100 signatures reached
To: NI Water
Mandate NI Water to Make Live Spillage Data Available to the Public
We want NI Water to tell us when they are releasing raw sewage into our seas and rivers, so we don't have to swim in dirty water.
Why is this important?
I am an NI representative for Surfers Against Sewage, and I’m fed up with the lack of access to critical water quality information.
In the rest of the UK, sewage pollution alerts are available: England and Wales provide real-time updates, and Scotland has made sewage discharge data publicly accessible. English and Welsh water companies share this data with SAS, offering water users transparency about what is polluting their waters and when.
In contrast, Northern Ireland keeps us in the dark about the state of our waters. We surf, swim, and engage in other water activities without real-time knowledge of water quality. This lack of transparency is alarming, especially given the frequency of sewage overflows by NI Water that can contaminate our environment.
The health, safety, and well-being of all water users in Northern Ireland demand that NI Water make live spillage data publicly available and share this information with Surfers Against Sewage. Increased transparency would allow us to make informed decisions about whether it’s safe to swim, surf, or paddleboard based on actual water quality conditions.
According to the NI Water website:
“Our initial focus has been to install EDMs on storm overflows which spill into Northern Ireland’s 26 designated bathing waters. To date, we have EDMs located in 22 of the 26 designated bathing waters... As of October 2024, 132 EDMs across bathing waters and shellfish areas are operational and returning information on frequency and duration of spills. We are committed to improving our EDM coverage; by summer 2025, we anticipate EDMs at most designated bathing and shellfish waters.”
EDMs (Event Duration Monitors) record and measure sewage spills from storm overflows, tracking when and how long spills occur. With EDMs already in place, all that remains is sharing this data with the Safer Seas and Rivers app to provide Northern Ireland with the same alert system as the rest of the UK.
We need action now. Join us in demanding equal access to real-time water quality data in Northern Ireland. Let’s point to the example set by the rest of the UK and urge NI Water to make live spillage data publicly available. Protect our right to safe and informed water usage.
Sign this petition today.
In the rest of the UK, sewage pollution alerts are available: England and Wales provide real-time updates, and Scotland has made sewage discharge data publicly accessible. English and Welsh water companies share this data with SAS, offering water users transparency about what is polluting their waters and when.
In contrast, Northern Ireland keeps us in the dark about the state of our waters. We surf, swim, and engage in other water activities without real-time knowledge of water quality. This lack of transparency is alarming, especially given the frequency of sewage overflows by NI Water that can contaminate our environment.
The health, safety, and well-being of all water users in Northern Ireland demand that NI Water make live spillage data publicly available and share this information with Surfers Against Sewage. Increased transparency would allow us to make informed decisions about whether it’s safe to swim, surf, or paddleboard based on actual water quality conditions.
According to the NI Water website:
“Our initial focus has been to install EDMs on storm overflows which spill into Northern Ireland’s 26 designated bathing waters. To date, we have EDMs located in 22 of the 26 designated bathing waters... As of October 2024, 132 EDMs across bathing waters and shellfish areas are operational and returning information on frequency and duration of spills. We are committed to improving our EDM coverage; by summer 2025, we anticipate EDMs at most designated bathing and shellfish waters.”
EDMs (Event Duration Monitors) record and measure sewage spills from storm overflows, tracking when and how long spills occur. With EDMs already in place, all that remains is sharing this data with the Safer Seas and Rivers app to provide Northern Ireland with the same alert system as the rest of the UK.
We need action now. Join us in demanding equal access to real-time water quality data in Northern Ireland. Let’s point to the example set by the rest of the UK and urge NI Water to make live spillage data publicly available. Protect our right to safe and informed water usage.
Sign this petition today.
