We are calling on Thames Water to provide clear explanations for sewer overflows and to reveal its plans for solving them.
Too much rain causes the sewer to discharge. The best option is to create lots of small gardens to stop the rain overwhelming the network. This will help reverse all the green spaces that have been paved over  across London (22 times the size of Hyde Park).
The Government and Thames Water say they want to prioritise ‘nature based solutions’. The Government made them develop Action Plans for all their sewer overflows. Of the solutions proposed for the worst sewers just one will use green infrastructure rather than concrete storage tanks.
We need to know that the water company has developed a green option, as it claimed it would.
Sewer overflows in Wealdstone Brook

 

Dear Thames Water,

As you will know the Daintry Road/Close sewer overflow (CANM.0233) discharged to the Wealdstone Brook  14 times in 2023, 11 times in 2022, 70 times in 2021 and 119 times in 2020. Wealdstone Brook is a river located in Northwest London, which runs through Woodcock park in Kenton. It has struggled with pollution for decades which has been recorded by London Waterkeeper and local residents.

Citing the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 I would like to request the following information:

1) In a previous reply to London Waterkeeper you said hydraulic capacity was the reason for the high number of discharges at sites like this, what percentage at Daintry Close are caused by rain? 2) When do you expect to complete an aesthetics Impact Assessment score for the overflow; an Invertebrate impact score for the overflow; a water quality impact score for the overflow? 3) In a previous reply to London Waterkeeper you said that a natural drainage or SuDS option had been developed for this site and costs look to be too costly, but you are exploring all options. When do you expect to have finished this process? 4) Ofwat has now said you can’t have all the money you want for investment, will this delay improvements at this site?

The above information will help us understand how sewer overflows are being managed in the Wealdstone Brook as is flows through Woodcock Park. Transparency is fundamental to this process. Electronic answers to the above questions are fine.

Yours faithfully,

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