For the first time, anyone in England can now access real-time information of where combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are discharging untreated wastewater into our waterways. This week, all water companies published details of how anyone can access the status of thousands of “event duration monitors”, devices that are placed on CSO outlets to record whether they are discharging sewage.
This recent data release is not, however, driven by some inspired act of transparency by water companies. An impending new law is forcing them to. Section 81 of The Environment Act comes into force in January, obligating them to make event duration monitor data “readily accessible to the public”.
