An English water company is in hot water after a local campaign group uncovered evidence of its negligence in reducing sewage pollution.
The Guardian reported that United Utilities underspent on measures across northwest England to connect privately owned septic tanks to the mains network it operates. The firm has been allocated over £129 million ($173 million) to connect non-mains systems since 2000, but has spent just £76.7 million ($103 million).
The underinvestment came to light following a Freedom of Information request by the group Save Windermere. Its founder, Matt Staniek, noted the company had completed just one connection scheme in the area, hooking up only 27 properties in the last 20 years.
While the company insists it can't force property owners to sign up, Staniek was unmoved by the explanation: "There should have been far more effort to inform local communities about their right to request a mains connection. ... Any work that doesn't aim to connect private properties to the mains ... is a smokescreen. It's a greenwash that pulls us further away from a sewage-free Windermere."
England's rivers and lakes are in a terrible condition because of the negligence of private firms like United Utilities. In its State of our River Report for 2024, The Rivers Trust found that not a single English river could be deemed to be in good health. Raw sewage is contaminating lakes and rivers across the nation, and Lake Windermere's poor state has been a concern for residents for years.
United Utilities is far from being the only entity to be found wanting. Another company, Thames Water, was fined £123 million ($165 million) for its role in dumping raw sewage into English rivers.
The grassroots action by Save Windermere exemplifies the sort of pressure that communities can bring to bear against companies that put profit over the environment. By refusing to be taken in by slick greenwashing campaigns, the group is compelling the company to take more steps to prevent contaminants from entering the water.
A spokesperson for United Utilities told Water Magazine that it is "working with communities in three areas in the catchment to drum up the necessary interest." The firm has committed to investing heavily in enhancing its wastewater management over the next five years. Time will tell if it sticks to that promise.