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Why it keeps happening

Why it keeps happening

Three things we can measure in the data. None of them proves a cause on its own, but each points at a different kind of infrastructure problem.

OverviewDry spillingBefore the worksTreatment works capacity
Indicator 1
30Dry
overflows spilling with no rain to excuse it

A discharge in dry weather is not an exceptional circumstance, so it is not permitted on any reading of regulation 4.

See the 30 →
Indicator 2
0Overloaded
works whose estimated load sits above their permitted flow

A strong signal, not a finding. We cannot see whether flow is transferred to another works for treatment, and the permitted figure is not always published.

See the 0 →
Indicator 3
68Early
overflows that spilled while their works stayed shut

Rainfall across the catchment does not explain a discharge that an overflow's own treatment works did not share.

See the 68 →

Where the indicators concentrate

OverflowHoursDryWhat it points toVerdict
Greenacres, ChagfordCSO1,63183High spill frequencyNo action
Compton CastleCSO645134High spill frequencyOn record
Dunsford STW, Teign ValleySO2,471276High spill frequencyOn record
Forde Park/torquay Rd, Newton AbbotCSO39216High spill frequencyNo action
Lemon Rd, Newton AbbotCSO099High spill frequencyNo action
Heathfield STW, Newton AbbotSSO2,088137Very long spillsOn record
Christow STW, Teign ValleySSO1,054193Very long spillsOn record
Homers Ln, KingsteigntonCSO10569Dry spillingNo action
Summerhill pumping station, IlsingtonPS-CSO/EO1,36410Very long spillsNo action
Cheriton Bishop STWSSO5125High spill frequencyNo action

Hours are the last full year; dry spills are since 2020. Verdict is whether a measure is linked to the overflow — see the gaps.

What this analysis cannot see

These indicators are measured from spill timing and rainfall alone. They cannot see misconnections, the quality of effluent from a works that is running normally, flow transferred between works for treatment, a company's maintenance history, or the periods when a monitor was offline. Because a quiet monitor records nothing, every count here is a floor, not a total.