Southern Water's Portsmouth sewage releases put wildlife at risk says Hampshire and IoW Wildlife Trust

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, which manages the Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve in Langstone Harbour, has commented on the issue following a recent incident where sewage was discharged into the water for 191 hours. The nature reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation. With the Trust currently trying to restore seagrass meadows in the harbour, their efforts are being hampered by the Southern Water storm overflows.

A spokesperson said: "Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is steadfast in its opposition to the discharge of sewage into our precious rivers and seas. Such practices have far-reaching, detrimental consequences for the environment and wildlife that depend on these delicate ecosystems, as well as posing a risk to human health and wellbeing.

"Once again during the past week, we have seen untreated sewage pouring into the Solent and Langstone Harbour, following heavy rainfall. These discharges have a direct harmful impact on our coastal water quality, affecting the marine environment including the internationally important seagrass meadow found in the Harbour, plus many of the surrounding habitats."

They added: "The risk to human health that these discharges bring also has a direct impact on the Trust’s marine conservation activities, which includes restoration of seagrass meadows. We cannot put the health and safety of our staff and Seagrass Champion volunteers, many of which are from the Portsmouth area, at risk by working amid sewage discharges. This is severely impacting our ability to deliver seagrass restoration within Langstone Harbour. 

 "Sewage releases add to the Solent's problem of nutrient enrichments and overloads. This drives algal blooms and affects many species in our coastal waters. It is poor water quality in the Solent that poses the single most significant threat to our efforts to restore seagrass meadows. Farlington Marshes Nature Reserve is 125 hectares of internationally important coastal grazing marshes, mudflats and lagoon provide a safe haven for thousands of resident and visiting wading birds and waterfowl, including Lapwing, Avocet and short-eared owls. During winter the reserve is also critical for visiting Brent goose. Large populations visit the site each day to feed on eel-grass and seaweed, use fresh water or to rest."

The Trust confirmed that they would be working with the water companies to encourage more responsible waste water management practices as well as liaising with politicians, MP's and councillors to highlight the impact that sewage discharge is having.

A Southern Water spokesperson commented on the issue previously: “We have seen a number of longer storm overflow releases recently as a result of weeks of heavy rainfall, where either surface water has run off saturated ground into our sewers, or groundwater has forced its way into our pipes as pressure builds. Storm overflows are emergency outlets, acting as the last line of defence to stop homes and communities flooding when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed. We agree with campaigners and our customers, that storm overflow releases are not acceptable and that’s why we have launched our innovative £1.5bn Clean Rivers and Seas Plan to reduce spills as quickly as we can across our region.”