Swansea Misconnection Project

The Swansea Misconnection Project is run by Swansea Council’s Pollution Control Team with funding from Environment Agency Wales and is part of a wider initiative to improve water quality in Swansea Bay.
The specific task in this project has been to identify and remedy misconnections of toilets, showers and other household appliances to the surface water drainage system. Such misconnections contribute to poor water quality in streams, rivers and the sea, and have a significant impact on biodiversity, recreation and other uses of water resources.
The initial focus of the project has been around Cwm Stream in the west of Swansea. Where approximately 1,200 properties were surveyed and drainage connections checked using dye and echo tests. Properties with misconnections were sent notices requiring remedial work to be carried out.
The project found 120 properties with one or more misconnections and the result is that 285 household appliances now no longer discharge foul water to the surface water sewer.
The judges pointed to the success of the project as not only being a reduction of misconnections and its associated pollution but also in raising awareness amongst residents and the wider public.