Some of the Facts
	How will it affect you?
	What is a C.S.O.?
	Who knows about this problem?
	Useful Addresses

Some of the Facts

Did you know that United Utilities have a legal obligation to connect a new development (one house or more) to a sewage system, even if that system is "Hydraulically Inadequate" and cannot take the current volume? What happens to the excess?

In Greenfield and Grasscroft there will be approx. 300 houses added to the sewage system in 4 years. Can it cope?

At present there are no major plans by the United Utilities to upgrade the Greenfield and Grasscroft Sewage system.

Oldham Met. Borough have in the past included in planning permission a condition on the Developer to ensure that they must connect to an Hydraulically Adequate sewer system. Why are they not doing it now in Greenfield and Grasscroft?

There are Major Development plans for Fletchers Mill and Knoll Spinning. How many possible dwellings are to be included on these sites in the future?

The streams that flow under Manchester Rd, (A635) Greenfield, are subject to pollution at any time and pass through the public domain, a health hazard to humans and animals alike.

How will it affect you?

If you live in the area where there is a sewer problem you must look for the tell-tale signs. Some are very obvious:-

	A discharge from a manhole or grid
	Solids floating in streams
	Offensive smells
	Discoloured streams or rivers
	Back-flushing toilets or wash basins/baths
	Dead fish or wild life
	Flooding during or after a heavy downpour
	Collapsing of the road or pavement
	Excavations by United Utilities or others
	You need to keep a record of events to refer back to in the future.
	Network with the G.G.R.A.

What is a C.S.O.?

A CSO is a Concessionary Sewage Overflow. There are 54 of these overflows active in the Oldham Borough. They are designed to allow sewage to discharge directly into rivers at times when the local sewer system cannot cope because of excess rainfall or flooding.

The Local Authority pays a charge to the Environment Agency on an annual basis for these CSO.'s. In the Greenfield and Grasscroft Area there are 3 of these CSO's

Although we may not agree with the practice, we can at least see the reasoning behind their use.

However we have first hand evidence that these CSO's are not working properly. Sewage discharge is finding its way into the public domain and into freshwater streams instead. The proof exists in the Manchester Road area of Greenfield where the sewer pipes have been declared Hydraulically Inadequate and cannot take the volumes. The sewage cannot reach the CSO's and bottlenecks cause a back-flush that end up either coming back into houses, up through grids onto the road or into freshwater streams that pass through the public domain.

This sewer pipe is not the only one of its type or size in the Greenfield and Grasscroft area, so we must consider that such bottlenecking is happening in many places in the whole borough causing a high number of illegal Sewage Overflows into the community.

Who knows about this problem?

Not many of the public know about the problem. Thankfully, most of the time sewage is under the ground and out of the way, so we don't have to think about it.

But most of the official bodies know all about the problems in our area. Yet they all seem good at providing reasons why they can't do anything.

Oldham MBC know about it. United Utilities know about it.

The Environment Agency know about it, OFWAT know about it. Even the Government know about it. But they all claim that they can do nothing about it.

United Utilities continue to perpetuate the problems, but are immune to prosecution. They hide behind the excuses that they inherited the system. However they could invest more, but won't for some reason.

The problem of escaped sewage is a widespread one that needs a countrywide long-term solution.

But we could affect the problem now through the planning laws with the help of OMBC.

Useful Addresses