To receive a presentation by the Environment and Parks Manager
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation by the Environment and Parks Manager, Steve Reynolds in respect of the Council’s investigations to identify and remedy incorrect private sewer connections which were causing pollution in Bagdale Beck, Whitby. Members were reminded that pollution in the beck had been investigated jointly by the Borough Council, the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water. The latter had carried out works in various areas to eliminate pollution related to sewerage infrastructure. This included the installation of a dividing wall in dual manholes from a housing estate to prevent the foul and surface water intermingling during heavy rainfall. The Council had focused its investigations on an underground culvert between Station Square and Victoria Square through extensive dye testing. This laborious process testing hundreds of connections had narrowed down the number of faulty sewer connections to two: to the George Hotel and to a block of flats in Windsor Terrace. In respect of the George Hotel, this was a single connection that takes cellar waste and was an original discharge to the beck which pre-dated the public sewer. Legally, the connection was ‘satisfactory’ when originally constructed and so fell outside of the scope of the Building Act 1984 – the legislation used by Environmental Services. Therefore the matter had been referred to the Environment Agency as a polluted watercourse. The EA had written to the owners requesting that the connection be changed. Environmental Services was also seeking further legal opinion to see if they could take action directly if the EA was unable to secure remedial action. The problem at Windsor Terrace was more serious since it involved a number of properties. It was likely to be the result of an error of construction of the properties and so did fall within the scope of the Building Act 1984. Environmental Services was currently gathering full ownership details to instigate formal action. This could entail extensive excavation works and the costs were likely to be high; hence it was important that any legal notices were correctly served. Mr Reynolds expected the work to commence before the summer. Members then questioned Mr Reynolds. Asked about the potentially high costs of the remedial works at Windsor Terrace which would fall to the owners, he was acutely aware of this, but believed that some of the flats belonged to a Housing Association and others possibly to a private landlord. The problem ideally should have been prevented by building regulations, but until they had started excavating, they would not know for sure how difficult/expensive it would be to resolve. A Member referred to an outbreak of illness among some residents of Auckland Way which they had attributed to heavy rain affecting the sewers. Mr Reynolds replied that when tested there had been no problems with pollution in the open section of Bagdale Beck near Auckland Way; rather the pollution had been found in the culverted section much farther away.
RESOLVED that:
(i) the presentation be received; and
(ii) a further report be submitted to the committee in July.