Thames Water Brings Rotton Environmental Record to US

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Press Release

 

Worst Polluter in England and Wales Brings Rotten Record to United States:

Private Water and Sewer Giant Pays Fines But Does Not Fix Problems

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Thames Water, the giant company that is involved in taking

over water and sewer systems in communities across the United States, ranked as

the worst polluter in England and Wales for two of the three past years and is

on pace to rank as the worst again in 2002, according to the Environment Agency

in England.

 

A Public Citizen profile of Thames' recent environmental performance found that

dating back to 1999, Thames has been convicted of environmental and public

health violations 24 times and fined approximately $700,000. In case after

case, regulators found that the company was aware of conditions that led to raw

sewage discharges and could have prevented the pollution. It appears, however,

that Thames' corporate strategy is based on the notion that paying fines is less

expensive than paying to maintain and operate water and sewer systems cleanly

and safely.

 

Currently in negotiations to be purchased by RWE AG, the German energy

conglomerate, Thames' business model is being imported to the United States as

part of an increasing concentration and consolidation of transnational

corporations pushing to privatize the world's water. RWE is acquiring American

Water Works, the largest publicly held U.S.-based water utility with operations

in 29 states, and RWE plans to put its new U.S. operations under Thames'

supervision.

 

Citizens in Lexington, Ky., Stockton, Calif., and other communities from coast

to coast are alarmed at the prospect of their water supplies coming under

control of a gigantic global corporation with a dismal environmental record.

 

" Citizens must stop this reckless polluter from snapping up their water

systems, " said Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy

and Environment Program. " Water is a precious resource and access to clean water

is a basic human right. We can't afford to allow a company such as Thames to

have unfettered access to it. "

 

People have good reason to be concerned. In 1999, Thames was successfully

prosecuted by the government for pollution eight times. No company was

prosecuted more often. In 2000, Thames was fined nearly $450,000 for

pollution-more than any other company in England and Wales. In case after case,

officials found that Thames was aware of conditions that led to the pollution

and could have prevented them, and the company was repeatedly criticized for

ignoring warnings, failing to respond appropriately and unnecessarily

endangering public health and the environment.

 

· In Dartford, England, in 1998, Thames was fined roughly $70,000 for failing to

promptly and competently stop sewage that was discharging into the River Cray.

Officials later characterized the violation as " unique " in that the company

admitted to in " knowingly permitting the discharge to the Cray. "

 

· In 2000, a pumping station failure in southeast London resulted in raw sewage

and toxic industrial waste overflowing into a street and flooding nearby homes.

Residents suffered headaches, nausea and vomiting, and many were treated in

hospitals. Ten houses were rendered uninhabitable. An estimated 22.5 million

liters of raw sewage and waste was pumped into the River Thames. Thames was

fined $400,000, the largest fine ever under the waste management law Thames had

violated, and the court harshly criticized the company for its " complete

disregard for human health and the environment. "

 

In 2001, a blocked sewer in Hampshire caused sewage to flow into the River Wey

and lakes in the area. While Thames' contractors arrived on the scene quickly,

their shift ended before they fixed the problem, and they did not clear the

source of the discharge until the following day. Hundreds of fish died as a

result, and Thames was fined more than $30,000. Magistrates said they were

stunned at Thames' " exceptional levels of incompetence. "

 

As Thames swoops into communities in the United States, citizens, civic leaders

and elected officials at all levels should work together to stop Thames from

gaining control of water systems and jeopardizing the public health and

environment, Hauter said.

 

To read the entire report online, visit

http://www.citizen.org/documents/RWE%20Profile.pdf