Local MP Alan Mak has attended the third Southern Water Regional Forum to keep up the pressure on the local water company.
Mr Mak founded the Southern Water Regional Forum to keep up the pressure on the water company to reduce their discharges. He chaired the Forum’s first meeting in November 2021 where helped secured commitments from Southern Water to cut pollution incidents by 80% by 2025, and reduce combined sewer overflows by 80% by 2030.
At the latest meeting, MPs, councillors and local stakeholders discussed the Government’s Environment Act and it’s forecasted long-term impacts on the area, including more resilient ecosystems and Southern Water’s aim to be transparent with the reporting of water quality.
At the meeting, Mr Mak questioned Southern Water CEO Ian McAulay on the progress of ongoing upgrade works at the Budds Farm waste water treatment plant in Havant, where planned works will see processing capacity at the site increased by 50%. He also sought clarity on how the Beach Buoy water quality monitoring system would be deployed throughout the summer months.
In response, Southern Water confirmed that works were ongoing with an anticipated completion date in 2025. A more comprehensive timeline on the works will follow.
Local MP Alan Mak said: “I’ve campaigned to reduce stormwater discharges and kept up the pressure on Southern Water to follow through on this since I was elected as an MP. I am pleased that Southern Water has re-affirmed their commitment to expanding capacity at Budds Farm, which will reduce the frequency of discharges as required by the Government’s new Environment Act which I supported in Parliament.”
