A proposed £1.2bn scheme to recycle effluent from the sewage system and turn it in to drinking water has been criticised as a threat to the environment and a potential costly “white elephant”.
Southern Water wants to treat effluent – wastewater from the sewage system – at a plant at Havant in Hampshire and pipe it into a nearby spring-fed reservoir to boost water supplies during droughts. The scheme would ensure less water is extracted from two rare chalk streams: the Rivers Test and Itchen.
It would be the first reservoir in the country to use recycled water derived from effluent to supplement its levels. Regulators says effluent recycling is successfully used overseas, providing plentiful and safe supplies, but campaigners say there are more environmentally friendly options.
That is what we do with all sewerage. It is basically the point of a sewage treatment plant. The very places that due to the water companies refusing to invest in them. But instead paying out huge dividends to share holders. Are now overloading and chucking shit into our rivers.
Yes we should build more of them. Yes we should be arempting new technologies.
But if the water co,panies after 40 plus tears have not invested in doing so.
We also should be taking them back into public hands before spending more money on them. Cos hell they are not capable of managing the money themselves.
Why would they do that when they can run the system into the ground and then rise the utility bill for capex because it is “missions critical”