UK: Sewage Released into Waterways for 3.6 Million Hours Last Year
regulator Ofwat has said that customer bills should rise by an average of 36% before inflation over the next five years to rebuild pipes, tunnels and pumping stations.But the industry has warned it will take time before increased investments have an impact on sewage leaks.Data released by the Environment Agency on Thursday showed that the duration of sewage spills rose by 0.2% to 3.6 million hours, with South West Water the worst water supplier, releasing sewage for 544,439 hours."These figures are disgraceful and are a stark reminder of how years of underinvestment have led to water companies
Sewage Contaminates British Waters
harm the broader economy.Reuters interviews with 20 people and data analysis show how polluted water has also hit tourism and delayed construction projects, acting as a drag on the economy at a time when the new Labour government is trying to kick start growth.In the five years to October 2024, the Environment Agency intervened on 60 occasions to object to planning applications due to the pressures they would place on local sewerage systems, according to a Freedom of Information request.Clean water campaigners have started to marshal opposition against planning applications, believing that's more likely
Freire Launches Oceanographic Research Vessel
At the end of February 2022 a new oceanographic research vessel was launched in Vigo, built by the shipyard Construcciones Navales P Freire, SA (Freire Shipyard) for the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD). Several company representatives were present at the event led by Jesús, Guillermo and Marcos Freire, who were accompanied by a delegation from the shipowner and supervision teams."We are very pleased to proceed with a milestone in the construction of such an innovative ship," said the company's commercial director, Santiago Sío. Within the world of oceanographic
Van Oord Wins Coastal Protection Work in the UK
Dutch-based dredging contractor Van Oord said it has signed a contract with the U.K.'s Environment Agency to continue to protect the Lincolnshire coast for the next four years.The deal, which continues on the work Van Oord has been undertaking there since 2015, encompasses beach nourishment over the length of 20 kilometers and requires around 400,000 cubic meters of sand each year.Van Oord said it will also be providing technical advice to the Environment Agency in relation to the implementation of their flood risk management strategy. Implementation of this strategy will involve working
Singapore Launches digitalPORT@SG
serve as a one-stop portal for maritime regulatory and port services transactions.It will be developed in two phases: Phase 1 – users can obtain approval for all arriving and departing ships from three public agencies – MPA, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority and the National Environment Agency – through a single portal. The portal will consolidate up to 16 separate forms into a single application. This is expected to save the shipping industry an estimated 100,000 man-hours annually.digitalPORT@SG will also have data exchange with port community systems such as Portnet and
Total Invites Activists to Drilling Site Off French Guyana
.The company said drilling would take place about 30 km (19 miles) from the closest reef and in an area without coral. Activists say delicate coral reefs discovered in the area risked being damaged by the drilling operations.Total's invitation the French Guyana site comes days after Brazil's environment agency Ibama rejected the energy major's application to drill in five blocks that lie in the Foz do Amazonas Basin near the Amazon rainforest region.Ibama has now rejected Total's application five times. It said this rejection was the final one in the regulation process.The French Guyana project
Easier Access to UK Tidal Data
of ADMIRALTY Maritime Data Solutions can be found on 90 percent of ships trading internationally. Its U.K. tidal database contains height data from over 600 tidal gauges around the U.K., making up the U.K.’s largest network of tidal stations. The database also includes over 40 stations in the Environment Agency's U.K. National Tidal Network and stations from Port Authorities at many of the U.K.'s primary and secondary ports. With access to all this data, applications will be able to generate tidal predictions for up to 6 days in advance at a wide range of locations across the U.K. coastline
Study: Climate Change Shifts Timing of River Floods
such as the Adriatic coast, because of delays in rains in winter. It linked some of the changes to shifts in the tracks of Atlantic storms, which many scientists say are influenced by factors including a thaw of ice in the Arctic. Sergio Castellari, a flood expert at the European Environment Agency, who was not involved in the research, said the study of flood timing was a "very promising" approach to detect the influence of climate change. Until now, climate studies have often focused on shifts in the severity of floods that are often skewed by factors other than rising
Canada Seek to contain Oil Spill
building a new boom near the community of Maymont, about 50 km (31 miles) downstream from North Battleford, though it is not sure when the oil spill will reach it, Wes Kotyk, executive director of environment protection with the province of Saskatchewan, told reporters. He said the federal environment agency is working on a "trajectory model" to determine the exact size and rate of movement of the oil plume. Sam Ferris, a provincial water agency official, said authorities are working on plans to deal with water security for communities farther along the river, including Prince Albert
February 2025
