Limits to development: a return of the 'Sewerage Embargo'?

There have been concerns raised about the quality of water along the coast in the District:
Futures Forum: Sidmouth and sewage
Futures Forum: The Circular Economy ... and looking after our water at a local level

This letter will be appearing in the local press - and it touches not only on the issue of clean water, but on how 'development' and a rising population are impacting on how well or badly the waste water infrastructure can cope:

It appears that the "CLEAN SWEEP" system, installed
in the l990s to improve the quality of bathing waters on Sidmouth
Beach, has now become even more inadequate than ours
in B.Salterton (BS) . 

I did not attend the Opening Ceremony in Sidmouth, but witnessed the
Opening here in 1995. The spokesman for South West Water (SWW) warned
that the new "CLEAN SWEEP" would last for only a limited period
before signs of contamination of the sea would re-appear. 

This is already happening both in Sidmouth and BS. During the
latter half of May, the quality of our bathing water fell below
safety level, and warnings appeared on the beach. . Stefan Gordon's
report suggests that Sidmouth Beach is more severely contaminated than ours.  

The BS Town Council discussed the problem last Monday (8th Sept)
and will do so again in the near future. One councillor
suggested a return of the "Sewerage Embargo" which stopped all
dwellings being built during the late l980s and early l990s. . 

Between 2001 and 2011, the Sidmouth population rose by 772 -an
increase of 10.6%,. This suggests a rise of about 20% in 20 years.
Ours was very similar. 

Luckily, the dreadful contamination of your beach was witnessed
by Mr Swire, MP, the Chairman of Sidmouth Town Council, and several
other VIPs.  

SWW's  response was to promise removing greasy fats from the drains.

SWW has a monopoly supplying us with water and disposing of our
foul effluents. Its income depends on the  water rates paid by
the inhabitants.  It is in the financial interest of SWW to let
the population/housing grow . We can hardly expect SWW
to welcome a renewed Sewerage Embargo, but surely they
cant turn a blind eye on spillages of the severity seen along
Sidmouth Beach?   

Stern warnings have been issued by the Environment Agency that
new EU regulations coming into force by the end of 2015
will be considerably more stringent than those currently in force.

A resident of Budleigh Salterton


Budleigh Salterton Town Council - Meeting Dates, Agendas & Minutes

When SouthWestWater was privatised, they inherited a lot to deal with. The question is, however: How well have they dealt with it all since...

This is the engineer's take:
Beaches | Online news | New Civil Engineer

And here is the SWW blurb:
THE NEW SOUTH WEST – CLEAN SWEEP AND BEYOND
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