SOUTH West Water published their draft Drainage and Wastewater Management Plan this month, in an effort to meet new government targets on pollution by 2040.

The plan is a response to the Government’s published timetable of improvements for the water industry. 

This states that by 2050 all companies must meet the specific targets for ecological harm, bathing waters, and shellfish areas and that all storm overflows would be reduced to no more than 10 spills per annum. 

Should they meet their 2040 target, the utility company will have met their legislative obligations a decade earlier than required. Recently, water companies such as South West Water faced criticism for their pollution record and extensive use of storm overflows.

John Halsall, COO of South West Water, said: ‘We have listened to our customers and stakeholders and this is another example of how serious we are about reducing our use of storm overflows and investing responsibly to reduce our impact on the environment. We want our customers to have a water company they are proud of, and this is one of many steps we are taking to help rebuild trust, over time by taking action.’