Sewage was released into UK rivers long before there was a problem with heavy rains

An article in the Guardian depicted that raw sewage was released into UK waterways  over the last three years – before there were the heavy rains.

This strengthens our case for the alternative treatment of sewage before it gets to the lower reaches of the sewerage system.  When the heavy rains come the sewerage system can get overwhengineeringelmed, by the collective heavy rain, as the sewage reaches the treatment plants. But in this article it is shown that the water Companies are releasing sewage into the rivers without there being any heavy rain.

It is perfectly possible to do this if there was a will by the Water Companies to do this rather than pollute our rivers and waterways with raw sewage. But do they know how to do this?  We rather think they don’t as several Water Companies have been experimenting with composting sewage for some years but without much success.

Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/31/sewage-released-into-english-rivers-for-27m-hours-last-year-by-water-firms

The plan aims to eliminate 40% of raw sewage overflows into rivers by 2040. Untreated sewage and rainwater should only be released into rivers and coastal waters via storm overflow pipes in extreme weather to relieve pressure in the sewerage system. However, evidence over the last three years has shown water companies are routinely using the overflows to discharge untreated sewage rather than treating it.

the Independant: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/water-companies-sewage-drinking-water-trial-b2154421.html

Our point is that rather than trying to mess about turning sewage into drinking water, which MOST people do not like the idea of; if offered a choice (at an estimated cost of £56bn) it would be better to stop the incessant flow of sewage into the under capacitated sewage works of the UK. We at the Good Gardeners NGO and charity have the technology with which to do this and the cost would be a lot less than this estimated figure, of turning raw sewage into drinking waster, and we have proven results of the outcome as well.

So far the only response we have had from any authority we have written to on this is that ‘the sewage system becomes overwhelmed at times of heavy rain and thus the sewage has to be released into water courses to avoid overwhelming the sewage works.  BUT  this is clearly not the case.

The offers of Anaerobic digestion which results in a grossly inferior end product,  also takes more money than our technology which requires no water from the water industry to treat it. The current situation is backfiring at both ends, as the water required to flush all toilets in the UK uses piped drinking water with which to do this. This very feat of engineering is causing the water shortages  we have today.

Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer investigate

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001jw6p/paul-whitehouse-our-troubled-rivers-series-1-episode-1