Portsmouth council questions ‘public acceptability’ of water recycling scheme

Concerns have been raised over the “public acceptability” of a water recycling scheme put forward by Southern Water.

Portsmouth City Council has formally commented on the water recycling scheme, a project currently being determined by central government.

Water recycling has caused local controversy, with some arguing in favour of its sustainability benefits, while others have raised concerns over the safety of drinking water derived from highly treated wastewater.

The reservoir

Portsmouth residents get their drinking water from Portsmouth Water, along with those in Gosport, Fareham, Havant, Chichester and Bognor Regis.

The private company is currently building the Havant Thicket Reservoir, a 160-hectare facility stretching across Leigh Park and Rowlands Castle in partnership with Portsmouth Water.

It aims to store surplus rainwater collected over the winter, reducing the need to abstract water from internationally rare chalk streams and rivers.

The new facility is expected to be operational by around 2030.

Water recycling

After the reservoir was granted planning permission in June 2021, Southern Water announced plans for a water recycling project, which is being decided through a Development Consent Order (DCO).

If approved, the project would supplement the reservoir with highly treated wastewater during periods of drought.

The wastewater, water that leaves a property via a plughole or toilet, would go from Budds Farm Wastewater Treatment Works to a new facility for further treatment before being pumped into the reservoir.

The project has raised fears among residents and local politicians over the safety of drinking water partly sourced from sewage.

While controversial, water recycling is not new and is practised in countries such as Singapore, Australia and the United States.

Portsmouth City Council

The council submitted its representation to the central government Planning Inspectorate as part of the DCO process.

It said the authority is “broadly supportive” of the development, recognising that more infrastructure is needed to “meet future water needs”.

“This need arises from a combination of climate change, population growth, and the need to protect and enhance the water environment.”

The council “must be satisfied” that the “technology is safe and that Southern Water are a responsible operator”.

It added that there is a “need for Southern Water to convince local authorities and the public that the technology is safe and that they are a responsible operator.”

The authority added it shares concerns with Havant Borough Council over the “potential for water quality deterioration and ecological harm from the proposed project”.

In closing the council said it will seek assurances for the “safety, reliability and public acceptability of the proposed water recycling process and the Applicant’s ability to operate the infrastructure responsibly”.

Potentially contaminated land

In addition to concerns surrounding the water recycling scheme, the council has called for greater land assessment work, which it argues is currently incomplete.

It said it is not “primarily concerned” with building on areas with “historical contamination”, but rather that current evidence has not been assessed.

It lists Portsdown Hill as a potential source of contamination due to historic military use, including Fort Widley and Purbrook.

It highlights historic “fuel storage facilities”, former chalk pits, quarries and infilled excavations, “historical waste disposal and landfill activities” and “sensitive groundwater receptors”.

It also highlights land reclamation and historical landfill sites on the Great Salterns Estate, Milton Common, Kendall’s Wharf and Eastney Lake, as well as former Ministry of Defence land and historic sewage infrastructure.

The council is “not suggesting that every historical site requires intrusive investigation”, rather that potential contamination sites should be risk-assessed.