Latest news with #sewage
BBC News
3 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Neighbours raise concerns over planned Jersey sewage tank
Jersey's government has given the go-ahead for a large underground sewage and storm water storage tank on farmland in the west of the underground container is due take 18 months to complete, with work expected to start in and Environment, which is in charge of the project, said new homes could not be built and the existing waste and water system was at risk of failing without the expressed concern deep underground work could destabilise homes while noise and odours from the tank would be unpleasant. Duncan Berry, from Infrastructure and Environment, said: "This is a pinch point, and with climate change, and if we put more houses on, it means that is a point where we will get more flooding."If we get high flows during heavy rainfall, it will come out on to the roads [and] sewers will surcharge."It will ultimately mean that people cannot flush their toilets in the area."He said it was unlikely waste stored in the tank would cause unpleasant odours because it would be transferred to treatment works storage tank would not use the whole site and the rest of the field would be returned to local farmers, he added. Twenty residents co-signed a statement explaining why they were not happy with the plans. Guy Thompson said residents could have been better informed about what was planned."We understand that for the benefit of Jersey as a whole, these tanks need to go in places, but our argument as residents here is, why do they have to go in a field that is so close to people's houses?"They are going to have to drill down 25 to 30 metres deep in order to put these tanks in and, on top of that, they have not been able to show us exactly how it is going to look or what is going to happen."We do not really understand why it has been chosen here. "We really do not believe that other sites have been considered properly." 'Big concern' Carol Gay, whose home overlooks the site, said she was worried about what the development would involve."We are concerned about the fact it is going underground, 24 metres, if not more," she said."This is a big development that is quite a big concern."Not knowing how it is being built, who is building it or anything like that."I think we need to have a lot more input in this." Mr Berry said the sewerage and water system had suffered from significant underinvestment and, without the storage tank, affordable homes could not be Bridging Island Plan, which sets out how best to meet the island's housing needs, strengthen the economy and protect the environment, earmarked several fields in the west of the island to build between 217 and 277 affordable homes.
CBS News
10 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Wilkinsburg residents frustrated by massive hole left behind from home demolition
People in a Wilkinsburg neighborhood say they need someone to come and solve a smelly and ugly problem soon. A recent home demolition left a deep hole, creating a safety and sanitary issue. The problem is that the hole is filled with stagnant water, raw sewage and debris. It's been here for a couple of months, and people living in this Wilkinsburg neighborhood along Ross Avenue want to know why it hasn't been filled in. "It's sewage. You can smell it and you can see it. And you can see where some of the cones they had fell into the hole," resident Keith Jones said. Neighbors say the whole thing became an issue about eight weeks ago when a nearby home was demolished. "They knocked all of [the house] down, put half of the dirt in the truck, and left," resident Lynda Scott added. Since then, the hole turned into a deep puddle and an open sewage pit. "I felt like the devil himself came out of that hole. Nothing good is going to come from this," Scott said. Scott lives across the street from the mess, and Jones lives next door. "And we have kids in this neighborhood. Plenty of kids," Jones said. "I don't even like standing this close. We don't know what we're breathing in," Scott said. Scott says she's voiced her concerns to a bunch of people and agencies. "Every time I talked to someone, it was, 'Oh, it's the borough. Oh, it's the city.' I don't care if you put concrete there. Just fill it." Wilkinsburg code enforcement says they were supposed to and have capped the sewage line. Now, they're waiting for the Allegheny County Health Department's plumbing division to inspect it, and then they can fill it back in, and the problem will be solved. The big question is: when is that going to happen? Allegheny County officials told KDKA-TV that they are aware of the issue and understand residents' frustrations, and they will be addressing the problem. Scott, meanwhile, says she hopes it's sooner rather than later. "I will keep complaining. That's all I know to do," Scott said.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Talks to Administrators as Thames Nationalization Risk Grows
The UK has been talking to administrators about next steps for Thames Water as it intensifies preparations for a possible form of temporary nationalization, according to a person familiar with the government's plans. Environment Minister Steve Reed is rejecting calls from creditors for special treatment on sewage fines, setting the stage for a showdown which could end with plans to rescue the company falling apart.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Focus: As Thames Water fights for survival, crumbling assets show challenge ahead
TWICKENHAM, England, June 17 (Reuters) - Fifteen times a year, the sheer volume of waste water entering Thames Water's Mogden sewage works in southwest London overwhelms its 90-year-old concrete tanks, forcing the utility to pump excrement into the River Thames. Hidden by woodland, the plant illustrates the crisis at Thames, which supplies water and sewage services to 16 million customers in southern England. Loaded with debt after being privatised in 1989, the company is struggling to survive, let alone get to grips with the crumbling facilities in its care. U.S. private equity firm KKR this month walked away from a plan to inject 4 billion pounds ($5.4 billion) of equity, leaving Thames' fate in the hands of senior creditors now negotiating a rescue deal with water regulator Ofwat. The group including investment-grade lenders and hedge funds has offered to invest 5 billion pounds of new equity and debt and write off around 20% of the value of their existing debt, in return for a reset of the environmental and investment regime. Without a deal, the British government - already struggling with constrained public finances - may have to take control of a business that caused outrage by polluting waterways while paying dividends and bonuses to its previous owners and managers. The prospect Thames might collapse has unnerved investors and risks pushing up the cost of borrowing needed to upgrade electricity grids, transport and other UK infrastructure. But the rescue deal would bring its own costs, financial and political. Creditors say turning the company around will require leniency on some of the 1.4 billion pounds in pollution fines and penalties Thames Water expects from regulator Ofwat and the Environment Agency in this five-year cycle. "Time is running out," a senior creditor involved in the plan told Reuters, adding that Ofwat was now listening to their proposal after months of no engagement. "We're asking for a little bit of movement and we're there." The creditor, who spoke on condition of anonymity because talks are private, is one of more than 100 who hold more than 13 billion pounds ($17.7 billion) of Thames's 20 billion pounds of debt, and who are promising to invest in sites like Mogden. Dave Chowings, a Mogden plant manager, set out the scale of the challenge to Reuters on a recent visit. Pointing at storm tanks the size of Olympic swimming pools, he said: "All that concrete is 90 years old. It needs rebuilding." In months of due diligence, KKR visited plants like Mogden to assess how much money was needed to bring them up to scratch. Water industry consultant Martin Young said Ofwat faced a pivotal moment in finding a solution, after it was criticised for failing to prevent the pollution scandal. "If they don't move, then we do run the risk of being stuck in this doom loop. That's a doom loop for Thames, but also you can extend that out to the wider industry," he said. Ofwat said it had started a review of the senior creditors' submission, including their turnaround plans, approach to financial resilience and proposals for governance. "Our focus is on assessing whether the plans are realistic, deliverable and will bring substantial benefits for customers and the environment," a spokesperson said. The government pointed to a previous statement saying Thames was stable and it was carefully monitoring the situation. According to critics of water privatisation, the failings at Thames reflect decades of regulatory and political failure, with successive governments focused on keeping customer bills down rather than driving investment. And giving Thames Water the special treatment the creditor group is asking for on regulation would be politically toxic. Ash Smith from campaigning group Windrush Against Sewage Pollution said the terms being demanded by the creditors showed that nationalisation was the only answer. "Customers have had enough of owners who base their business model on being able to flout the law," he said. The 20% "haircut" proposed by the senior creditors has also enraged junior debt holders, who face being wiped out. Thames Water's 2040 bond is currently bid at 68.99 pence on the pound in scarce trading, according to Tradeweb data. Whoever takes over Thames will face a huge challenge. Mogden, which serves more than 2 million people across west and north London, has struggled to cope with population growth and storms associated with climate change. Thames has spent 100 million pounds at the site in five years and will spend the same amount over the next five. But four of its storm pumps were made in the 1930s by the company that built the Titanic, and it is getting harder to find people who know how to maintain them. "Historically, funding for our asset renewal has not been sufficient to offset the deterioration of our assets," Thames Water Chief Executive Chris Weston said in a letter to a committee of lawmakers on May 30. While customers want cleaner rivers, they say they should not have to pay out for the mismanagement of the company. "I believe water has been too cheap for too long but on the other hand I'm not prepared to pay for what we've already forked out for," said Thames Water customer Laura Reineke, 52, a charity worker. ($1 = 0.7362 pounds)
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Burst pipe repaired but Bruce Lee Reserve to stay shut for months due to Perth sewage spill
Parkland contaminated by human waste could be closed for months, as remediation works continue following sewage spills in Perth's southern suburbs. The problems began when a sewer pipe burst in Spearwood on June 6, with wastewater entering two homes, and the front yards of another four. The following day, Bruce Lee Reserve in Beaconsfield was flooded with sewage due to a pressure build-up when wastewater was diverted from the Spearwood site. Overflow incidents affected the Swan River in Applecross and Alfred Cove, with parts of South Fremantle and the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour also impacted. A permanent fix to damaged infrastructure at Spearwood has been completed, with crews to remain onsite to ensure the repair holds. Attention will now turn to restoring affected green spaces such as Bruce Lee Reserve, a process which the Water Corporation's Dean Stacey said could take much longer. "We know that we're going to have to replace the turf and that's not a quick process. That will probably be into the months," he said. Mr Stacey said odours could intensify this week due to rainfall. "On one hand, the rain is a good thing because it will help dilute and wash away any of that residual wastewater that might still be present in the area, but it also may have the effect of stirring up some of those odours," he said. "Our advice remains that if any odours are still present in the area, just please keep your doors and windows shut." Three residents affected by noise and roadworks have been provided with temporary accommodation. Remo's Meat Supply's Jeremy Sanderson-Brown said the road closures had been more disruptive than the odour. "It's affected us slightly due to the fact that half the road is closed and the general public just can't quite come freely into the area, but they are still supporting us," he said. It was initially hoped repairs at the Spearwood site would be completed last week, but the identification of an alternative, more robust fix has pushed that back. Mr Sanderson-Brown said the Water Corporation had been understanding of local concerns. "They're obviously doing the best they can do. It's one of those things that just happens," he said. "They're trying to get it rectified as quickly as possible." Spearwood resident Val Newman said many locals have rallied around businesses during the incident, but others remained more cautious. "I've been back up to the bakery every day since [the incident] just to give them the business," she said. Ms Newman said the incident had highlighted the need for regular maintenance of water infrastructure. "I think that a lot of the drainage systems need replacing and particularly around Fremantle area, it's been there a long time," she said.
