Dursley GP and Labour’s Parliamentary candidate, Dr Simon Opher MBE, visited Severn Trent Water’s (STW) Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) site off the Ebley bypass in Stroud to find out more about work to prevent sewage spills.
“Like so many of us living in the Stroud valleys and Severn vale I care passionately about the quality of our waterways and I was keen to find out more about the sewage management work,” said Dr Opher.
The project to lay four new pipes from Stroud to the sewage treatment works in Stanley Downton includes a massive 26m deep, 7,400 cubic metre storage tank designed to handle deluges of runoff from Stroud’s five valleys and reduce sewage spills.
Sewage spills are a major concern for residents and businesses locally and are often raised by members of the public alarmed about their impact on the wildlife in Stroud district’s rivers and streams. Stroud District Council’s flood management teams have actively worked to introduce natural water management systems to reduce stormwater run-off and hold water upstream.
Andrew Fairburn, Head of Government Affairs, from STW explained: ”A big part of the solution to this is better water management upstream, and helping the public understand what’s safe to put down their sinks and toilets. Better designed building developments and car parks with proper sustainable urban drainage schemes (SUDS), less plastic grass, and fewer wet wipes and other hygiene products down the loo would be a big help.”
Dr Opher concluded: ”It was great to see a development of this scale up close, and I really hope it delivers the improvements STW outlined. Stroud commuters and residents have paid a big price in terms of disruption and will want to see a payback.
“Inevitably you come away from these infrastructure projects with a slight frustration that more hasn’t been done, much sooner. But it’s good that it’s happening now, and I would urge STW to use this momentum to press on with further improvements to their public service infrastructure.
“It was also really positive to see such a large engineering project being managed by a young woman, Programme Manager Chloe Dobbs, a great example for other women working in large civil engineering organisations. Labour is committed to supporting women in the workplace, and our plans to get Britain building again will open up more opportunities for women like Chloe to build their careers.”
