Company to be grilled over replacement pipes, low pressure and regular flooding
Thames Water has been invited to Hammersmith and Fulham Council's forthcoming Cleaner and Greener Scrutiny Committee meeting, to be held at Hammersmith Town Hall on 17 October.
The meeting will allow Thames Water to address a number of specific issues that have been raised by local residents which include:
1) The programme for replacing the Victorian water supply and drainage system
2) The low water pressure problems experienced by some homes in the borough
3) Silt build up in drains that constrains capacity
4) Incidence and management of emergencies, including burst pipes
5) Planning for the recently announced 'super sewer'
6) Implications of the localised flooding in July, including back-up of sewage
7) Solutions and implications of regular flooding along parts of the Thames embankment e.g. the Chiswick/Hammersmith stretch, including A4 underpasses
8) Sewage smells on the Ealing/H&F border.
Many of these issues have led to questions being asked of Thames Water over recent months. In particular events such as the flash flooding in July that caused extensive damage to properties and vehicles when drains could not cope with the runoff of torrential downpours.
Everyday inconveniences have also been brought to councils' attention by residents, such as water pressure, which has decreased in many homes as demand has risen. Washing machines, dishwashers, showers and baths are obviously more common today than when the water infrastructure was first introduced. Coupled with the fact that many properties that were originally designed for one household have since been split into a number of different units, with multiple occupants, has increased the demand for water.
Increased demand and density of population, along with the height of properties and distance from the source, has made a significant impact on the pressure of water being supplied to some properties. In meetings that the council has already held with Thames Water, they have said that work around 'equalisation' is due to take place in order to solve some of these problems.
Similarly, Thames Water has said that they recognise the inconvenience the programme for replacing the Victorian water supply and drainage system has brought to people living in, and driving about, the borough. They have promised to detail at the meeting how much of this work has already been completed and the programme of work they still have left.
Some other water-related issues are not actually within Thames Water's remit, such as the impact the replacement of the Thames Barrier might have on the borough. Similarly, how planning permission for extending homes into basements might be affected if the property is situated in the 'flood prone' part of the borough. These issues are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, but council planning officers will be at the meeting to answer queries should these issues arise.
The public are invited to attend the Cleaner and Greener Scrutiny Committee meeting where they can put questions to Thames Water. Thames Water is writing a report prior to the meeting to outline some of the information, and anyone looking to attend is advised to read the agenda and report. This will be available from 8 October on the website at www.lbhf.gov.uk by clicking on the links for 'Council and Democracy' followed by 'Overview and Scrutiny Committees'. Copies are also available by phoning David Bays on 020 8753 2628 or writing to David Bays at Room 203, Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, W6 9JU.
The meeting will consist of a ten minute presentation by Thames Water, in which they will put their report into context. This will then lead onto questions from the committee, members of the public and amenity groups. If you can not attend, but would like a question posed, contact David Bays via one of the methods above.
October 2, 2007