Southern Water launches new sewage discharge app

Southern Water has launched a new app which it says will change the way its customers view overflow activity across the region.

The water firm's previous online tool, Beachbuoy, has been replaced with its new Rivers and Seas Watch app.

It will feature every combined sewer outfall – also known as storm overflows – along its 700 miles (1,130 km) of coastline, rivers and streams.

Southern Water provides water services to about 2.7 million customers across East and West Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The firm said it was a "far cry" from the service it provided when its initial app was launched in 2018.

Tom Gallagher, open water improvement lead, said there were "major improvements to the look and feel of the site".

"Each outfall is colour coded - as before, green indicates no releases in the last 72 hours, amber shows there has been a release up to 72 hours ago, and a red icon highlights a release within the last 24 hours that our modelling shows could impact water quality," he said.

The previous app, which Southern Water said was the first alerting service by a water company, was compiled by hand and only covered Langstone and Chichester Harbours and Ventor, Hillhead, Joss Bay and Bexhill bathing waters.

The new tool uses advanced modelling of tides, currents and winds to provide more information on the possible impact of storm releases on local water quality, the firm added.

Project lead Luke Hyttner said Rivers and Seas Watch had been created following a "customer-first approach, engaging extensively with our community to understand their needs, wants and feedback".

"This has been invaluable in allowing us to really focus our efforts on improving how we communicate this important information to the public in a transparent, accurate and timely way," he added.