Dŵr Cymru – also known as Welsh Water – will appear before the Welsh Affairs Committee this morning as part of its work on water quality in Wales to discuss illegal untreated wastewater spillages at dozens of sewage plants and other issues.

In a three panel evidence session, the MPs will also hear from academic and campaigner Peter Hammond, the Chief Executives of Ofwat and Natural Resources Wales, before hearing from Dŵr Cymru’s Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of Wastewater Services.

Among other issues, the Committee will be interested in hearing what action Dŵr Cymru is now taking to prevent further sewage spills, whether the system of self-reporting is working appropriately and what powers regulators have in penalising water pollution events.

This is the third evidence session the Committee is holding in relation to its work on Water quality in Wales. In April, following the initial hearing, Committee Chair Stephen Crabb wrote to the Minister for Climate Change stressing the urgency that Wales’ ageing combined sewerage system must be replaced to avoid further sewage discharges.

Key points of concern Stephen Crabb raised in his letter include:

• the accuracy of monitoring equipment, and therefore reliability of data;
• the lack of monitoring of the volume of sewage discharged as well as the frequency of outflows;
• the frequency of “unpermitted” sewage discharges from storm overflows; and
• the low number of prosecutions in Wales to enforce water quality regulations and the apparent lack of appetite from regulators for stronger enforcement powers and sanctions.

He went on to comment in the letter:

“We were also concerned at the apparent lack of urgency in tackling these challenges on the part of regulators and water companies. Although data collection on sewage discharges began in 2013, the response of regulators and water companies appears to be to pursue further research into the impact of the discharges up to 2027.

“The significant work required to replace Wales’s combined sewerage system means there is no time to lose, and regulators and companies need to have a clear long-term plan stretching over medium term.

“The general view of the Committee was that there seemed to be a lack of a clear and timely plan to address the issues highlighted, including the sheer quantity of sewage being discharged.“

Witnesses will appear before the Committee in the following order:

From 10.00:

Peter Hammond BA MSc PhD MSc, (retired) Professor of Computational Biology, University College London (UCL), now campaigner at Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP)

Gail Davies-Walsh, Chief Executive, Afonydd Cymru

Professor Davey Jones, Professor of Soil and Environmental Science, Bangor University

From 10.30:

David Black, Chief Executive, Ofwat

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales

From 11.00:

Peter Perry, Chief Executive, Dŵr Cymru

Mike Davis, Chief Financial Officer, Dŵr Cymru

Steve Wilson, Managing Director of Wastewater Services, Dŵr Cymru

Click here to watch the Evidence Session live on Parliamentary TV from 10.00am onwards.