Local residents, swimmers, and environmental activists turned up in wetsuits and swimming gear to a question-and-answer session on raw sewage discharges with a South West Water boss at an Exmouth Town Council meeting yesterday evening (Monday 17 October).

The stunt comes after closures of Exmouth beach for bathing in August and September this year.

Untreated sewage is often discharged into the sea after heavy rain from 'storm overflows' to prevent sewers flooding on land. There are several such storm overflows in the local area, including one off Maer Rocks near Exmouth Lifeboat Station.

SWW boss answers questions 

Environmental action group Friends of the Earth Exeter, Tidelines, and the newly formed ESCAPE (End Sewage Convoys and Pollution Exmouth) group attended the question-and-answer session with South West Water Operations Director Iain Vosper, alongside other local residents.

L: South West Water Operations Director Iain Vosper, centre. R: Activists, local residents and swimmers at Exmouth Town Council meeting (Nub News/ Will Goddard)

Questions asked included the upgrading of the pollution alert systems, the total hours of discharges, and when Exmouth would see upgrades to the sewer system to help prevent future discharges.

How much raw sewage has been discharged at Exmouth beach?

The SWW boss was asked to confirm the number of hours raw sewage had been discharged at one particular storm overflow (off Maer Rocks near Exmouth Lifeboat Station) which were recorded as 882 hours in 2020 and 1,128 hours in 2021.

Mr Vosper said: "The information quoted is indeed correct. Information for this year, 2022, shows significant reductions in the number of... spills at this storm overflow, at 10 October that number of spills was 12 for a duration of 93 hours."

Upgrading pollution alert systems

Iain Vosper was asked about the current pollution alert systems, and when a "real-time 24/7 direct link" could be established.

In response he said that there were two types of alert system: 'pollution risk forecasts' from the Environment Agency, and SWW's own 'BeachLive' warning system.

The EA forecasts operate between 1 May and 30 September, are issued once a day between 8.30am and 9am, and do "not mean a spill is occurring or a pollution, just that there is a risk to water quality". The warnings are sent to Surfers Against Sewage (for its app) and East Devon District Council.

SWW's BeachLive system operates all year round and uses monitors on the storm overflows. It sends warnings via email to the EA, Surfers Against Sewage and to East Devon District Council "when there has been a significant overflow".

Mr Vosper added: "SWW is working on a trial with the RNLI... in Newquay on an electronic sign [on which you] can see both the Environment Agency's pollution risk forecast and SWW's BeachLive data."

Was there a discharge in August?

Cllr Mike Rosser (Green, Exmouth Littleham) asked whether statements from SWW about sewage discharges could be believed after uncertainty over whether sewage was discharged in August.

Mr Vosper said that there had been a 14-minute discharge on 15 August, but no more after that.

He went on to say that the Environment Agency issued subsequent pollution risk forecast warnings due to rainfall, but these were unrelated.

He added: "As the Surfers Against Sewage app does not differentiate between the source of the warning... and maintains combined sewer overflow warnings for 48 hours after the CSO warning has been issued, despite tidal exchange and dispersion of any discharge, or SWW's withdraw advice, the SAS app warning remained in place until 19 August at 8.55am when the EA PRF warning was changed.

"As a consequence the BBC was and remains inaccurate. We are very disappointed... with the inaccurate and misleading coverage."

Manhole covers "blow off" on Maer nature reserve 

Councillors asked whether SWW would commit to preventing raw sewage discharges onto land at the Maer nature reserve when manhole covers "blow off" due to high pressure.

Mr Vosper said: "There are some short-term mitigation measures we can take to try and prevent any escapes from those manholes.

"One of the things we can look at doing is bolting down manhole covers...[but this may] impact the network in another place.

"What we are doing is including some sewer-level depth monitors so we get an early warning that something might be going on so we can arrange tankering to prevent pollution and escapes, whilst in parallel we're looking at a long-term engineering solution.

"I think the proposed overall improvements that we're looking at with additional pumping to the Maer Lane sewage treatment works, will also significantly reduce the likelihood of this occurring."

Will SWW upgrade Exmouth sewer network to help prevent raw sewage discharges?

Cllr Mike Rosser (Green, Exmouth Littleham) asked when Exmouth might get upgrades to its sewer network to help prevent future discharges as at Dawlish, which recently had a stormwater storage tank installed.

Mr Vosper said: "We're not going to build enough storage to get us out of this anywhere in the UK. There may be times when storage is simply the answer but it would involve building huge tanks at huge cost, that water has then got to be treated. 

"We need a different solution, a blend of solutions, additional storage, additional processing capability at wastewater treatment works, sewer separation and sustainable drainage solutions.

"In Exmouth, we're waiting for Environment Agency approval with a scheme that paves the way for expansion to our Maer Lane sewage treatment works. If agreed by the EA, the current scheme would increase flows at the sewage treatment works. 

"These improvements would include significantly improving the capacity of the Maer Lane sewage treatment works, which would reduce the storm spills from sewage treatment storm tanks to 10 per year."

Could SWW use a storm overflow at Sandy Bay away from Exmouth beach?

It was asked how feasible it would be for SWW to use a storm overflow off Straight Point at Sandy Bay, which is further out to sea than the one off Maer Rocks near Exmouth Lifeboat Station.

Mr Vosper said: "This is what we are planning. The proposed increase in flows from Phear Park and Maer Road sewage pumping stations to Maer Lane wastewater treatment works will reduce operation of the combined sewer overflows related to these assets and thereby protect bathing water quality at Exmouth beach. 

"Any changes in the operation of sewage pumping stations discharges from Exmouth Maer Lane wastewater treatment works to Straight Point will be subject to permit reviews from the Environment Agency.

"It is part of the expansion we're looking at by March 2025."

Concerns over more houses meaning more sewage discharges

It was also asked when SWW would commit to expanding incrementally its sewer pumping and storm tank capacity so that the system can "cope operationally with each added new [housing] development."

Mr Vosper said: "Whilst [SWW] is consulted on any proposed developments, any advice we provide does not have to be followed.

"SWW does assess asset capacity as part of any proposed development and can seek to delay a development where capacity upgrades may be required.

"Given this, there is a legal right to connect to a public sewer. Consequently, SWW cannot refuse connection."

Sewage tankers 

Concerns over the number of HGVs transporting sewage on roads in Exmouth to SWW's Maer Lane Sewage Treatment Works were also raised.

Mr Vosper said: "Maer Lane is a strategic sludge centre for the treatment of sewage sludge and this is a practice that is not due to stop and is critical in our operation.

"The loads into the site have increased in 2021 largely due to the improvement works required at Kilmington and Countess Wear sludge reception centres.

"Countess Wear is now complete and receiving loads, there have been some further delays [at Kilmington], however we will soon be in a place to receive sludge loads there again."

To find out when raw sewage discharges happen in the local area, you can download charity Surfers Against Sewage's Safer Seas Services app.

You can also find data relating to raw sewage discharges on The Rivers Trust interactive map.