About our Storm Overflow Map
How to use our Storm Overflow Map and what it shows you.
Getting around the map
This video gives a quick snapshot of our plans to improve storm overflows and reduce spills. Want to find out more? Explore solutions near you, on our YouTube playlist.
What the map is showing you
You can see what’s happening at each storm overflow. We now have monitors on every one of our overflows, which at least once every 15 minutes, tell us when – and for how long – each one has spilled.
Every spill is monitored by the Environment Agency who give us strict permits on how the overflows should be used.
Why overflows spill
If there’s been rainfall in the area recently, you might see more pink or purple markers. This is because overflows are designed to release extra rainwater - from built-up areas and roads into watercourses. Most of the time this is for as little as 30 minutes when the rain is at its most extreme.
Doing this means our homes and businesses are protected from flooding when the drains and sewers have too much water in them because of the rain.
What we're doing about overflows
Overflows are there for a reason, but we know people don’t like the concept of them, so we are working to halve the amount of spills by 2030 and to bring spills down to 10 or less for all our overflows by 2045.
We’re essentially re-plumbing the network and rethinking hundreds of years of engineering solutions, now of course change on this scale can’t happen overnight, so we have in place short term plans that will help us land some immediate improvements, as well as longer term plans to deliver large scale engineering activities. We have hundreds of people dedicated to these planned improvements.
In summary, as part of our plan;
Find out about what’s happening in your county
Read about our plans to invest £4.4bn pounds on Storm Overflows across our region over the next 25-year period.
There’s lots more in the pipeline. Find out what we’re doing to Get River Positive.
Get in touch about our river plans
We know there might be something specific you want to hear about, or that you might even want to help.
Please get in touch if you have thoughts or suggestions.