Surfers Against Sewage campaign for clean, safe recreational waters, free from sewage effluents, toxic chemicals and nuclear waste. Using a solution based argument consisting of viable and sustainable alternatives, SAS highlight the inherent flaws in current practises, attitudes and legislation, challenging industry, legislators and politicians to end their 'pump and dump' policies.

FORWARD PLAN 2001/2002

Our streams, rivers, lakes and seas are all part of one dynamic and changing system. That system is constantly under pressure as a result of mans activities, pollution from chemical factories, water abstraction, sewage discharges, agricultural practises, runoff from urban areas and deforestation are just a few of the factors impacting on this fragile system.

Water is an essential resource. It is integral to our daily lives but we face an ongoing battle. Whilst clean water is vital and must be in unrestricted supply, we are constantly drawing upon and polluting our existing water resources - water has become the accepted medium in which pollutants are dispersed into our environment. We are also demanding more than can be supplied and this can lead to serious environmental degradation through abstraction. Whilst on the one hand we acknowledge just how precious the resource is, on the other, we treat it as a limitless product and a convenient conveyor belt for our waste.

Crucial to the future of our water environment is the acknowledgement of the interaction between the land and the water and the fact that our waters cannot be viewed in a compartmentalised fashion. If our water environment is to be protected and if water quality is to continue improving, it is clear that there must be a joined up, long-term approach to tackling water pollution issues. Taking this long-term approach means rethinking strategies, changing mindsets and basically challenging concepts that have existed for years.

SAS have the freedom to think the unthinkable and ask questions that otherwise get left un-asked. Our role in the emerging water debate will be as an innovator, the challenger of old practises and the catalyst for the development and progression of new ones. By taking a broad overall view of our water environment, not simply focusing on end of pipe solutions, but looking further 'upstream' at what can be done to conserve resources and reduce waste entering the environment in the first place, we can make a difference in a way that fits with the worlds move towards a more sustainable future.

Nearly twelve years of intensive campaigning has opened doors for SAS so that we are now in a position to influence the development of a future water strategy in the UK, enabling us to deliver for water users UK wide in the long term. SAS have to capitalise on our position, on the resources we have available to us and the contacts we have made, and use this chance to make a difference to the bigger picture.

SAS was born as a single-issue campaign focused on an immediate problem affecting the day to day lives of the surfing communities of St Agnes and Porthtowan. To this day we maintain our grassroots image and will always keep the interests of the water user at the core of our campaign. Our mission remains the same; we plan to deliver a clean, safe water environment for our generation and for generations to come, but if we are going to reach our goal its time to broaden our focus and step into the bigger arena.

Where specifically does SAS fit and what will be our role?
We have the luxury of being able to say what we want to say (within reason!) whilst at the same time having an already established media profile and a place within the water debate. We must use this position;

· To challenge old concepts and promote innovation and development of new ideas.

· To advise and provide information to the industry, government, civil servants.

· To follow through with our ideas and concepts to ensure that they are taken on board by Europe, government and the industry.

· To encourage best environmental practise, the use of the best available technology and also ensure that solutions give the best value for money (taking into account the environment).

· To educate the public about the value of water and the pressures on the water environment.

· To ensure that the water debate is kept as high profile as possible.

· To ensure the water user is given the best protection possible.

How do we plan to do this?
Below are listed several key areas are SAS's priority. Bare in mind our original aims and objectives are as follows;

1. All sewage discharges to be fully treated before discharge and for both the liquid and the sludge content to be regarded as a resource rather than as a waste.

2. A complete cessation of marine dumping or discharge of toxic waste.

3. The Water Industry's capital investment programme to be aimed at the real issue of sewage disposal - the viruses, bacteria and nutrients contained therein.

4. The greatest environmental benefit per pound spent by the Water Companies

Updated priorities;

· Zero toxic discharges to sewer
Sewage and domestic waste-water is bad enough, allowing industrial waste to enter the sewer system means a whole new ball game.

There are several areas we can affect change here;
1. Call on chemical companies to use different chemicals in the production of household products. This needs to tie in with some sort of incentive scheme which ensures that Co's developing environmentally friendly alternatives get some sort of reward or relief. We can lobby government on this one but will also need to flag up to MEP's.
2. Encourage the general public to use environmentally friendly products in the home. Boycott the bad products. Tie in with a company producing 'environmentally friendly products'?
3. Scope out possibilities for alternative disposal strategy's for industry - i.e. can they recover contaminants from the waste stream before it leaves the factory. Dentists are looking into catching mercury before it goes down the drain, what can industry do? Needs to be economically viable.
4. Encourage the conservation of water in industry - perhaps this could be tied in with a charging scheme or universal monitoring- this would also encourage recycling of water for example for processing and cooling (with obvious benefits for the environment). The new Water Bill (whenever it emerges) will contain a statutory duty to conserve water.
5. Tie in with sludge and effluent reuse strategy - less organic compounds and heavy metals entering the sewer - cleaner sludge and cleaner final effluents. Push for the industry to view sludge and effluents as a valuable resource so that they push industry to clean up
6. Find out about and highlight 'good' practise schemes where recovery and removal are already being practised. Incorporate the above arguments into any water industry/sewage debate i.e. when campaigning for a new sewage treatment works or the upgrade of an existing one.

· !00% reuse of final effluents
SAS have scored big time on sewage treatment over the last ten years. The sewage of 14million will be fully treated by 2005. Reusing these highly treated effluents must become a central part of any sustainable water strategy. We need to encourage the reuse of this resource.
How?

1. Increase public awareness about the scarcity of the resource. Many people don't realise we will face water shortages in the future - the public must value water - we can play an important role here.
2. We need to find funding for a project in order to carry out a scoping study into the potential for waste-water reuse in the UK. Pulling together latest research on health risks, reuse options, supply and demand statistics and then apply them specifically to the UK. This would involve looking particularly at supply to industry and agriculture.
3. There are no European standards for reused waste-water. Certain country's have developed their own guidelines and regulations but the UK has not. We need to push for this on both a UK and European level. Until standards are set there is an excuse not to reuse!
4. The SAS project on reuse should aid in the development of adequate controls/codes of practise - need to tie in with DEFRA.
5. Promote water reuse as an alternative to abstraction. It's a steady and reliable source of water and abstraction can be environmentally damaging.
6. Open up lines of communication between European countries such as Sweden where reuse is happening on a large scale (agriculture) - encourage the UK to adopt similar.
7. Further develop relations with NFU to determine farming's view of treated wastewater. Would it be cheaper than the regular water supply, could farmers get a financial incentive for using it?
8. Promote reuse as a major part of sustainability in the water industry.
9. Once again, whenever campaigning in relation to sewage treatment works, reuse should feature as an SAS demand - i.e. Brighton. Southern region is known for its water shortages.

· 100% reuse of sewage sludge
Sewage sludge is a resource rich in nutrients - good for growing! It also has the potential to be used to generate energy (both directly through CHP or gaisfication or indirectly through spreading on land for growth of energy and industrial crops). In order to be sustainable the industry must reuse sewage sludge. How can we encourage this:

1. Carry out a project which will develop a Green Blue-Print for sewage sludge disposal in the South West. It will look at sustainable sludge solutions and apply them to the South West region in order to produce a fully workable sludge strategy. The strategy will be economically viable but will also provide solutions that will not compromise public health or the health of the environment. The project already has the approval of South West Water, Wessex Water and DEFRA and we are waiting to hear about funding. A good opportunity for us to be at the cutting edge.
2. Find out what the public really think about sludge reuse (this forms a large part of the proposed project). Public perception resulted in the food retailer shut down - are the public really informed about sewage sludge reuse - do they have the facts? What do they consider acceptable?
3. Work with industry to promote sewage sludge projects that we know are safe.
4. Ensure that government include the water industry under the Climate Change Levy (at the moment they don't qualify so get no relief from the levy even if using renewable energy - this is not the ideal arena in which to encourage the industry to generate energy from sludge)!

· Promote water conservation
We have a role to encourage both the public and industry to conserve water. This not only reduces the pressure on the resource but also reduces the amounts of contaminants entering the environment particularly as far as industry are concerned.
We will actively support the arrival of a statutory duty to conserve water (in the Water Bill). We will also explore other ways to encourage water conservation such as higher prices for certain users etc.

· Ensure the public have access to relevant environmental and health information
The public have the right to make an informed choice about when and where they use the water. To make that choice they need up to date information on water quality, the inputs into that body of water and their location and easy to understand information on the degree of risk. To this end we will;

1. Produce the SAS clickable map! The definitive resource for the discerning water user. The map will be web based and will give details of pollution inputs, both industrial and sewage, continuous and intermittent. It will provide locations, levels of treatment, compliance levels and where possible, content of discharge. This again is a project that will require funding - it is detailed in our sponsor pack.
2. Ensure that the new Bathing Water Directive incorporates a requirement for the provision of information at utilised locations.
3. Push for the industry to be allowed money for telemetry on CSO's so that the public can be informed of any discharges. This will come under AMP 4 - the next Periodic Review process starts Oct 2002.

· Ensure that European legislation protects both the water user and the environment.
It is the protection of the water user that is at the forefront of our campaign. This extends to the public at large in some debates but as far as water quality debates go we must ensure that the water user is always protected.
1. Represent the water user in the revision of the Bathing Water Directive
2. Represent the water user in the upcoming Water Framework Directive
3. Represent the water user on forum's, stakeholder debates.
4. Understand how other legislation such as the Shellfish Waters Directive can indirectly affect water quality for recreational users - utilise this opportunity.

· Reduce diffuse pollution
Now that many of the point source discharges have been cleaned up it's the diffuse sources that are emerging as the 'new problem'. There are public health issues here.
1. Liaise with organisations such as the NFU, Soil Association, CLA etc to establish what projects are up and running in an attempt to minimise impacts of diffuse pollution. Relating to pesticide and fertiliser application, buffer zones, management of cattle (keeping them away from rivers and streams), organic farming.
2. Liaise with local projects and disseminate information and findings to wider areas and other regions, facilitate debate and stakeholder interaction.
3. Pull together all information on health risks from diffuse pollution - both microbiological and chemical/heavy metals.
4. Research into what is being done to minimise diffuse pollution in other countries - publicise.
5. Promote the development and research into environmentally friendly alternatives to pesticides and fertilisers. Again perhaps an incentive scheme for manufacturers should be looked at by government. Ties in with the Common Agricultural Policy.
6. Encourage the growth of crops and trees to reduce runoff, liaise with stakeholder groups and publicise. Determine potential for growth of energy and industrial crops - ties in with sewage sludge disposal, soil degradation and runoff.

· Ensure all water industry work can be funded
The next Periodic Review is around the corner. SAS will have input. Because of the uncertainties surrounding the legislative requirements (revision of the BWD and the new WFD) interim determinations and discretionary spend will be very important this time around. In this Periodic Review we will ensure that;

1. Capital maintainence costs are given the correct weighting.
2. Companies are able to go for interim determinations and are not penalised for making a discretionary spend.
3. The 'customer' is correctly represented - OFWAT believe the customer simply wants reduced bills. In order to establish whether the customer is prepared to pay a little more for environmental improvements a survey must be carried out. This must be a survey that is put together by all stakeholders and one that is mutually agreed.
4. That OFWAT ensure the industry are able to take a long term view.
5. The Periodic Review process is in five year blocks - is this appropriate considering the need to look long term?
6. We will lobby Ministers to ensure the environmental programme that they agree is in keeping with our demands.

· Encourage communication between all stakeholders, facilitate stakeholder debate
Stakeholder interaction is key to any long term, sustainable strategy. SAS must work to encourage this interaction. Our unique position and ability to gain public confidence could be put to good use here.

1. SAS Conference to discuss these issues
2. Should we set up an ongoing stakeholder forum?

· An end to the disposal of all toxic substances into the water environment
Heavy metals, organic compounds, oestrogen mimicking chemicals etc. Many have a tendency to persist in the environment, to bioaccumulate - obvious impacts for water users, wildlife and the wider environment. There is a tendency to drive for end of pipe solutions, is this short termism? What can we be doing to encourage a more long - term approach to be taken?

1. Working to influence European legislation on chemical production, chemical labelling, public access to information about chemicals. Commission White Paper on Chemicals.
2. The Water Framework Directive demands the phase out of certain priority substances, do we think they have listed enough?
3. Push for monitoring in water environment not just in pipe. Both fresh and marine waters must be covered.
4. Encourage more work on the antagonistic effects of chemicals, how do they behave when they are in the environment together
3. Move away from end of pipe solutions where possible. What can be done to encourage development of environmentally friendly alternatives, natural alternatives?
5. Lobby the bad guys, flag up the good guys. Bearing in mind the long-term approach rather than just end of pipe fixes.
6. We need to buy shares in a number of companies producing pesticides, household products and chemicals in general. We can then attend AGM's and ask what they are doing to produce more environmentally friendly products - make an economic argument!

· No nuclear discharges
A strong position to take but nuclear energy is no longer economically viable, BNFL for example face a £34 billion clean up bill! With the promotion of clean renewable energy do we need nuclear?

· All companies should produce Green Accounts
These accounts put an economic costing on operational factors such as transport costs, energy consumption and Carbon Dioxide emissions. All companies should be producing these.

1. Push for all companies to adopt a Green Accounts system (similar to Wessex Waters)
2. Ensure that damage to the environment from pollution is included in these accounts.
3. Use these accounts to encourage Co's to explore and utilise renewable energy options.
4. Green accounts currently omit to incorporate costings for pollution damage - this is something that must be addressed.

Conclusion
SAS have evolved from a single-issue campaign into an organisation that has a chance to influence the wider water debate and deliver for our members big time. Our grassroots appeal is fundamental to the success of the campaign and it is our love of the water environment that will continue to drive us; we will never forget our roots. However, the debate is changing and if we want to realise our goal of a clean, safe water environment for all, we have naturally got to move with it.

Vicky Garner, Campaign Director, 30/11/01

For more information call Vicky Garner, 01872 553001