Crossgar Road Sewage Pumping Station Incident (Saintfield)

04 April 2012 12:12

NI Water has been fined £500 for a breach of consent from Crossgar Road, Saintfield Sewage Pumping Station (SPS) on 14 June 2009. The incident was linked to a blockage that caused a pump to stop working efficiently. As the pump was still turning, the standby pump did not start and the alarm did not generate.

A spokesperson for NI Water explained, “NI Water were alerted to a problem at the site at 21:00 on Sunday 14 June 2009. Staff were in attendance by 21:40 and acted quickly to stop the discharge. A full clean up was carried out and the likely cause was identified as inappropriate items.

“NI Water would appeal for help from the public to reduce these occurrences by not placing inappropriate items in the toilet, down a drain or into the sewers.

“Inappropriate items include cotton buds, nappies, sanitary items and unauthorised trade effluent which regularly make their way through the sewerage system and cause serious blockages, leading to the operation of emergency overflows. This can cause harm to property, wildlife and the environment.”

NI Water co-operated fully with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency throughout the process.

NI Water views the protection of the environment as a major priority and invests significant resources and measures to safeguard it. NI Water is the only public body in Northern Ireland to have earned International ISO 14001 status, an international standardisation awarded on the basis of a company’s environmental management system.

NI Water has invested nearly £500 million over the last three years to bring the sewerage network system and wastewater treatment works up to an acceptable standard. With ongoing investment, we will continue to improve wastewater services for the people of Northern Ireland.