Matthew Wright, former Southern Water CEO, and three ex-employees face charges of conspiracy to defraud the Environment Agency and Ofwat between 2012-2017. They allegedly manipulated sewage wastewater testing to avoid millions in fines, marking the first time a water industry boss faces criminal charges over sewage discharges.
Former Southern Water CEO Matthew Wright and three ex-employees face criminal charges for conspiracy to defraud the Environment Agency and Ofwat. They allegedly manipulated sewage wastewater test results from 2012-2017 to avoid millions in fines, with a trial set for September.
A contractor for Meta's AI datacenter in Cheyenne, Wyoming, flushed bacteria-contaminated water into public sewers, leading to new regulations on wastewater disposal. The bacteria, Cupriavidus gilardii, is rare and harmful only to those with weakened immune systems, and did not affect drinking water.
Severn Trent Water breached wastewater obligations but will not be fined by regulator Ofwat due to "genuine accountability" and proactive problem-solving. The company invested £98m to improve infrastructure, leading to a 41% reduction in storm overflow spills.
Water company Severn Trent avoided a fine from regulator Ofwat despite "serious and unacceptable breaches" in wastewater and sewage handling. Ofwat noted proactive identification and investment by Severn Trent, leading to a 41% reduction in spills.
Cheyenne officials identified a Meta data center construction project as the source of a rare bacterial contamination. The incident led the city to permanently stop accepting industrial wastewater from closed-loop data center cooling systems.
Unique corals on Australia's Norfolk Island are at high risk of extinction due to a combination of disease, El Niño, and a federal government plan to dredge a shipping channel near the reefs. Pollution from cattle farming and wastewater exacerbates the problem, while the dredging project poses further threats.
The European Parliament voted to pause parts of the EU's wastewater cleanup law, fearing that making drugmakers pay for micropollutant removal could lead to medicine shortages. Lawmakers approved suspending industry's obligation to pay for removing pollutants like antibiotics and microplastics, pending a new study on costs and sector blame.
Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant halted its 20th discharge of treated wastewater after an alarm sounded during the process. Tokyo Electric Power Company is investigating the cause, noting this is the sixth interruption since discharges began in August 2023.
A blocked main caused a wastewater overflow in Island Bay, Wellington, affecting 5 properties with faeces and sanitary products, prompting cleanup efforts by Wellington Water.
The mayor of Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, France, has publicly drunk treated wastewater from the town's purification plant, which uses ozone to destroy micropollutants. This initiative highlights the lack of legislation in France regarding the removal of PFAS and other pollutants from wastewater before it is released into natural water bodies.
Wellington's mayor announced a temporary fix for the city's sewage plant by November, with full repairs costing NZ$53.5m by late 2027. Businesses and residents express concern over health risks and financial losses.
Wastewater from nearly 40,000 people and businesses pumped straight into sea as island still has no treatment plantRaw sewage from nearly 40,000 people and businesses is being pumped straight into the sea because the British overseas territory of Gibraltar does not have, and has never had, a wastewater treatment plant.For decades, untreated sewage has poured into the Mediterranean from the southern tip of the peninsula at Europa Point, where the government of Gibraltar says there are “high levels of natural dispersion”. Continue reading...
