer time and effort that was going into the production of Plans and Strategies. He added that there was a risk that there would be insufficient resources left over to actually put them into practice. 

     

    (12)     Mr Chittenden said that most of the problems arose in villages such as Staplehurst, Headcorn and Marden in situations where water did not simply drain away. He asked whether the Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans would deal with how sewage was to be removed or simply be limited to issues of water quality.  Mr Tant replied that the Plans would look at everything to do with the drainage and wastewater system from the point where the rain was collected until it was discharged into the environment. They would look at capacity, flood history, potential new development, population growth, climate change, pollution incidents, and combined sewer overflows. If any of these issues was identified as a problem, the catchment would be looked at in greater detail.  The water companies were regulated industries who had to get agreement from OFWAT for their general strategy. This could include being asked to cut back on projects in order to reduce costs.  Negotiations between OFWAT and the water companies could take lengthy periods.  The latest round of negotiations had been particularly long.  The Plans would have the benefit of informing the business planning process, which would provide more evidence as to what projects would be undertaken.   In addition, OFWAT had now broadened the range of outcomes that drainage should achieve. Historically, the water companies had been asked to concentrate purely on internal flooding to properties.  This had now been increased to incorporate external flooding and extreme flooding events. 

     

    (13)     Mr Chittenden then asked whether OFWAT would enforce against targets.  Mr Tant replied that OFWAT was very strict on business plans. Southern Water had made several submissions and OFWAT had ordered their revision.  It was unclear at present  how Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans were going to be regulated.   The process was being scrutinised by the Government, OFWAT, the Environment Agency and the National Infrastructure Commission who would make it very clear if they were not satisfied.

     

    (14)     RESOLVED that the report be noted and that an update on progress be submitted to the Committee in 2020.

     

    Supporting documents: