Whose sewer? (From York Press)

Whose sewer?

10:27am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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Since local government reorganisation in 1974 and the subsequent privatisation of the water industry in 1989, responsibility for drainage systems has become a confusing issue for customers.

The journey from sky to ground can take a drop of water through several “ownerships” which are sometimes difficult to understand – particularly when some sections of the sewerage system are classified as privately owned and others public.

When the Government announced it was drawing up new legislation which would transfer the ownership of private sewerage systems into the ownership of the water companies, we welcomed this move.

Adding another 20,000km of pipeline on top of the 33,000 kilometres of public sewer we already look after would certainly present us with a not inconsiderable challenge. However, most importantly, such a move will help bring a great deal more clarity around who exactly is responsible for what in relation to Yorkshire’s sewers.

By taking ownership of these pipes, we’ll also be taking the cost of maintenance and potentially costly repairs away from the home owner.

The new legislation is due to come into force in 2012, but in advance of this we’d like customers to give us their views by taking part in an online poll which can be found at yorkshirewater.com/sewerpoll, along with more information on what the changes will mean.

Customers can also join our online forum to share their views by visiting twitter.com #WhoseSewerIsItAnyway or post their comments on our Facebook group “Yorkshire WaterGroup”.

Simon Parker, Networks optimisation manager, Yorkshire Water, Halifax Road, Bradford.