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Originally posted by Shortblack: ↑

I'll stick to the facts reported .....

Water companies across the country will aim to:
Install the equivalent of thousands of new Olympic swimming pools to hold surges in rainwater that would otherwise overload the system;
Increase the capacity of sewage treatment works, allowing them to treat higher volumes of rainfall and sewage;
Replace concrete with grass and ponds to reduce rainfall run-off entering sewers, protecting them against the overloading that causes spills;
Treat overflow spills so they have much less impact on the river, including through reed beds, wetlands and other nature-friendly projects; and
Improve the sewer network by enlarging and improving pipes, allowing them to safely carry more sewage during peak times, and fixing misconnected pipes from properties.

The investment would see water companies build large amounts of “grey” infrastructure – engineering solutions such as larger storm tanks to hold back water in heavy rain, and larger treatment works.
Water UK said that the plans including building storm tanks equivalent to 1,000 Olympic swimming pools.
There will also be “green” infrastructure – natural solutions such as rain gardens in urban areas, porous surfaces and ponds, and swales – broad, shallow channels that collect and transfer stormwater and run-off.
These green methods all slow the amount of water reaching treatment works during peak times, and reduce the need for sewage spills.

No committment yet to water treatment ...

“If it is delivered it will make a significant contribution to the health of our rivers and nature recovery. We now need to see similar commitments for improvements to treated sewage effluent, road run-off and agricultural pollution, each of which causes more harm to rivers and coastal waters than sewage spills. However, this is a massive stride forward on the journey towards healthy rivers for everyone to enjoy.”

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Aye, there's money in them hills.

30 water treatment works released 11bn litres of raw sewage in a year, study suggests.Exclusive: Researchers analysed works run by nine water and sewerage companies in England and Wales Sandra Laville Environment correspondent Sat 27 May 2023 20.22 AEST Eleven
billion litres of raw sewage were discharged from a sample of 30 water
company treatment works in one year, new research suggests.The
study aimed to reveal the volume of discharged effluent released from
storm overflows by water firms. Companies are not forced to reveal the
volume of raw sewage released during discharges... In a study of 30 treatment works in 2020 run by nine of the 10 water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, the volume of raw sewage discharged was estimated at 11bn litres – or the equivalent volume to 4,352 Olympic pools...Measuring
the volume of discharges was vital to establish the environmental
impact of them upon rivers, he said. “Individual rivers receive direct,
simultaneous discharges of untreated sewage from multiple storm
overflows on their journey from source to sea,” Prof. Hammond said. “So,
during longer spills, the lower reaches of a river may already be
polluted from upstream discharges when yet more overflows downstream
discharge untreated sewage.”The
River Nidd in North Yorkshire, one of the river catchments studied by
Hammond, receives untreated sewage discharges from at least seven
treatment works. ”Data from
treatment works run by Welsh Water that feed into the Conwy, a sea trout
river in north Wales, was also studied. Hammond estimated the volume of
discharges from both inlets and storm tank overflows was an equivalent
to 34 Olympic swimming pools...The water industry has promised to triple investment in the sewerage network to £10bn
this decade as it apologised for not acting on sewage pollution.
Clayden said his group was waiting to hear details from Yorkshire Water
about what that meant for cleaning up the Nidd. A
Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: “... The assessments suggests that where Yorkshire Water can make a
difference is in reducing phosphorus from final effluent of wastewater.
That is why we are investing £790m by 2025 in phosphorus removal.”