Wastewater

Windlepoons

Hi All,


I may have read this wrong...


Thames Water charge 70.41p per cubic Meter
Southern Water charge £2.198 per cubic meter


If I haven't read it wrong, how can Southern water get away with charging so much more than Thames water, and what is the justification in doing so?


Cheers

Cardew

Blame Maggie and the Water Privatisation Act.


You haven't read it incorrectly. Although both pay a similar standing charge.


All the regions pay vastly different rates for water and sewerage. They were left on privatisation with different commitments to renew an essentially Victorian infrastructure.


Thames, which covers London, has a huge population in a(relatively) small area to contribute to the costs. Southern less so.


South West water customers pay the most for sewerage(wastewater) at £3.47 per cubic metre and also the highest for water at £2.05 a combined total of £5.52 plus approx. £80pa standing charge.


Compare that with combined charges for Thames at £1.99 and Southern at £3.37 plus similar standing charges.

macman

Operating costs per household are vastly higher in dispersed rural regions. SWW has to operate separate sewage disposal facilities for every coastal town around a very long coastline. Before privatisation and EU water cleanliness regs, all they did was macerate it and pump it straight out into the sea. I grew up there, and the evidence was plain to see if you swam at the 'wrong' location.
TW, by contrast, takes the entire output of the London basin and it's huge population, and funnels it all through 2 huge processing plants north and south of the river (thank you Mr Bazalgette). A massive economy of scale, essentially.

yangptangkipperbang

macman wrote: »

all they did was macerate it and pump it straight out into the sea. I grew up there, and the evidence was plain to see if you swam at the 'wrong' location.

Yes.....there was so much sewage in the sea you didn't dare swim in it - you just went through the motions...........:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: