Details on United Utilities work to improve sewage spills
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00:00It's been announced that United Utilities, which is the group which looks after water
00:05across the North West, is investing £10.6 million in a programme to increase the capacity
00:11at 29 rural waste waterworks across the region. Six of them will be in Lancashire. The idea
00:18is that it will reduce the amount of times that sewage is put into our waterworks during
00:23heavy rainfall. It comes as United Utilities have been criticised over the amount of raw
00:29sewage that is going into rivers and streams and seas in our area. Take a look at this
00:37United Utilities video to find out exactly what is happening in your area and what is
00:42being done to improve the situation.
00:49The health of our rivers is important to us all, whether that is for the people who live
00:53nearby or those who use rivers to enjoy recreational activities. Improving river water quality
00:58has been a priority for United Utilities for decades. Here in Liverpool, I am standing
01:03on top of our £200m extension to the city's waste water treatment works, continuing our
01:09investment programme to improve the River Mersey that began here over 30 years ago.
01:15Investment like this has made a significant contribution to the transformation of the
01:18city's waterfront, supporting its economic renaissance by making it an attractive place
01:23to invest. In March 2022, we published 30 commitments to kick-start a river revival
01:30over the next three years. Better Rivers, Better North West is a four-point plan setting
01:35out our commitments to make sure our operations progressively reduce impact to river health,
01:42to be open and transparent about our performance and plans, to make rivers beautiful and support
01:48others to improve and care for them, and to create more opportunities for everyone to
01:52enjoy rivers and waterways. Between 2020 and 2025, we are investing £230m from our
02:01base programme to support a one-third sustainable reduction in the number of spills recorded
02:06from our storm overflows by 2025. In May 2022, we also committed to invest a further £250m
02:14over and above this allowance to improve environmental outcomes, including support for our Better
02:19Rivers programme. Ensuring the quality of the water that we all want in rivers cannot
02:24be achieved by United Utilities on its own. There are many other factors that contribute
02:28to the health of our rivers and waterways, and we all need to work together to reduce
02:33their impact. For example, how can we work with farmers on reducing nutrient run-off
02:38from fields into rivers, and what can developers do to better manage rainfall and slow the
02:43flow of water into drains? Our plan includes the launch of a community fund to support
02:48local river health initiatives, championed by local people. And working alongside the
02:54Rivers Trust, there will be opportunities for people to volunteer as citizen scientists
02:58to collect data on river health. We also held a Rivers Summit and Environmental AGM so that
03:04we could talk to North West stakeholders about our plans and involve the community in delivering
03:09our commitments. We are confident that our plans will improve rivers across the North
03:14West, bringing communities together as we join forces to help our bodies of water flourish
03:19again, making the North West greener, healthier and stronger.