The Kent Flood Risk and Water Management Committee met to discuss flood defence works, water quality issues, and the impact of water ingress on the gas network. Key decisions included noting the Environment Agency's presentation on collaborative works and the Southern Water Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force presentation, and acknowledging the KCC Severe Weather Response Activity Report.

Flood Defence and Water Management Works

The committee received an update on collaborative works between the Environment Agency and Kent County Council (KCC). In the current financial year, 109 projects have been undertaken, with a further 60 planned for the next financial year, aiming to protect nearly 3,500 properties. Projects in Headcorn and Ulcombe are underway to provide property-level protection against both fluvial and surface water flooding. Councillor Stuart Heaver highlighted the importance of the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee in delivering these works.

Water Quality and Sewage Discharges

Significant concerns were raised regarding water quality, particularly concerning sewage discharges into coastal areas. Councillor Martin Paul expressed disappointment with the response from Southern Water regarding pollution in Deal and Walmer, noting a lack of diagnosis for the root cause of pollution despite ongoing issues. He requested a meeting with Southern Water and local town councils to address these concerns.

Councillor Heaver also raised issues in Whitstable, highlighting a significant number of sewage discharge spills from the Swellcliffe Sewage Treatment Works into an oyster fishery adjacent to a Blue Flag beach. He questioned the Environment Agency's oversight of Southern Water's investment programme, particularly in relation to the target of reducing spills to 10 per year by 2030. The Environment Agency confirmed that bathing water quality is a priority and that failures can result from various factors, including storm overflows, misconnections, and agricultural runoff. They also noted that while compliance assessments and data are available on their website, further transparency on inspection regimes and results would be explored.

Southern Water's Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force presented their work, outlining a £1.5 billion investment over the next decade to reduce storm overflow releases. They aim to reduce these releases to no more than 10 per year by 2027-2030, with specific focus on areas like Faversham, Herne Bay, Queensborough, Sittingbourne, and Whitstable. The task force highlighted the importance of resilient infrastructure, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), and collaboration with local authorities.

Water Ingress into the Gas Network

SGN, a gas distribution company, presented on the increasing issue of water ingress into the gas network, exacerbated by heavy rainfall and ageing infrastructure. Water can enter the network through various means, including flooding, burst water mains, and damage caused by third-party utilities or highway works. This ingress is highly disruptive, leading to loss of gas supply for heating, hot water, and cooking, and requiring extensive operational efforts for restoration.

Recent incidents were highlighted, including a significant event in Banbury, Oxfordshire, caused by a burst water main, and an incident in Mayfield, East Sussex, resulting from third-party damage, which led to the closure of the A267 for eight weeks. SGN stressed the importance of utility collaboration and site-specific risk assessments in flood risk planning. They recommended including gas network vulnerability in local flood risk strategies and strengthening coordination between utilities and highways teams.

Severe Weather Response and Flood Risk Management

The KCC Severe Weather Response Activity Report indicated a relatively calm period in terms of significant flood incidents requiring intervention. However, the report detailed several water supply disruption incidents, including a major incident in the Tunbridge Wells area affecting 24,000 properties, which led to a Boil Water notice and required sustained multi-agency coordination. A Short Focussed Inquiry is to be held into these outages.

The committee also discussed KCC's Local Flood Risk Management Strategy, which aims to improve resident safety and support the economy through coordinated flood risk management. The strategy emphasizes partnership working with other risk management authorities and the mandatory implementation of sustainable drainage systems for all new developments.

South East Water Services

South East Water provided an overview of their services, highlighting their commitment to increasing treated water storage, improving connectivity, and developing new sources to strengthen resilience, particularly in Kent, which faces a tight supply and demand balance. They are investing over £1 billion to cut leakage and plan major infrastructure investments, including reservoirs and a desalination scheme, to address future supply shortfalls. Concerns were raised about the ongoing leak in Tenterden and the effectiveness of the current hosepipe ban.