Sewage scheme is unacceptable
I believe that this solution is totally unacceptable, both on environmental and public health grounds.
The solution proposed by Southern Water is, I believe, a licence to legally pollute the sea, whilst doing nothing to solve the problem.
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Hide AdThe company proposes to make the houses that flood more resilient to flooding and to request permission from the Environment Agency to temporarily release the sewage into the rife when the pumps fail. How long would that be for? We have been reporting this problem for 25 years and still nothing has been achieved.
In times of flooding it would protect the bricks and mortar, but still leave adults, children and animals wading about in sewage.
At other times it would mean polluting the rife and the sea. The reality, however, for most of the time would be raw sewage being
discharged into the shallows and onto the beach.
Southern Water said it would cost 1.7m to put a new pipe in from Elmer to its treatment works at Ford. However, OFWAT's economic formula would make that option too expensive. When prompted by Arun councillor Paul English, Southern Water admitted that it had not included the loss of tourism into the equation! What price Blue Flag status for our beaches?
Linda Smith
Arundel Way
Elmer Sands
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