This item will be in the form of a question and answer session with representatives from Anglian water.
Minutes:
Members received a presentation giving an overview of Anglian Waters (AW) work and development by representatives of Anglian Water, Grant Tuffs and Gavin Naylor.
Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows
· Councillor Woollard asked which places in Fenland have the biggest problem with storm overflow and when will the problems be fixed? Gavin Naylor responded the storm overflows happen across Aws network because there are combined flows, with the highest number of spills AW see is at sewage treatment works, because they are draining the whole catchment area and a high volume of water collect there, with these areas being in Chatteris, Manea and March. Grant Tuffs added that in some problem areas like Barkers Lane in March some of the issues are due to bad connections and old pipework which are being investigated.
· Councillor Hay asked would AW expect the spills in the second part of the year, which tends to be colder and wetter, to be a higher number and if so, have AW got a more up to date figure to share? Gavin Naylor responded that AW do hold figures up to the end of October and verify the data on a monthly basis with the number of spills showing as 125 on the presentation and because of the dry weather there has not been any more spills since the summer and if this does happen it is treated with the upmost importance with an investigation and root cause.
· Councillor Barber made the point regarding overflows and road flooding, specifically in Leverington, there seems to be some confusion over the responsibility of AW and highways, and asked if they could explain the difference? Gavin Naylor confirmed that there are combined systems in place that take on surface and foul sewage, and highways do have their own drains with their own separate systems which they are responsible for maintaining. Grant Tuffs added that with highways the misconnections mentioned, could be a surface water highways misconnection into the AW foul system, which makes this a muli-agency approach dealing with flooding. He continued AW work with highways to disconnect those wrong connections of surface water into AW’s network which then exacerbates the flood issue which is where working with councils, parishes and the Environment Agency come into play to put plans in place to avoid other floods elsewhere. Gavin Naylor confirmed that an internal team has been set up to deal with these issues as they arrive.
· Councillor Mrs Davis stated that AW are planning on spending £1 billon fixing overflow problems, and that AW are planning to reduce spills by 17% by 2030 but would like to know what that relates to in real data, and is this realistic? Gavin Naylor responded the data used is held over several years in terms of overflows and the number of spills so the base line figures used make those assessments. He continued in terms of the funding, there are several storm overflows and sewage work that are part of the business plan, which have been identified through investigations and there is every confidence that this target will be achieved. Gavin Naylor continued the areas which are the worst offenders will be prioritised for the funding, with the plans in place and AW is convinced that this will be achieved, which is part of the business plan. He added that part of the solution will include screen fittings to the overflows to stop the un-flushables. storage tanks will be replaced and additional ones installed for the more nature-based solutions and there will also be plans to install additional treatment capacity which will give an additional environmental benefit.
· Councillor Mrs Davis asked how much of FDC’s sewer system is worn out and how is this affecting the problems people are seeing? Grant Tuffs responded there are over 70,000 kilometres of sewers in AW’s region, which has an aging infrastructure with much of it being Victorian, and there is a big maintenance plan in place to repair and improve that network over time and since becoming a private company there has not been the investment in the past that AW would have liked to have seen, as a result of this bills are going up so more can be invested into the repairs of the older systems sooner including investment on both sides of clean water and waste water. He added that there are teams on the ground responding to issues as they are reported, 50,000 monitors have been installed across the whole of the AW region helping monitoring in real time the performance of the networks, and providing data which allow the team to be proactive in terms of responding to issues and also giving an indication to where the trouble spots are so a plan can be formulated and a fix can happen or a prevention plan can be added.
· Councillor Booth stated that it has been pointed out in the media that AW were using no flow results to pass the fact that there was no pollution, has this practice been stopped or is it still happening? Gavin Naylor responded the programme that was talked about on the media was in regard of the regular monitoring of the treatment works and to monitor the quality of the treated water that goes out which works on a batch system, and it was a sample of this that was missed which was reported but has been rescheduled for a different time. Councillor Booth asked if this practice has now been stopped because he believed it was suggested it was going to be stopped in the new water bill? Grant Tuffs responded that in the process of treating sewage AW need time and what AW are working on is monitoring the flow properly and Environmental Health have access to the sites and do monitor and inspect the sites regularly. He extended an invitation to the committee to visit the water treatment centres to see how the process works.
· Councillor Booth stated he would like to understand why the system is not scheduled better so samples do not get missed. Gavin Naylor responded that part of the reason is the way the sampling system is operated and designed.
· Councillor Foice-Beard asked how AW were advertising and educating customers on the new ‘Just Bin It’ campaign and by what routes? Grant Tuffs responded that bin lorries have had posters put on them, education sessions have been held at schools and colleges, plus adverts on radio and on social media, but stated any further help and support from the Council would be greatly received. Gavin Naylor added that there have been some in person events held too in town centres and supermarkets to raise awareness with the focus being to target the hot spots and the worst areas from the data AW hold. Councillor Foice-Beard complimented them on the in-person activities as she feels this is important and stated that if there has not been an in-person activity in the Fenland area lately, she would recommend one. Grant Tuffs stated he would take this up with head office and arrange some dates.
· Councillor Hicks asked, when talking earlier about most of the overflow water is rainwater, most if not all, and what is the percentage of the other parts and figures? Grant Tuffs confirmed that 95% is rainwater. Gavin Naylor added that a lot of sewage works have storm tanks, and these store the first flush of rainfall and the first flush of contaminants, which is then returned to the treatment centre after the rainfall stops.
· Councillor Hicks asked how many contaminant parts per million is in the drinking water and what is the national accepted average for the public to drink safe water? Gavin Naylor stated that the tests for the drinking water is of a very high standard and all levels of contaminants are taken out, with AW being the cleanest water in Europe.
· Councillor Foice-Beard asked is there much communication between AW and companies or manufacturers around the ‘Just Bin It’ campaign as there are a lot of adverts encouraging the public to use flushable wipes and as consumers they will do as they are told. Grant Tuffs agreed that just because it says flushable on the packet does not mean that it does not cause the water company issues as these sit in the sewers and cause problems hence this is why the campaign is called ‘Just Bin It’, AW are not telling consumers to not buy wipes etc but just not to flush them down the toilet and the water companies are working with manufacturers to make some changes.
· Councillor Booth stated that a few years ago in partnership with Anglia College there was an open day which he attended and was very well attended, would there be any chance of this happening again in the future? Grant Tuffs stated that this is something he will take away and feedback.
· Councillor Mrs Davis asked if AW do not get all the funding they want from OFWAT, which FDC projects would be pushed back or cancelled first? Grant Tuffs replied that they could not answer this question as they did not know what the outcome will be, but all the funding received is on a priority basis and ultimately what is in the business plan AW would want to deliver in the five years stated if possible.
· Councillor Booth stated that he asked a question last year concerning villages south and west of Wisbech where some work had been carried out and it was discovered that there were more pipes that needed work, and questioned whether this work is included within that five-year plan? Grant Tuffs replied there is a map with information on all the pipes that are going to be replaced over the next five-year period which equates to 61,8696 metres of pipes being replaced, with 13 million pounds worth of investment on those water mains replacement over the next five years.
· Councillor Barber asked what concerns have residents raised and what are they going to change to reflect that? Grant Tuffs stated that the consultation remains open until the 10 December, but from the questions asked and concerns shown so far it is items like construction materials being moved onto site and from this AW are looking to bring some of the aggregates in via rail, the visitor centres has been another discussion point where one was originally planned but there are now two planned after customer feedback.
· Councillor Mrs Davis stated in terms of Stonea and Manea and moving
construction materials along the fen roads, which are not in the best condition, has AW been in talks with Highways at Cambridgeshire County Council, because some of the roads used will need to be drastically improved. Grant Tuffs responded that before any work is carried out AW do work with Highways to carry out a highways survey to help assess the condition of the roads before starting anything and agree to put the roads back as they are now or make improvements as the project moves on.
· Councillor Mrs Davis asked how will AW ensure that the reservoir benefits the environment and does not just replace what they will damage during construction? Grant Tuffs answered that biodiversity net gain is very much a feature of the reservoir and AW have to improve the environment that they are affecting which is a statutory part of the DCO process to ensure the environment is left in a better position than before AW arrived. He continued the reservoir will include wetlands, walks, visitors’ amenities and public access points but will also be protecting the environment.
· Councillor Foice-Beard asked where will the contractors working for the reservoir be housed, and is there any indication of numbers and how this increase in population will impact local services such as doctors surgeries and hospitals? Grant Tuffs replied that AW will be looking at local supply chains once the plans reach the design and delivery stage, as of yet there are no numbers to share regarding construction workers, but AW will be looking at temporary accommodation in the local area and different ways of travelling to and from the accommodation with maybe a shared bus service etc. Councillor Foice-Beard asked if AW will be keeping in contact with the local authorities as the project progresses? Grant Tuffs answered that the community liaison team will be working with local community groups and there will be lots of public drop-in days and information sessions to keep the public up-to date on all stages of the project.
· Councillor Mrs Davis stated that many members of the community are worried that their water bills will be going up to pay for the reservoir, and asked how AW are planning on protecting people who are already struggling to pay their bills? Grant Tuffs responded that all AW customers will be paying for the reservoir and not just the residents in Fenland. He continued that AW have many schemes in place to help people if they are struggling to pay the bills. Gavin Naylor added if anyone is struggling to pay their bill, they can ring in and talk to the contact centre and they will be able to help. Councillor Mrs Davis suggested that a flyer goes out to rural villages to let residents know that there is a help line for them to call as not everyone is on social media. Grant Tuffs stated that from April onwards there is a campaign reminding residents of the water bill rises and the help line number will be with this information.
· Councillor Barber asked about the Barton Road situation in Wisbech as this is an ongoing issue Grant Tuffs replied there is regular weekly updated information on AW’s website including video footage specifically about Barton Road with extra information being shared with MP Steve Barclay and local councillors. Councillor Barber asked if councillors could get updated via email. Grant Tuffs replies that AW are encouraging people to self- serve and use the website to keep up-dated with what is going on as this is a long project and will not be finished until March 2026
Members noted the information provided.