Further decline in Dŵr Cymru performance outlined in NRW annual review
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water suffered it worst performance on record in 2023 – with reports of over 100 sewage pollution incidents, according to a report from Natural Resources Wales.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has today published its 2023 performance reports for the two water companies operating in Wales, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Hafren Dyfrdwy.
It highlights the worst performance from Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water against the metrics measured against, which are standardised in England and Wales.
The company was responsible for a total of 107 sewage pollution incidents during 2023. The number of serious pollution incidents rose from five to seven, including a major incident involving a burst sewer pipe on the River Taff at Pontypridd in March last year.
The report also flags concerns about a small but significant decline in water discharge permit compliance, dropping to 98%.
Two-star rating
Improvements were made to the number of pollution incidents self-reported to NRW, rising to 70% during 2023, but still falling short of the minimum 80% target.
Water companies are expected to self-report incidents to NRW before others do. Without a rapid response, the impact of pollution can escalate and the opportunity for mitigation measures can be lost.
While Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water will stay at two-star (company requires improvement) rating this year, NRW has issued a stark warning to the company that it needs to turn the tables on its downward performance trends.
“Unacceptable”
Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW said: “Despite increased pressure from ourselves as regulators, and from politicians and the public, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water have failed to make the kind of improvements we want and expect to see.
“It is unacceptable that we are now seeing a year-on-year increase in significant pollution incidents, at a time where so much is being invested in improving our rivers and water quality for nature and people.
“In response, we continue to use all the enforcement tools available to us to drive improvements. We are pursuing several formal investigations, including potential prosecutions relating to incidents and issues of permit compliance. While these processes can take time, we are absolutely committed to seeing them through.”
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water provide drinking water and wastewater sewerage to the majority of Wales, but Hafren Dyfrdwy, part of the Severn Trent group, provide wastewater services to some border counties in north and mid Wales.
Due to its small operating area, Hafren Dyfrdwy does not receive a star rating from NRW, however similar measures are used to assess the company’s performance.
For 2023, Hafren Dyfrdwy saw an increase in descriptive condition permit non-compliances (aspects such as maintenance, management and reporting) compared to 2022.
The company was responsible for one low-level sewerage incident, but no serious pollution incidents.
Clare Pillman added: “While there are always improvements to make, we are pleased to report that Hafren Dyfrdwy’s performance has improved from last year.
“We would like to see the company to build on this accomplishment and continue to drive further improvements during the 2024 reporting period.”
NRW and the Environment Agency are reviewing the methodology for the annual reporting of water company performance for use on 2026-2030 data.
The review will include strengthening and broadening the current Environmental Performance Assessment to ensure it results in the most beneficial change for the environment.
A consultation with water companies and other relevant stakeholders will be held over the summer.
Response
A Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water spokesperson said: “We are disappointed with the assessment rating and acknowledge that our performance is not where we want it to be.
“Dŵr Cymru takes its environmental responsibility seriously, we apologise for any environmental harm we have caused and are working tirelessly to deliver the improvements required in challenging circumstances.
“Climate Change and severe weather events are having an increasing impact on our infrastructure and is challenging how we deliver our services.
“During 2023 there were 10 named storms that brought with them complex problems that we had to overcome.
“The difficult operating conditions meant that all water companies in England and Wales saw an increase in pollution incidents in 2023.”
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It is pretty obvious that the top man in Dŵr Cymru is incapable of doing the highly paid job.
The only solution is to return water supply to public ownership and undo the harm caused by Neoliberal dogma.
Huh?
Dwr Cymru is a not for profit business. Hard to see how it accords with neo-liberal dogma (whatever that is).
not for profit ? Surpluses get redirected for the benefit of the “few” a cosy bunch of executives, professional services and other insiders. Good old monopolistic corporate stuff
Just as many parts of the public sector are run in ways that serve the interests of senior employees rather than service users.
You making the case for a thorough clean up of the public sector as well as Dwr Cymru ?
NRW is absolutely right to be critical of DCWW’s performance, but what is NRW doing about agricultural pollution which is the biggest cause of pollution in 5 of Wales’ European designated rivers? Nothing it seems. Perhaps they should look a bit more closely at their own permit issuing and monitoring.