Minutes:
Mike Russell (Stakeholder Manager) and Angus Cramp (Delivery Lead for Clean Rivers and Seas Taskforce) were in attendance for this item.
1. The Clean rivers and Sea’s task force team presented the following:
a) The Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force was launched in 2021 with two staff, focused on reducing storm overflow releases, lowering flood risk, and improving the environment. In 2022, £7 million in advance funding supported the creation of Pathfinder projects. The Pathfinder projects would act as a testbed across different catchments to trial innovative approaches and inform future investment.
b) The 2025 business plan period had begun, and water companies operate in five-year cycles. Over the next decade, the Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force would look to invest £1.5 billion in environmental improvements as part of the storm overflow reduction plan. The team had grown from two members in 2021 to 60 and continued to expand rapidly. Collaboration was key and delivering improvements required working closely with local District authorities, Kent County Council, and other partners to maximize impact.
c) Highlighted the two different separated sewer systems that were employed throughout the county. The discussed systems encompassed the foul system (home waste) and the surface water line (roads and runoff). Surface water lines it was revealed did not require any further external treatment works.
d) To tackle storm overflow releases, the focus would be on building resilient infrastructure that could cope with increasing extreme weather events and heavy rainfall. Urban development had reduced permeable land and led to more rainwater entering sewer networks instead of natural storage areas and had increased overflow risks. Addressing the issue required innovative solutions, stakeholder scrutiny, and collaboration under the Government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan (SORD). Each catchment area would be assessed individually to identify opportunities for improvement.
e) This included assessing assets for investment, fixing illegal or incorrect connections and installing sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) on homes, businesses, schools, and public highways. These measures, alongside the Storm Overflow Reduction Plan, will form the basis of Kent’s five-year strategy to improve resilience and protect water quality.
f) Storm overflow reduction in Kent involved significant investment and regulatory targets. Of 68 overflows that were scheduled for improvement by 2035, 57 would be addressed within the next five years, with 27 requiring SuDS. These projects aimed to meet government targets of reducing storm overflow releases to no more than 10 per year by 2027 to 2030. It was pinpointed that these targets represented a major collaborative effort and opportunity for environmental improvement.
g) Current work focused on areas meeting regulatory triggers. The encompassed the areas of Faversham, Herne Bay, Queensborough, Sittingbourne, and Whitstable due to their designation as shellfish waters, environmentally sensitive sites, or bathing water areas. This prioritization was based on government targets and not local preference. The Environment Agency emphasized the importance of partnership with Kent County Council to deliver improvements effectively.
h) Highway SuDS would be a key opportunity for storm overflow reduction. By converting unused ‘grey’ highway areas into features like swales, tree pits, and other sustainable drainage systems, surface water would be absorbed before entering sewer networks. This approach reduced flood risk, improved water quality, and supported the wider Storm Overflow Reduction Plan for Kent.
i) An example of successful collaboration is the Margate SuDS scheme delivered with Kent County Council, where EA funded the project and KCC carried out the work. The scheme required extensive communication with local authorities and residents and demonstrates how grey highway areas can be transformed into sustainable drainage features to reduce surface water entering sewer networks.
j) Mr Cramp discussed the Pathfinders project works that had taken place with KCC assistance and highlighted how successful the application had been. Improvements to Whitstable library sustainable drainage were also presented in depth.
k) The use and implementation of AI solutions were also noted and the implementation into Tankerton Circus, Whitstable had a spill reduction to be predicted at 20%. Improvement to Thanet Way drainage and rerouted surface lines were also addressed.
l) Presenters closed out the presentation listing the numerous current and future projects throughout the county and staff would be happy to return to the Committee or show in person members the catchment areas so they can observe the work currently undertook.
2. Members asked the following:
a) The Cabinet Member for the Environment discussed the Margate SuDS project and highlighted its success as a cost-effective and collaborative endeavour that had been delivered through partnership between the Environment Agency and Kent County Council. It demonstrated how sustainable drainage could address major flood and runoff challenges while staying on budget and on time.
b) While significant progress had been made with schemes such as the Whitstable Library SuDS, The Committee was informed that the ultimate goal remained compliance with regulatory targets, specifically the reduction of storm overflow releases to an average of no more than 10 spills per outfall per year by 2027. Continued collaboration and investment would be essential to meet this commitment.
c) Members raised concerns about the scale of recent storm overflow incidents, such as a 25-hour overflow spill at Swalecliffe, Whitstable in October and questioned the Environment Agency’s level of engagement with local planning authorities. In addition, with significant housing development increased and climate change impacts, the Committee stressed the need for closer integration of expertise in planning processes to ensure infrastructure resilience and compliance with regulatory targets.
d) The Environment Agency acknowledged the challenge and confirmed that storm overflow reductions had been driven by regulatory requirements and not voluntary action. Engagement with local planning authorities is managed by the Future Growth Team, which worked closely on local plans and provided data to inform development decisions.
e) Whilst conversations had occurred regularly, the agency acknowledged the need for greater transparency and suggested that, at a future session of the Committee, they return to demonstrate how planning and infrastructure considerations were integrated.
f) Members recalled that a previous Committee meeting had set a target of reducing overflow discharges by 80% by 2030. The Environment Agency confirmed that progress will be reported regularly, with updates on average storm overflow release.
g) Failure to meet targets would result in penalties and fines for water companies and reinforced the importance of compliance and transparency. On the subject of the 80% reduction reported three years previously, the EA would look to bring backs for further clarification.
h) Members referenced the Dane Court School SuDS scheme in Margate and questioned whether similar approaches could be applied to schools in Tonbridge. Concerns were raised regarding funding to future?proof buildings and mitigate local flooding impacts, with emphasis on the need for investment and collaboration to extend successful models to other areas.
i) Presenters confirmed that the Agency works with the Department for Education to secure funding for school?based SuDS schemes. They noted that recent changes to funding criteria have excluded some schools but expressed hope that Tonbridge will be included in future plans if installations achieve measurable reductions in storm overflow releases.
RESOLVED to note the Southern Water presentation