UK's ofwat fines welsh water $60 million over wastewater failures

Welsh Water to spend $60 million to address wastewater failures, Ofwat says

Ofwat Proposes Enforcement Package for Welsh Water

Background and Investigation Findings

March 12 (Reuters) - Britain's water regulator Ofwat on Thursday proposed a 44.7 million pound ($59.8 million) enforcement package for Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water after finding the utility breached its legal obligations in operating its wastewater treatment works and network.

Ofwat's probe revealed that Welsh Water inadequately operated, maintained, and upgraded its wastewater assets, resulting in excessive sewage spills, and a lack of adequate oversight led to non-compliance with legal standards.

Welsh Water's Response

"We accept the findings of Ofwat's investigation and apologise for where we have fallen short of the standards that our customers and regulators rightly expect from us," Welsh Water said in a statement.

Transformation Programme and Compliance Measures

The company said it had begun a major transformation programme to improve performance and strengthen operational oversight, and had already taken steps to boost governance and compliance.

Details of the Enforcement Package

The enforcement package, to be delivered by 2030, includes 40.6 million pounds to address harms from overflows and to reduce spills, and 4.1 million pounds to improve river water quality in sensitive areas.

Additional Information

($1 = 0.7473 pounds)

(Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Louise Heavens)