A drop-in session in Gurnard next week will explain the work Southern Water is doing to reduce storm overflows on the Isle of Wight.
The event at Gurnard Village Hall in Worsley Road on Wednesday 1st February will provide locals with a chance to learn more about the Sandown Pathfinder Project.
The project has been set up by the Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council, the Environment Agency and Island Roads to tackle the use of storm overflows on the Island and surface water flooding.
Each pathfinder looks at different challenges to overcoming the root causes of storm overflows – primarily rainwater overloading the system or groundwater infiltrations. Solutions being implemented include designing and building wetlands, installing sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS), improving sewer infrastructure and utilising nature-based solutions within communities.
Areas set to benefit from the pathfinder include Gurnard, Freshwater, Yarmouth, Bembridge, Seaview, Fishbourne and Wootton.
Other pathfinders are in Fairlight in East Sussex, Pan Parishes in Northern Hampshire and Margate, Swalecliffe and Deal in Kent.
The Sandown pathfinder work includes:
- Installing thousands of slow-drain water butts to slow the flow of rainfall entering the combined sewer, some of these have already been installed in Havenstreet and there is an ongoing programme in Gurnard
- Working with partners to make better use of drainage features including roadside gullies, private water pipes and Southern Water’s own assets
- Adding additional treatment capacity to existing drainage infrastructure
Pathfinder Lead Keith Herbert has said:
“There isn’t one single solution that will stop storm overflows. Improvements will only be made through collaboration with communities and other organisations. We are proud to be working with our colleagues at the Environment Agency and Isle of Wight Council to solve this issue.
“We are looking forward to sharing our plans with the public and explaining more about how we’re working hard to create a sustainable network for the Island.”
The event will run from 16:00 to 19:00 and attendees will be able to meet representatives from Southern Water, Environment Agency, Isle of Wight Council, and project contractors and supporters.
Why on a Wednesday?? When everyone that wishes to speak their mind is at work. I think every company on the island should turn up and have their say.
Might turn up and dump some of my waste see how they like it
We need more houses for more sewage and run off.
I don’t understand how the Tourist Board, Isle of Wight Council, Red Funnel, Wightlink & Hovertravel never joined forces for once and sued the pants off of Southern Water for the raw sewage literally flowing into the bathing resorts of Ryde, Sandown, Lake, Shanklin and Ventnor last year! They even featured Ryde on a channel 4 documentary with a laboratory proving that the sea was unsuitable for bathing. These 4 organisations are big and ugly enough to have taken on Souther Water for failing the Isle of Wight and costing millions of pounds in lost revenue through tourists being put off of visiting.