Delight that an otter has been spotted in the local river but does that mean the Somer Valley river is clean ?

It may have delighted locals, but seeing an otter in local water last week does not indicate that the Somer Valley water is clean.

On the contrary, live sewage maps of the area, indicate that storm overflows are being used with increasing frequency.

According to the Rivers Trust at least one overflow, run by Wessex Water, and close to Midsomer Norton was used 113 times for a total of 289 hours in 2021 discharging into Waterside.

The government yesterday (February 20) announced that it was tightening up monitoring of Combined Sewer Outflows.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey has asked water companies to share their plans for improving Britain's water.

Defra reported that : " As part of a drive for better water quality, every water and sewerage company must present a clear assessment and action plan on every storm overflow they operate, prioritising those that are spilling more than a certain number of times a year, and those spilling into bathing waters and high-priority nature sites. "

There are plans for higher penalties on water companies which spill sewage which damage rivers and seas, but no clear facts on how much they will have to pay or how fast. There is also promise of a public consultation.

Meantime this is the map showing where locally sewage is being release, each brown spot shows an overflow site, the size relates to the biggest numbers of outflows. In 2021, a sewer storm overflow in Somervale Road spilled 41 times for a total of 33 hours, discharging into Wellow Brook. The Rivers Trust say that not one river in the UK is of good overall health.

You can see the map HERE

Surfers Against Sewage who are leading the fight for better water quality in the UK river's and on the coast, told Nub News that water companies do not share with them any data for many inland sites. They also have a map showing sewage outflows HERE