DŴR Cymru ordered to pay £24m after missing pollution targets

The main sewer out of Cynon Valley was constructed in the early 1930s and there don’t appear to be any major improvements planned for the Cynon Valley main sewer system. Still, the Rhondda Cynon Taf Council Planning Department keeps allowing more and more large developments. Dwr Cymru and Natural Resources Wales find no objection to building more houses knowing the existing drainage system is not fit for purpose. Dwr Cymru has provided information that 293 locations are at risk of sewer flooding at varying locations across the authority.

How clean is our river? Over development?Lack of new infrastructure?

https://theriverstrust.org/sewage-map

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1031898843509079/posts/there-is-sewage-being-discharged-into-the-river-cynon-adjacent-to-the-bridge-lea/8213138712051687/?paipv=0&eav=AfZP_qYGntHJbZPKlflvyZ6kxr_-DbphUfGYcllVJkanYJkoBCEn5QBGXpfmTwHRxBA&_rdr

Welsh Water’s penalty – up from £18.3m for the last financial year – is the fifth largest handed out by Ofwat this time around.

Another water company, Hafren Dyfrdwy, which covers parts of mid, north and south Wales, has been ordered to pay a penalty of £200,000.

In 2023, Dŵr Cymru released sewage into rivers, lakes and the sea around Wales for more than 916,000 hours – about 20% of all hours of discharges across Wales and England.

Responding to the news that Welsh Water has been ordered to pay a £24.1m underperformance penalty by industry regulator Ofwat, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Climate Change, said:

“It is important that politicians are straight with the public, so I can tell you now that there is no quick nor easy fix to this pollution crisis.

“Improvements will take time, detailed plans, and a considerable amount of money.

“The pollution crisis will continue and only be resolved when the infrastructure is updated. To do that Welsh Water need a huge amount of money. As such, how does giving the fine money to customers help address the issue? Surely, it would be more effectively used on infrastructure improvements schemes in Wales.”